838 deaths in Spain in 24 hours, total COVID-19 toll crosses 6,500
With record 838 new coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, Spain’s toll skyrocketed to 6,528 on Sunday while a similar situation was reported from Europe, the most-affected continent which accounts for over 20,000 deaths. According to its health ministry figures, the number of confirmed cases in Spain has now reached 78,797.
With record 838 new coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, Spain’s toll skyrocketed to 6,528 on Sunday (March 29) while a similar situation was reported from Europe, the most-affected continent which accounts for over 20,000 deaths.
According to its health ministry figures, the number of confirmed cases in Spain has now reached 78,797 — after an increase of 9.1 per cent in one day — as the country battles the world’s second most deadly outbreak.
Globally, the death toll has stormed past 30,000 and officials in some countries say the worst still lies ahead.
Up to one-third of the world’s population is under lockdown as the virus leaves its devastating imprint on nearly every aspect of society: wiping out millions of jobs, straining healthcare services and weighing heavily on national treasuries for years to come.
Meanwhile, the United States now has the most number of confirmed COVID-19 infections globally with more than 124,000 cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.
One of the fatalities announced Saturday was that of a Chicago infant who was younger than one year old, marking an extremely rare case of juvenile death in the global pandemic.
European nations have been harder hit than the US on a per capita basis with over 20,000 deaths — around half in worst-hit Italy. Spain, with the world’s second-highest toll, added 832 deaths on Saturday for a total of 5,812.
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Madrid toughened a nationwide lockdown, halting all non-essential activities, though officials said the epidemic in the country seemed to be nearing a peak. Russia said it would close its borders on Monday, despite reporting relatively low levels of the virus.
More than 664,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been officially recorded around the world since the outbreak began late last year, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker. Variations in testing regimes — and delays in providing sufficient tests in some countries — mean the true number is likely far higher.
In France, which has seen close to 2,000 deaths, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned the “battle” was just beginning. The first two weeks in April would be even tougher than the past fortnight, he said.
The British toll passed 1,000 on Saturday while Belgium saw a steep climb in deaths, with 353 recorded on Saturday — up from 289 the day before.
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Elsewhere, Iran announced 139 more deaths, and South African police used rubber bullets in Johannesburg to enforce social distancing on a crowd queueing for supplies outside a supermarket during a national lockdown.
Infection rates in Italy are on a downward trend and the head of the national health institute Silvio Brusaferro predicted a peak “in the next few days”.
Europe has suffered the brunt of the coronavirus crisis in recent weeks, with millions across the continent on lockdown and the streets of Paris, Rome and Madrid eerily empty. Other countries across the world were bracing for the virus’s full impact.
(With inputs from agencies)
