New daily cases of COVID-19 from January 1 to July 21, 2020 worldwide, by region

The number of daily new COVID-19 cases started to decline across Europe from the start of April 2020. However, infections continued to increase in the Americas, and the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the region as the new epicenter of the pandemic toward the end of May 2020.

Soaring demand for critical health care supplies

Health systems around the world have been overwhelmed because of the coronavirus. Hospitals have reached capacity and health workers have been redirected to care for critical COVID-19 patients. Demand for test kits, respirators, and personal protective equipment (PPE) has led to global shortages of life-saving supplies. The WHO had shipped 131 million units of medical PPE – face masks, goggles, gloves, and gowns – to nearly 150 countries as of August 10, 2020.

Russia claim vaccine prestige

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been an urgent need to accelerate the development of COVID-19 treatments. As of August 13, 2020, there are 29 candidate vaccines under clinical evaluation around the world, according to the WHO. One of those vaccines is being developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin granted the vaccine regulatory approval in mid-August, and it is expected to enter civilian circulation in January 2021.