Global increase of Covid-19 confirmed cases exceed 100,000 cases yesterday and likely to reach 6 million cases by May 30

The global increase of Covid-19 confirmed cases exceeds 100,000 cases yesterday. It is now 5,784,603 – an increase of 106,575 cases from the previous day.

While Malaysians sighed with relief that the increase yesterday in Malaysia has returned to low double-digit figures after registering three-digit figures for two days, the Covid-19 pandemic is like a Grim Reaper continuing its ghastly march with increasing toll in more and more regions in the world – latest count, 213 countries and territories with 187 having reported fatalities.

It took 13 weeks to reach the first million mark of Covid-19 confirmed cases, 12 days each to reach the second, third and fourth million mark, and for the fifth million mark, it is likely to reach in ten days at its present rate of increase – which means exceeding 6 million cases by May 30.

Covid-19 deaths have also been appalling, with United States exceeding 100,000 deaths with 1,745,677 cases while Brazil has skyrocketed to be the world’s top No.2 with 411,821 Covid-19 confirmed cases and 25,598 deaths.

The US has recorded more deaths from the disease than any other country in the pandemic, and almost three times as many as the second-ranking country, United Kingdom, which has recorded 37,460 deaths.

The total toll from the top six countries for Covid-19 deaths, ie. United States (102,095), United Kingdom(37,460), Italy (33,072), France (28,596), Spain (27,118) and Brazil (25,598) account for 71 per cent of global toll of 356,826 deaths.

The true death toll and number of cases are likely to be significantly higher due to differing definitions and testing rates, delays and suspected underreporting.

All over the world, nations are struggling to live with coronavirus until an effective vaccine is developed and widely available: to strike the best compromise between the need to re-open the economy and the need to contain the spread of Covid-19 while primed for a second wave of Covid-19 outbreak, although in Malaysia we should be talking about a third wave.

When will the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, realise that it is impossible to strike the best balance in Malaysia between the need to re-open the economy and the need to contain the spread of Covid-19 without public trust, confidence and the opening of Parliament to restore parliamentary oversight and scrutiny of the Executive in the Covid-19 pandemic?