Figures from around the world — more than 20,000 deaths and about three billion people under lockdown.

Over three billion people still on lockdown as govts ramp up efforts

More than three billion people around the world are living under lockdown as governments step up their efforts against the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 20,000 people dead.

As the number of confirmed cases worldwide soared past 450,000 on Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that only a concerted global effort could stop the spread of the virus.

In Spain, the number of fatalities surpassed those of China, where the coronavirus first emerged three months ago, making it the hardesthit nation after Italy.

A total of more than 20,800 deaths have now been reported in 182 countries and territories.

Stock markets rebounded after the US Congress passed a US$2.2 trillion (RM9.6 trillion) relief package to prop up a teetering US economy.

In Washington, President Donald Trump said New York, the epicentre of the US outbreak with over 30,000 cases, likely had a few “tough weeks” ahead but he would decide soon whether unaffected parts of the country could get back to work.

“We want to get our country going again,” Trump said. “I’m not going to do anything rash or hastily.

“By Easter we’ll have a recommendation and maybe before Easter,” said Trump.

Guterres said the world must band together to stem the pandemic.

“Covid-19 is threatening the whole of humanity – and the whole of humanity must fight back,” he said, launching an appeal for US$2bil (RM8.7bil) to help the world’s poor.

“Global action and solidarity are crucial. Individual country responses are not going to be enough.”

India’s stay-at-home order for its 1.3 billion people is now the biggest, taking the total number of individuals facing restrictions on their daily lives to more than three billion.

Russia, which saw the deaths of two patients who tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, is expected to follow suit. President Vladimir Putin declared next week a public holiday and postponed a public vote on controversial constitutional reforms, urging people to follow instructions given by authorities.

But Spain saw the number of deaths surge to over 3,400 after 738 people died in the past 24 hours and the government announced a €432mil (RM2bil) deal to buy medical supplies from Beijing.

At La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, nurse Guillen del Barrio sounded bereft as he related what happened overnight.

“It is really hard, we had feverish people for many hours in the waiting room. Many of my colleagues were crying because there were people who were dying alone, without seeing their family for the last time.”