This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-death-toll-in-spain-overtakes-china-as-lockdowns-extend-across-globe

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Coronavirus death toll in Spain overtakes China as lockdowns extend around globe Coronavirus death toll in Spain overtakes China
(about 3 hours later)
Spain records 738 deaths in past 24 hours, while death toll in Italy now double that of HubeiSpain records 738 deaths in past 24 hours, while death toll in Italy now double that of Hubei
The coronavirus death toll in Spain has overtaken that in China, climbing to 3,434 and sitting behind only Italy, in a pandemic that has left about 20% of the world’s population living under lockdown. Spain’s coronavirus death toll has overtaken China’s, climbing to 3,434, while a slowdown in the rate of new infections in Italy has raised hopes that the peak of its outbreak could be within sight.
After more than a week in lockdown, Spain has emerged as one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries, with 738 lives claimed in the past 24 hours. Italy remains the centre of the crisis with a total of 6,820 deaths – more than double the 3,285 deaths documented in Hubei, China. After more than a week in lockdown in Spain, another 738 people died over 24 hours, but officials expressed hope that the daily rise in deaths might be stabilising. “If we are not already at the peak, we are very close,” said Fernando Simón, the head of Spain’s health emergency centre.
In Spain, healthcare workers account for nearly 14% of the country’s 39,673 cases, officials say. Amid reports of overwhelmed emergency wards, doctors and nurses have complained of a lack of basic protective equipment that has forced them to ration crucial supplies and craft protective shields out of plastic bags. Italy remains the centre of the crisis with a total of 6,820 deaths – more than double the number documented in China. The death toll in Italy rose by 743 on Tuesday, dampening hopes that a slowdown in the rate of deaths on Sunday and Monday would become a trend. However, the rate of new infections slowed for a third consecutive day, rising by 3,612, compared with 3,780 on Monday.
“This is an extremely positive factor,” said Ranieri Guerra, from the World Health Organization. “In some regions we are close to the falling point of the curve and therefore probably the peak could be reached this week and then fall,” he told Radio Capital. “I believe that this week and the first days of the next will be crucial.”
In Spain, healthcare workers account for nearly 14% of the country’s 47,610 cases, officials say. Amid reports of overwhelmed emergency wards, doctors and nurses have complained of a lack of basic protective equipment that has forced them to ration crucial supplies and craft protective shields out of plastic bags.
Two unions representing doctors have filed lawsuits aimed at forcing the regional health authority and the Spanish government to deliver scrubs, masks and goggles to hospitals and other health centres.Two unions representing doctors have filed lawsuits aimed at forcing the regional health authority and the Spanish government to deliver scrubs, masks and goggles to hospitals and other health centres.
Nato said on Tuesday that Spain had asked it for medical supplies, requesting items including 450,000 respirators, 500,000 testing kits and 1.5m surgical masks.Nato said on Tuesday that Spain had asked it for medical supplies, requesting items including 450,000 respirators, 500,000 testing kits and 1.5m surgical masks.
Germany and France have faced criticism over export bans on products such as masks and goggles. The EU is expected to sign off on a “more ambitious and wide-ranging crisis management system” that will include a plea for the lifting of such bans.Germany and France have faced criticism over export bans on products such as masks and goggles. The EU is expected to sign off on a “more ambitious and wide-ranging crisis management system” that will include a plea for the lifting of such bans.
Around the world, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has climbed to more than 423,000. The latest confirmed cases include Prince Charles, who was showing mild symptoms, according to a spokesperson for Clarence House. Around the world, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has climbed to more than 423,000. Among the latest to test positive is Prince Charles, who is showing mild symptoms, according to a spokesperson for Clarence House.
The true number of Covid-19 cases around the globe is likely to be much higher. Officials in Spanish regions such as Madrid and Catalonia initially dealt with a shortage of testing resources by asking people with mild symptoms to simply self-isolate, while Italy’s top coronavirus response official, Angelo Borrelli, has suggested the real number of infections there is probably 10 times higher than the official count. The true number of global cases is likely to be much higher. Officials in Spanish regions such as Madrid and Catalonia initially dealt with a shortage of testing resources by asking people with mild symptoms to simply self-isolate, while Italy’s top coronavirus response official, Angelo Borrelli, has suggested the real number of infections there is probably 10 times higher than the official count.
In Ireland, the national public health emergency team announced on Tuesday that coronavirus testing criteria had been changed to prioritise people showing at least two symptoms, in response to a backlog of 40,000 cases awaiting testing. The accelerating pandemic – it took 67 days to reach the first 100,000 cases and four days to hit the latest 100,000, according to the WHO – has led to an estimated 1.7 billion people being ordered to remain at home around the world.
