Science

The coronavirus pandemic is far from over

Many countries are reporting fewer new coronavirus infections. But global data indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. DW sums up the current situation in three charts.

These charts and this article are updated every Friday between 1100 and 1300 UTC. Last updated: May 21, 2021.

What's the current global trend? 

The goal for all countries is to make it to the blue section of the chart and stay there. Countries and territories in this section have reported no new cases for four weeks in a row.  

Currently, that is the case for six out of 188 countries and territories. 

Please note: The number of newly reported cases highly depends on a country's ability to conduct tests and its strategy for administering tests. Additionally, some countries have been criticized for not accurately reporting case numbers.

How has the COVID-19 trend evolved over the past weeks?

The situation has improved further: 54 countries have reported more cases in the past two weeks compared with the previous 14 days.

What is the current COVID-19 trend in my country? 

Based on the newly reported case numbers — which can reflect local outbreaks as well as the countrywide spread — in the past 28 days, countries and territories classify as follows:

More than twice as many new cases:

  • Asia: Maldives, Taiwan, Vietnam
  • Africa: Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho, Mauritius, Seychelles
  • Americas: Dominica, Saint Lucia
  • Oceania: Papua New Guinea

More new cases:

  • Asia: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste
  • Africa: Angola, Botswana, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia
  • Americas: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay
  • Europe: Denmark, Greece, Latvia
  • Oceania: Fiji

About the same number of new cases (no change or plus/minus 2%):  

  • Asia: South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia 
  • Americas: Colombia, Grenada, Honduras, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Venezuela
  • Europe: Belarus, Russia

Fewer new cases:

  • Asia: Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan
  • Africa: Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
  • Americas: Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, United States of America
  • Europe: Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  • Oceania: New Zealand

Less than half as many new cases:

  • Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Turkey, Palestinian territories, Yemen
  • Africa: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan
  • Americas: Barbados
  • Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia
  • Oceania: Australia

Zero new cases:

  • Asia: Tajikistan
  • Europe: Vatican
  • Oceania: Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

If you have questions regarding the analysis, please refer to the project's Github repository for code and methodology. For feedback regarding the charts, please contact: data-team@dw.com 
The charts in this article were inspired by the work of Lisa Charlotte Rost.

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