A day after it surpassed China to become the country with the largest number of casualties from COVID-19, Italy on Friday registered the biggest single-day surge in fatalities with 627 new deaths. With the latest tally, the total number of deaths in Italy has gone up to more than 4,000. Globally, the total number of deaths have touched 11,310, while more than 2,72,000 people have been infected with the virus.
Six thousand more cases were reported in Italy on Friday, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 47,000. Of those originally infected nationwide, 5,129 had fully recovered on Friday compared to 4,440 the day before. There were 2,655 people in intensive care against a previous 2,498.
Italy is battling the deadly virus with the military called in to ensure total lockdown.
More than 114 soldiers have been deployed in Lombardy—the most hit region where coronavirus infections first exploded last month. Hospitals in the country are struggling to treat thousands of cases. Medical professionals are struggling with lack of equipment, long hours and increasing sickness within their own ranks.
Italy's health ministry, meanwhile, approved new measures to limit people's movements in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak. From Saturday, parks and public gardens will be shut down and people will be allowed to exercise only around their homes, Reuters reports.
The death toll in Europe—the current epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak—has crossed the 5,000-mark with Spain and Germany, apart from Italy, reporting a steep rise in new cases.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has recorded its first two deaths related to the novel coronavirus as a 78-year-old Saudi national who arrived from Europe and a 58-year-old UAE resident from Asia passed away. Israel also reported its first death— an 88-year-old man who also suffered from previous illnesses.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that a global recession, “perhaps of record dimensions”, was a near certainty. “This is a moment that demands coordinated, decisive, and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies,” Guterres told reporters via a video conference. “We are in an unprecedented situation and the normal rules no longer apply.”
