The Storm is Coming: America and Europe About to Become Virus Epicenter

If there is anything remotely positive to say regarding the global pandemic that we now find ourselves in, it is that it is somewhat predictable.

That is to say that our current trajectory with this virus is not a particularly fun one to recognize, but we understand that there is a wave of bad news coming.  Testing is just now becoming readily available for Americans, thus steadily increasing the numbers that we’re going to see.

Nations such as South Korea and Taiwan are finally reporting an easement in new cases after several weeks of concerted effort, while Italy and Spain are quickly beginning to bear the brunt of the illness.

Medical authorities now believe that Europe and the United States are the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a Tuesday press briefing at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, spokeswoman Dr. Margaret Harris said that “the outbreak is accelerating very rapidly and the case numbers we received overnight will put that up considerably.”

Europe is now considered the new global epicenter of the outbreak by the WHO. Italy has been hit harder than any other European country, with 63,927 confirmed cases of the virus, including 6,077 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center. However, Italy has seen a decline in confirmed cases and deaths for two straight days, which Harris called a “glimmer of hope” for the country.

Spain has the second most confirmed cases in Europe, 39,673, along with 2,696 deaths. About 5,400 health care professionals have tested positive for the virus, the BBC reports. On Tuesday, Spain reported 514 more deaths, its highest daily increase thus far since the pandemic hit the country. The nation is enforcing strict lockdown measures implemented by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

And while this isn’t very cheery information to have, it is still important.  Our medical professionals understand how these sort of viral monsters behave, and understanding where we are on the proverbial “curve” is a very important step toward forming our expectations.