The coronavirus has now infected more than 89,000, spread to over 60 countries and threatens to cause a global economic slowdown
South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear prepare to sanitise a street in front of the city hall after the rapid rise in confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Daegu, South Korea, on March 2 2020. Picture: REUTERS/KIM KYUNG-HOON.The death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday as more people died in China, Iran and the US and Europe raised its state of alert.
In Brussels, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had increased its risk assessment for Europeans after Italy's outbreak doubled in 48 hours. Other countries have started to enact their own draconian containment measures, including banning arrivals from virus-hit nations, locking down towns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches and trade fairs.
China reported 42 more deaths on Monday — all in central Hubei province. The pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei's capital, Wuhan.The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illness. It has a mortality rate of between 2% and 5%.
South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000. A second person died in the northwestern US state of Washington as President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the risk of a major outbreak, faced criticism over his administration's preparedness. In the US, a man in his 70s with underlying conditions died on Saturday, health officials said, as New York reported its first case in a woman who had visited Iran.
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