Global virus cases pass 660,000
•A third of the world’s population living under lockdown as deaths in Europe surge past 20,000 •Trump considers placing New York state under 2-week quarantine, ‘major disaster’ in Michigan
The number of people worldwide infected by the new coronavirus passed 640,000 on Saturday, and more than 20,000 people in Europe have died.
A third of the world’s population is now living under lockdown and US President Donald Trump said he was considering placing New York state under a two-week quarantine.
The worst hit country, Italy, reported 889 new deaths on Saturday, pushing it past the 10,000 mark, and Spain added 832.
Russia will become the latest country to close borders on Monday in an attempt to slow the pandemic’s spread.
Europe is now the most affected continent, with 20,059 deaths from a total of 337,632 cases. COV
ID-19, the disease the virus causes, has killed 10,023 in Italy and 5,690 in Spain — the two hardest-hit countries in the world, accounting for three quarters of all deaths in Europe.
The US leads the world in reported cases with more than 112,000, but five countries exceed its 1,700 deaths: Italy, Spain, China, Iran and France.
New York remained the worsthit US city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said defeating the virus would take “weeks and weeks and weeks.” The UN donated 250,000 protective face masks to the city and Cuomo delayed the state’s presidential primary from April 28 to June 23. Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Michigan, providing money for the outbreak. He also has done the same for New York, Louisiana and Illinois. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed for patience from citizens. Germany has fewer deaths than some neighboring countries but still closed nonessential shops and banned public gatherings of more than two people, and Merkel’s chief of staff said the restrictions would not be relaxed before April 20.
Spain, where stay-at-home restrictions have been in place for nearly two weeks, reported 832 more deaths on Saturday, its highest daily count yet, bringing its total to 5,690. Another 8,000 confirmed infections pushed that count above 72,000.
Doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers in Spain’s worst-hit regions are working nonstop and falling ill at an alarming rate. More than 9,000 health workers have been infected.
“We are completely overwhelmed,” said Pablo Rojo, a paramedic at Dos de Maig hospital in Barcelona.
Spain has struggled to get coronavirus tests and protective gear for health workers and has begun flights to carry the supplies directly from China.
As the center of the pandemic has shifted westward, the situation has calmed in China, where some restrictions have been lifted. Some subway service was restored in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, after the city had its virus risk evaluation reduced from high to medium.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and lead to death. More than 135,000 people worldwide have recovered.
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