Covid-19 Daily Update

April 3: As the number of global Covid-19 deaths hit 51,515 there were further signs that Italy was getting its coronavirus crisis under control, with the number of new infections and one-day fatalities falling. The US and Middle East, however, continued to cause concern as infection rates in both the regions continued to accelerate.

Europe – The one-day infection rate in Spain ticked up again, following a dip in new cases yesterday. The country is now forecast to overtake Italy for number of total Covid-19 cases, and has recorded it worst day for fatalities, which hit 950. To give some scale to the number of deaths in Spain, the country has been forced to use ice rinks as temporary morgues. In contrast, the number of new infections continued to decline in Italy, as did the one-day deaths, indicating that the country might be past its peak of the infection. New cases in France continued to drop, to their lowest level in two weeks, and the one-day death rate dropped to 471. The French government, which has some of the most strict lockdown procedures, is also planning on increasing police checks over the Easter holidays to ensure that people do not leave their homes for holidays. In the UK the total number of dead rose to 2,921, according to EU figures, as the daily infection rate again exceeded 4,000.

US – The daily infection rate continued to climb in the US, with the country now reporting twice the number of total cases as Italy, but in some welcome news the one-day daily death rate dropped from yesterday’s high to 915. The total deaths in the country is now over 6,000, raising concerns over why some states have still not issued stay at home orders.

Asia – Rising infection rates in Japan continued to cause concern as one-day infections jumped up by 439. There have been calls for tighter restrictions on movement in Tokyo, the main source of the fresh outbreak. New cases remained relatively stable in China and South Korea. China is also planning on lifting travel restrictions on the city of Wuhan on April 8, a move that will be watched closely.

Middle East – Iran, one of the worst-hit countries in the middle east, announced 134 deaths today, bringing the total number of dead to 3,294. The country has closed schools, universities and holy sites in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus, but could be forced to impose further restrictions on movement.