The coronavirus death toll has topped 10,000 worldwide, doubling in one week, as the crisis continues to escalate in Europe.
Almost half of all COVID-19 deaths have occurred in Europe, with Italy now having confirmed more victims than China.
China, where the killer virus first emerged, accounts for a third of all victims, having battled the disease since December 2019.
More than 245,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported across the globe, soaring from the 100,000 reported just two weeks ago.
Most patients (164,600) are outside of China, despite it originally reporting 90 per cent of all cases in the early days of the pandemic.
On March 13, just seven days ago, the number of deaths had risen to 5,000.
More than 86,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, but the pace is much slower than the spread of the virus.
Recovery takes two weeks or so for mild cases but can be up to six weeks for those whose condition turns serious, according to the World Health Organisation.
Yesterday it was revealed that Italy’s fatalities had overtaken China’s. The country reported 427 deaths in 24 hours.
Italy, with 60million citizens, has recorded 3,405 deaths, exceeding the 3,248 in China, a country with a population more than 20 times larger.
Italy’s caseload of 41,000 is more than half of China’s as well, and more than 15 per cent of the global total.
Though the illness is mild in most people, the elderly are particularly susceptible to serious symptoms.
Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and the vast majority of its dead – 87 per cent – were over 70.
Terrifying footage has emerged of desperate Italian medics at the coronavirus epicentre trying to save COVID-19 patients.
A shocking Sky News report showed the hectic scenes inside the Papa Giovanni XXII hospital in the crisis-hit area of Bergamo in Lombardy.
Staff told how all their efforts ‘are not enough’ amid scenes of people gasping for air while holding onto their chests.
Countries are trying to prevent that from happening by slowing the virus and increasing their medical capacity.
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