Global deaths from COVID-19 have tonight passed the 50,000 mark after Italy announced 760 new fatalities in 24 hours.
It comes with half of humanity soon set to be under confinement as governments around the world scramble to contain the spread of the virus.
More than 3.9 billion people in more than 90 countries or territories have now been asked or ordered to stay at home by their governments.
Also, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases passed the one million mark on Thursday evening. More than 200,000 have recovered from the disease.
While it was more grim news from Italy on the fatalities front, there is a glimmer of hope that containment measures are paying off.
The number of daily new infections now stands at 4,668, down from 6,153 a week ago.
Pressure on hospitals in hard-hit Lombardy continued to ease, with more than 800 people recovered and 165 fewer people hospitalised with COVID-19 compared to a day earlier. Intensive care units are still saturated, but overall, Lombardy added just under 1,300 new positive cases, with about half of those infected being treated at home.
More than 10,000 medical personnel have been infected nationwide and 69 doctors have died, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Italian association of doctors.
Earlier, Spain’s death count passed the 10,000 mark as a record 950 new COVID-19 victims were announced.
France, in announcing 471 new COVID-19 deaths on Thursday evening, revealed at least 884 of its total 4,503 fatalities had occurred in old people’s homes. – Euronews.
