Spain now has more deaths than China
MADRID/BRUSSELS: Spain now has the world’s second-highest death toll from Covid-19, after 738 fatalities were reported on Wednesday, the country’s worst singleday loss. Spain has surpassed China’s death toll of 3,281. Italy still has the most deaths for any nation with 7,503. Infections in Spain rose 20% from a day earlier to 47,610.
Spain’s deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo has tested positive for coronavirus, the Spanish government said on Wednesday.
Calvo tested positive after previously testing negative, but one more test was performed because the last one proved inconclusive.
Calvo was doing well and receiving medical treatment, the government said.
In Italy, where 683 people were reported dead on Wednesday, the death toll in Lombardy, which has borne the brunt, has risen by around 296 in a day to some 4,474.
The figure is down sharply compared to 402 deaths on Tuesday. If confirmed, it will be the lowest daily death toll in Lombardy since March 19. The number of cases in the region, which includes Italy’s financial capital Milan, increased by some 1,643 to roughly 32,346, the source said. On Wednesday, the national death toll stood at 7,503, the highest in the world.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government secured emergency powers, unlocking a historic rescue package designed to cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic.
A majority of lawmakers in the Bundestag voted on Wednesday to set aside constitutional debt limits to combat the crisis.
An internal EU document showed on Wednesday that the 27 EU states need 10 times as much personal protective equipment and other medical devices, such as ventilators, to tackle the coronavirus than traditional supply chains can provide.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Portugal increased 27% to 2,995 on Wednesday from 2,362. That compares with a daily increase of 15% reported on Tuesday and a 29% gain on Monday. The total number of deaths increased to 43 on Wednesday.