A MILLION INFECTED
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GLOBAL Covid-19 cases have soared past a million as the pandemic explodes in the US.
The world saw the largest singleday increase of new carriers yesterday – of 66,887– according to the latest data.
More than 21,000 of those cases were in the United States.
As the death toll continues to mount around Europe, the US has become the epicentre of the virus, with more than 266,000 confirmed cases – more than any other country – and 6,803 deaths.
It came as the White House’s coronavirus task force signalled 200,000 Americans could die, even if the government is successful in its response.
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said tomorrow is “D-day” – predicting the city will run out of ventilators and healthcare workers will feel the greatest strain. He predicted that by Monday or Tuesday there would be “5,000 people in our ICUS intubated, fighting for their lives”.
He added: “Then that number will grow. That’s a staggering number. Every one of those people will need a ventilator.”
Globally, 1,080,952 people have tested positive and 58,1480 have died.
However, the actual number of cases could be “five to 10 times” higher, according to Australia’s chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy.
Elsewhere, Spain’s death toll is catching Italy’s world-high total. Almost 11,000 had died yesterday as Spain recorded the second-highest daily total yet.
It now has the second-highest number of infections in Europe with almost 118,000 and is third worldwide. However, the country’s health officials spoke optimistically about reaching the peak of infection.
Italy yesterday had more than 119,000 reported cases and 14,681 deaths.
The hard-hit country has finally started to see infections levelling off after weeks of nationwide shutdown. The death tolls in Italy and Spain account for nearly half of the 58,148 global deaths.
But the crisis is deepening across the continent, with more than 5,200 deaths in France, 3,600 in Britain, and over 1,000 in both Germany and Belgium.
Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday ended her self-quarantine and returned to work as Germany’s disease control agency warned there may not be enough hospital
beds and ventilators to tackle its outbreak.
Head of the Robert Koch Institute, Professor Lothar Wieler, added: “I am happy if I am wrong.”
Today Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park – Germany’s largest football stadium – will turn into a treatment centre. In France, high-speed TGV trains with medical facilities are transporting infected patients.
Japan reported 235 new cases yesterday, bringing its total to 3,329.
Capital Tokyo saw its largest singleday rise yet of 97.
South Korea is now the second Asian country to have more than 10,000 infections after China.
More than 2,500 cases have been reported in India, with 72 deaths, while in Bangladesh, which has 61 cases, the government lockdown saw transport halted and ferries parked on the shores of the
Buriganga river.
Sweden has finally implemented stricter controls. “It’s time for self-discipline,” said Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, urging people to stay at home over Easter amid more than 560 new cases a day.
In China, travel restrictions are gradually being eased for the first time in two months. Next week people will be allowed to leave
Wuhan, where the virus was detected late last year. Some small countries – many of which are islands – have yet to report cases.
They include Tonga, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Lesotho and Yemen.
North Korea claims it has zero cases – however a US military commander in South Korea, General Robert Abrams, said: “Based on our intel, that is an impossible claim.”