COVID-19 FAQs Answered: Coronavirus Count in the World, Total Deaths Due to COVID-19 and More

The COVID-19 cases across the world have so far surpassed the 5.5 million mark. According to the Johns Hopkins University report, the deaths due to the deadly disease have mounted to more than 3,46,000 worldwide. While the world grapples with COVID-19, fear and panic continues to grip people raising concerns about healthcare facilities and treatment of the deadly virus. Take a look at the answers to some of the most asked questions about the  coronavirus pandemic, its transmission, diagnosis and treatment.

How Long Does Coronavirus Last on Surfaces?

The COVID-19 virus can live on some surfaces like plastic and steel for minimum 72 Hours i.e. three days, a study conducted by US researchers reveal. A report by Healthline.com quoting several studies revealed that the COVID-19 virus can stay on paper and stainless steel for 3-7 days, on copper, glass and paper for 4 days, on cardboard for 24 hours while on wood for up to 2 days.

How Long Does COVID-19 Live on Fabric?

The coronavirus can stay on fabric for around 2 days. A study by Lancet articleTrusted Source states that the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on cloth was tested and it was found that the virus couldn’t be recovered from cloth after 2 days. "No infectious virus could be recovered from printing and tissue papers after a 3-hour incubation, whereas no infectious virus could be detected from treated wood and cloth on day 2", the study revealed.

Is Coronavirus Disappearing?

According to research conducted by Chinese scientists in April 2020, the coronavirus will not be eradicated. A report by TIME quoted the researchers saying that the pathogen will likely return in waves like the flu. The researchers believed that it is very unlikely the COVID-19 virus would disappear as it infects some people without causing obvious symptoms like fever.

How Many People Have Died From Coronavirus?

So far, the total number of cases across the globe stood at 5,508,904, while the death toll increased to 346,508, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed on May 26. The worst-affected country was the USA, which inched closer to a grim milestone of 1,00,000 COVID-19 deaths. Apart from the US, Brazil comes in the second place with 3,74,898 COVID-19 infections followed by Russia with 3,62,342, the UK with 2,62,547, Spain with 2,35,400 infected and  Italy with 2,30,158.

In terms of deaths, US topped the list with 98,223 deaths followed by UK with 36,996 COVID-19 deaths, Italy with 32,877 deaths, France with 28,460, Spain with 26,834, and Brazil with 23,473 deaths so far.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on May 25 warned that countries could see a "second peak" of coronavirus cases during the first wave of the pandemic if lockdown restrictions were lifted too soon. Mike Ryan, the WHO's head of emergencies, said that the world was "right in the middle of the first wave" and told nations to be aware as "the disease can jump up at any time".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2020 01:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).