EU Countries See Highest Death Toll in Single Day since Start of Coronavirus Pandemic
Italy already accounts for nearly a third of all coronavirus deaths in the world.
The EU member states most affected by the coronavirus pandemic – Italy, Spain, and France – saw on Sunday their highest one-day death toll from COVID-19.
Italy, the worst-hit country in the world after China, registered a total of 368 deaths on Sunday, bringing its total number of people killed by COVID-19 to 1,809. 1,218 of those are in the northern region of Lombardy.
At the same time, there were 97 more deaths in Spain, bringing the total to 288, and 29 deaths in France, reaching a total of 120.
Former EU member Britain also registered a single-day record, with 14 new deaths and a total of 35, BBC News reported.
As the World Health Organization declared Europe the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China, European governments have started to limit the movement of people across borders.
As of Monday morning, Germany is going to impose border controls on its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg. Portugal is limiting movement through its border with Spain.
The number of coronavirus cases in Italy has jumped to 24,747; Spain now has 7,753 infections, and France has 5,400.
A total of estimated 162,687 people have been infected by the coronavirus worldwide, and an estimated 6,065 have died as a result.
Just under half of all cases and all deaths have been recorded in China – 81,003 and 3,085 respectively.
EU neighbor Switzerland has seen 14 deaths, and a total 2,200 cases, after recording 800 new cases on Sunday.
In the United States, there have been 3,244 coronavirus infections and 62 deaths.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged EU member states to coordinate their response to the coronavirus pandemic and to pool their resources.
She said the EU was going to increase its output of medical equipment such as ventilators, test kits and masks, which would then be shared across the EU instead of each member state producing the needed supplies for itself.
At the same time, the exports of such supplies outside the EU would be under strict control.
(Banner image: WHO)
