Cases of the ongoing novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic have continued to rise since last week.
According to Worldometers.info, 48,461 new cases were reported on Wednesday taking the total number of Covid-19 cases across the world to 486,898.
The number is 4,717 higher than that of the previous day (43,744) and 7,090 more than Tuesday (41,371) indicating a steep and worrying rise in the rate of new infections.
A week ago, on March 18, the number of new cases worldwide was 20,585 and a week before that on March 11 it was 7,266.
Till now, the number of active cases stands at 342,540.
Of the active case, 327,612, or 96%, were identified to be in mild condition while the rest 14,928, or 4%, have been marked as serious or critical.
At the same time, 115,798 (84%) people from across the world have recovered fully from the infection or were discharged from treatment.
The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed 21,577 lives since its discovery on December 2019.
In January, China effectively shut down Wuhan and placed its 11 million residents in effective quarantine after the novel coronavirus infection turned into outbreak.
The virus is thought to have emerged late last year in a Wuhan market illegally trading wildlife. It can cause pneumonia, respiratory diseases, among others, and spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes.
Till now, coronavirus or Covid-19 has affected 198 countries and territories around the world and one international conveyance, the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship harboured in Yokohama of Japan.
