Spain and Italy demand more help from EU as global deaths pass 30,000

● Virus toll numbers around the world ‘are still being under-represented’

Spain and Italy demanded more European help as they fight still-surging coronavirus infections amid the continent’s worst crisis since the Second World War.

The confirmed global death toll has passed 30,000 and Spain and Italy account for more than half of this number, with both countries still seeing more than 800 deaths a day each.

Experts say virus toll numbers around the world are being under-represented due to limited testing and political decisions about which bodies are being counted.

France still does not count deaths that take place in nursing homes or in homes among its virus numbers, even though nursing homes are known to be coronavirus hotspots.

“Europe must demonstrate that it is able to respond to this historic call,” Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte said.

The crisis “involves all of the economic and social systems of the member states”, he said.

In Italy, coffins are piling up despite three weeks of strict confinement and burials are being held with only one family member.

The country has more than 10,000 deaths, the most of any country

Spain’s government moved to tighten its lockdown and ban all non-essential work yesterday as it hit another daily record of 838 dead. The country’s overall official toll is nearly 6,000.

Spain’s emergencies chief expressed hope that “the outbreak is stabilising and may be reaching its peak in some areas”.

But the crisis is pummelling world economies and putting huge strains on national health care systems.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez called for a more vigorous response from the EU.

“It is the most difficult moment for the EU since its foundation and it has to be ready to rise to the challenge,” Mr Sanchez said.

Elsewhere Egypt shut its beaches as cases in the Middle East surpassed 50,000. Poland is considering delaying its 10 May presidential election, and Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered his country’s borders to close today.

Vietnam cut back domestic airline flights and closed restaurants and other businesses for two weeks. It has already quarantined nearly 60,000 people who entered from virus-infected nations.

Worldwide infections have now surpassed 660,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the US.