The number of Coronavirus infections has exceeded 100 million people around the world, as a number of countries seek to impose more closures, and warn of a gap between rich and poor countries in access to the vaccine.

The number of confirmed cases of the new Corona virus around the world has exceeded 100 million, since the epidemic first appeared in China at the end of 2019, while the number of deaths reached more than two million and 151 thousand.

Since the start of the outbreak, the number of detection tests has increased dramatically and screening and tracking techniques have improved, which has led to an increase in the number of diagnosed infections.

However, the declared size of injuries reflects a fraction of the actual number, as some countries conduct tests for severe injuries only, while other countries give priority to testing for contacts.

Also, a number of poor countries do not already have limited capabilities to conduct tests, and there is a large proportion of infected people who may recover without showing any symptoms and they do not know that they have contracted the virus.

Since the fall, when the second epidemic wave began, especially in Europe, the number of new infections recorded daily in all parts of the world ranged between 600,000 and 700,000 new infections, which is a high level.

It took 11 months for the first 50 million injuries to be recorded, compared to only 3 months for the number to double and reach 100 million.

Most affected

Recently, the number of deaths recorded a slow but steady rise, as daily deaths rose from about 10,000 in early December to nearly 14,000 in the past seven days.

The United States is the most affected country, as it recorded more than 25 million injuries at the end of last week, followed by India (10.7 million injuries) and Brazil (8.9 million injuries).

The US government intends to purchase an additional 200 million doses of anti-Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines, which will ensure that it provides enough to vaccinate the entire population of 300 million people in the United States by the end of the summer, according to a senior US official.

The official added that an additional 100 million doses of vaccines make the deal to buy them from Pfizer and another 100 million from MODERNA, the two companies whose vaccines have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In the same context, the United Kingdom, on Tuesday, became the first country in Europe to cross the threshold of 100,000 deaths from the Coronavirus.

According to the daily tally of the Ministry of Health, 1631 additional deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of deaths to 100,000 and 162.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday at a press conference, "I am deeply sorry for every soul that has been lost, and certainly as Prime Minister I bear full responsibility for everything that the government has done."

And the countries in which the closure measures have been re-imposed are facing the third wave of the epidemic, which is more fierce due to the new version of the virus, which is more contagious and may be more deadly, and which has spread in some countries of the world.

The restrictions continue or intensify at a time when vaccination campaigns began a month ago, as more than 63.5 million doses of vaccines were given to people in at least 68 countries or regions, according to an AFP census.

Fair distribution

But the gap in vaccines between rich and poor countries is widening, as the World Health Organization said, noting that it needs $ 26 billion to accelerate access to tools to combat the epidemic.

And German Chancellor Angela Merkel called, on Tuesday, for a "fair" distribution of vaccines all over the world, as increasing competition appears between countries due to the decrease in supply from pharmaceutical companies.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned that vaccine manufacturers "must fulfill their promises and fulfill their commitments," especially since they have benefited from massive European investments.

"Europe has invested billions to develop the first vaccines and to ensure a real global benefit," she said in a video conference during the Davos World Economic Forum.

"And now companies must fulfill their promises and fulfill their obligations," she added.

On Tuesday, Iceland became one of the first countries to issue "certificates" of vaccination to its citizens, with the aim of "facilitating the movement of people between countries," at a time when this issue raises a division among the members of the European Union.

At present, the usefulness of these certificates remains theoretical as long as their value is not recognized internationally.