Lesotho, Samoa and North Korea. What do these countries have in common with 13 other nations?
Until 17 April, they had no reported cases of the coronavirus, Al Jazeera reports.
The Johns Hopkins University shows on its website that 185 countries have infections, with Yemen having the lowest number of cases – only one.
Since December 2019, when the first person was infected, 149 378 people have died from the virus, and now the US leads this grim statistic with 28 998 Covid-19 related deaths.
Sixteen countries have no reported cases of the coronavirus. They are:
Comoros
Kiribati
Lesotho
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
North Korea
Palau
Samoa
Sao Tome and Principe
Solomon Islands
Tajikistan
Tonga
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
The rapid spread of the virus has brought an abrupt halt or postponement to most entertainment, flights and education.
Governments have been rushing to build makeshift hospitals for the infected in need of intensive care, and shelters for the homeless.
The coronavirus also brought with it panic buying, and shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies, such as ventilators.
The World Health Organisation warned that Africa could have a surge in cases, from just thousands to 10 million in six months. The continent has been spared in comparison to Europe, which has 1 099 211 cases and 94 021 deaths.
Africa has 17 000 confirmed cases and about 900 deaths.
Nearly six out of every 10 people around the world are currently forced or urged to stay at home to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to an AFP count on Friday.
An AFP database shows that this concerns at least 4.5 billion people, or around 58 percent of the world population, which is estimated by the United Nations at 7.79 billion in 2020.
– Compiled by Maxine Becket