Coronavirus: Globally, 30,000 have died from the pandemic; US toll surges to record high

US, Europe are now officially the worst hit

Positive-blood-test-result-for-the-new-rapidly-spreading-Coronavirus-shut

More than 30,000 people have died worldwide in the coronavirus pandemic, two-thirds of them in Europe, according to an AFP tally of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world. In total, 30,003 lives have been lost, with 21,334 of those in Europe where Italy has the highest number of fatalities with 10,023 deaths, followed by Spain with 5,690. 

United States now occupies the unenviable position of the worst hit by the coronavirus. The number of new-coronavirus cases in the United States, already the world's highest, reached new records. Over the past 48 hours the United States had a record 453 deaths linked to the COVID-19 illness, bringing the country's toll to 1,891 deaths since the pandemic began. That is fewer than the 10,023 in Italy, Spain's 5,812, China's 3,299 or the 2,317 in France, the tally showed. 

The country recorded the world's highest number of cases. Johns Hopkins recorded 115,547 US cases. That included a 23 per cent jump of 21,309 in one day, also a record. New York is the epicentre of the US outbreak, with more than 50,000, or about half, of the country's total cases. US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was considering placing the entire state under quarantine.

In Spain, the coronavirus death toll in Spain surged over 5,600 after a record 832 people died in 24 hours, as officials said the epidemic appeared to be close to the peak. Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy with 5,690 fatalities. But although Spain's latest figures showed a daily increase of more than 8,000 cases, raising the overall number to 72,248, the rate of new infections appeared to be slowing, with officials saying the epidemic could be nearing its peak. "The increase is slowing or stabilising little-by-little," said Fernando Simon, the health ministry's emergencies coordinator, indicating the figures were "very very close" to peaking.

The surge in numbers has also brought the medical system to the brink of collapse, with the pressure on intensive care units a particular source of concern, he said. "We still have a big problem with the saturation of our intensive care units," Simon said, indicating the worst crisis would probably take hold at the end of next week.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has staked out the most deliberately dismissive position of any major world leader, calling the pandemic a momentary, minor problem and saying strong measures to contain it are unnecessary. Bolsonaro says his response to the disease matches that of President Donald Trump in the U.S., but the Brazilian leader has gone further, labeling the virus as a little flu and saying state governors' aggressive measures to halt the disease were crimes. On Thursday, Bolsonaro told reporters in the capital, Brasilia, that he feels Brazilians' natural immunity will protect the nation.

"The Brazilian needs to be studied. He doesn't catch anything. You see a guy jumping into sewage, diving in, right? Nothing happens to him. I think a lot of people were already infected in Brazil, weeks or months ago, and they already have the antibodies that help it not proliferate," Bolsonaro said. "I'm hopeful that's really a reality." A video titled "Brazil Cannot Stop" that circulated on social media drew a rebuke from Monica de Bolle, a Brazilian senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "Do you know what will happen, Bolsonaro? Brazil WILL stop. Your irresponsibility will bring thousands to avoidable deaths," she tweeted Friday. "The destroyed lungs of these people, as well as the organs of those who won't be able to have medical care, will fall on your lap. And Brazil will not spare you."

-Inputs from PTI

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