4 years ago
The number of coronavirus cases in the United States topped 7 million - more than 20% of the world's total - as governments across the globe struggle to contain a surge in coronavirus infections. The virus has killed at least 984,068 people globally since the outbreak emerged in China last December. At least 32,298,410 cases have been registered worldwide. On Thursday, 5,730 new deaths and 312,068 new cases were recorded worldwide.
After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 139,808 deaths from 4,657,702 cases, India with 92,290 deaths from 5,818,570 cases, Mexico with 75,439 deaths from 715,457 cases, and Britain with 41,902 deaths from 416,363 cases.
With scientists still racing to develop a vaccine, governments are being forced to reimpose crippling lockdown measures that slowed the virus spread earlier this year but sent much of the world economy into a tailspin. France reported a new record for daily infections on Thursday after the government announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants in major cities.
Figures from Public Health France showed that 16,096 people had tested positive for Covid-19 over the last 24 hours, a record—even though experts advise that testing during the first coronavirus wave in March-April captured only a fraction of cases.
Hundreds of restaurant and bar owners protested in the southern French city of Marseille yesterday against new shutdown orders.
Madrid's regional government expanded the number of areas under partial lockdown yesterday in a move now affecting a million people, but ignored a central government plea for restrictions across the capital.
The city and the surrounding region is at the epicenter of a second wave of coronavirus that is sweeping Spain, which has claimed more than 31,000 lives and infected over 700,000 in the highest infection rate in the European Union.
From Monday, another 167,000 people will be confined to their neighborhoods and unable to leave except for work, school or medical reasons although they will be able to move freely within their own areas.