Around the world, coronavirus has claimed more than 18,000 lives and ushered in a spate of emergency measures. In the US, where infections have passed the 55,000 mark and more than 800 people have died, legislators reached a deal on a $2tn (£1.85tn) rescue package on Wednesday, the biggest bailout in US history.
The accelerating pandemic – it took 67 days to reach the first 100,000 cases and four days to hit the latest 100,000, according to the World Health Organization – has led to an estimated 1.7 billion people being ordered to remain at home. After days of round-the-clock and at times extraordinarily tense negotiations among senators and Trump administration officials, a bipartisan compromise was struck in the early hours of the morning to rush financial assistance to workers, businesses and the healthcare system as the pandemic sweeps across the country, deepening the economic fallout as Donald Trump considers easing restrictions aimed at combating the contagion.
Britain entered lockdown at midnight on Monday, with police asked to enforce strict limits on gatherings and exercise. Non-essential shops, playgrounds, libraries and other venues were closed. Meanwhile, Indians are struggling to comply with the world’s largest lockdown after the prime minister, Narendra Modi, instructed the country’s 1.3 billion people to stay at home for the next three weeks. Modi warned citizens that if they did not act now, the virus could overwhelm the fragile healthcare system and set the country back decades.
The prime minister, Boris Johnson, said people would be allowed outside only to buy food or medication, to exercise alone once a day or to travel to work if absolutely necessary. “You must stay at home,” he said. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that social distancing measures and a crackdown on travel would be introduced in the next 24 hours. Just over 2,000 lives have been claimed by the coronavirus in Iran.
A push for volunteers to help the NHS look after vulnerable people during the crisis has led to more than 170,000 people signing up, the NHS said on Wednesday. There is seemingly little consensus as to how long these lockdowns could last. The French government’s scientific advisers have recommended six weeks, while the Spanish government is expected to seek parliamentary approval on Wednesday to extend the country’s 15-day near-total lockdown to 11 April.
The largest lockdown yet is in India, where the prime minister, Narendra Modi, has instructed 1.3 billion people to stay at home for the next three weeks, in what he called a “complete lockdown”. In China, life began returning to normal on Wednesday as restrictions on movement, construction and transport were lifted after two months of lockdown in Hubei province, where the outbreak began. The lockdown in Hubei’s capital, Wuhan, will be lifted on 8 April.
“For every Indian, there will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Modi said. The lockdown measures appear to have successfully curbed the number of infections, according to a report from Imperial College London. The analysis suggests that countries currently in various levels of lockdown could eventually relax the measures, as long they ensure measures are in place to limit the risk of any resurgence of the virus.
In the US, which the World Health Organization has said could become the new centre of the global coronavirus pandemic, about 40% of the population are living under restrictions. New Zealand went into a month-long lockdown on Wednesday. In other developments:
There is seemingly little consensus as to how long these lockdowns could last. The French government’s scientific advisers have recommended six weeks of lockdown, while the Spanish government is expected to seek parliamentary approval on Wednesday to extend the country’s 15-day near-total lockdown to 11 April. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has postponed a public vote in April on a constitutional change that would allow him to stay in in power beyond 2024.
Donald Trump has said he aims to reopen “large sections” of the US by Easter, potentially setting him on a collision course with health experts. When pushed for details on how he exactly he had come up with that date, Trump said he had picked Easter because “I just thought it was a beautiful time, a beautiful timeline, it’s a great day.” The head of the Netherlands’ public health institute has told the Dutch parliament that measures to control the spread of coronavirus appear to be working.
Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that social distancing measures and a crackdown on travel would be introduced in the next 24 hours. Closures aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic are preventing aid from reaching 300,000 people in conflict zones across the Middle East, the Norwegian Refugee Council has said.
Meanwhile in China, authorities announced that travel restrictions would be lifted on Wednesday in Hubei province, the original centre of the outbreak, with the exception of Wuhan where they will be left in place until 8 April. Libya has announced its first coronavirus case, as experts warn that the conflict between two groups for control of the country could make containing the spread of the virus very challenging.
For days China has reported few or zero domestic cases, sparking concerns from residents and analysts that the Chinese government is prioritising economic recovery over the total containment of the virus. Reporting team: Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi, David Smith in Washington, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels, Patrick Wintour and Sarah Boseley in London, Rory Carroll in Dublin, Helen Davidson in Sydney, and Kim Willsher in Paris.
Allegations of new infections in Wuhan have persisted, as have reports of manipulation of figures and refusals by Chinese authorities to record asymptomatic cases, even as the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, warned local governments not to cover up new cases of Covid-19.
Reporting team: Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi, David Smith in Washington, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels, Patrick Wintour in London, Rory Carroll in Dublin, Helen Davidson in Sydney, and Kim Willsher in Paris.