Five countries where Covid-19 cases are dipping

A look at the present global Covid-19 trajectory shows that a handful of countries who had reported some of the worst outbreaks in July have started witnessing a persistent and considerable decrease in caseload even as some European nations like Spain, Italy and France are seeing a resurgence in cases.

Even countries like the United States (US) and Russia, with their initial sudden and steep rise in infection rates and deaths, appear to be on the path to flatten the curve. However, experts have cautioned that the drop in reported cases could be simply due to the recent drop in testing volume.

Most of the countries with the biggest decreases per million people have enforced mandatory wearing of masks or have reversed reopening policies and shut down bars, gyms and theaters as and when cases have spiked.

In an analysis of the top 20 worst-affected countries, the US, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are witnessing a strong decrease in caseload, data by worldometers.info shows. For comparison, we have calculated the seven-day moving average of new infections from July first week till August 22. This approach helps prevent major events, such as reporting irregularities, from skewing the data.