Covid-19 is 'not under control' and rates of the virus are actually accelerating, according to the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said the total number of cases of coronavirus around the world has doubled in the last six weeks.

Ghebreyesus also warned that the US, Brazil and India, are among the worst affected countries in the world.

This warning comes after Donald Trump began the country's formal withdrawal from the WHO, and after the UK dropped its 14 day quarantine rule for travellers visiting or returning to the nation from over 50 countries last week.

The virus is ‘not under control’

At the member state briefing on the pandemic evaluation, Dr Tedros said: "The virus has upended health systems in some of the world's wealthiest nations, while some countries that have mounted a successful response have been of modest means.

"We know that when countries take a comprehensive approach based on fundamental public health measures - such as find, isolate, test and treat cases, and trace and quarantine contacts - the outbreak can be brought under control.

"But in most of the world the virus is not under control. It is getting worse. And the pandemic is still accelerating."

According to data from Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the world on 9 July was 12,268,518.

Which are the worst affected countries?

The USA, India and Brazil account for the majority of new cases worldwide reported daily and are listed as the top three countries with the most number of recorded cases.

The US is currently the worst affected country, with over three million people having contracted the virus. Almost one in every 100 people in the US has been confirmed as infected with the virus and, tragically, 131,000 have now died.

The most recent figures from Thursday 9 July reveal the number of new daily cases in the country were just short of 60,000.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, the total number of new cases has reached over 46,000.

India, a country with nearly 1.4 billion people, has reported nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections as the disease spreads through the nation.

Russia comes after India on the list of worst affected countries, with 712,863 confirmed cases, followed by Peru with 316,448.

Coronavirus in Europe

According to data published by statista on 10 July, Europe’s worst hit country in terms of the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic remains the United Kingdom, with 286,979 confirmed cases.

According to data from CSSE at Johns Hopkins University, England is also the seventh worst affected country in the world, just behind Chile. However, there is data to show that cases in England are now falling.

On 9 July, the Office for National Statistics revealed that roughly one in 3,900 people in England have Covid, making up only 0.03 per cent of the population, which is a decrease from one in 2,200 the week prior.

Coronavirus in Latin America

Over in Brazil, president Jair Bolsonaro was confirmed to have Covid-19 on 7 July, before news that Venezuela's second in command, Diosdado Cabello, had also tested positive on 9 July.

Bolivia’s country’s interim president Jeanine Anez tested positive for coronavirus on the same day. This made her the third head of state in Latin America to test positive for the virus, as back in June, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández confirmed he was infected.

Bolivia now has 42,984 confirmed cases of the virus and has reported 1,577 deaths. The number of new infections are increasing, while, in some regions, there are reports of hospitals being overwhelmed.

Venezuela is largely considered one of the world's least prepared countries to confront the pandemic, after years of economic hardship, but also due to the government’s response to the virus.

At the end of march, journalist Darvinson Rojas was arrested for reporting on coronavirus in the country and charged with "advocacy of hatred". In April, Dr Freddy Pachano, a doctor in the state of Zulia and president of the National Board of Directors for Postgraduate Medicine said, "Several doctors have been directly or indirectly silenced, intimidated, threatened”.

Currently, hospitals are often caught short of the most basic supplies, such as clean water, electricity and medicine.

Concerns over a second wave

In Hong Kong, all schools have been closed due to a spike in coronavirus cases, prompting concerns over the possibility of a second wave.

A rise in cases in Tokyo has also sparked concerns, prompting governor Yuriko Koike to urge for extra caution, "It's a wake-up call. We need to use extra caution against the further spread of the infections."

Serbia, has confirmed more than 17,000 cases of coronavirus, amongst its population of 6.9 million people, and a total of 341 deaths.

Recent anti-lockdown protests in Serbia have led to the authorities banning mass gatherings of more than 10 people in the capital city of Belgrade on 9 July.

Serbia's prime minister Ana Brnabic explained the decision, saying, "The health system in Belgrade is close to breaking up”.

The UK government has now removed Serbia from the list of countries which do not require travellers to undergo a 14 day quarantine, upon arrival into England.