Paris: The worldwide death toll from coronavirus pandemic rose to 1,37,500 Thursday, according to a tally compiled by this agency. The tally was mad with the help of WHO figures.
More than 2,083,820 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 4,50,500 are now considered recovered.
Countries worst hit
In the United States, now the epicentre of the pandemic, the death toll stood at 30,985 with 6,39,664 infections. At least 50,107 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery.
Italy is the next most-affected country with 21,645 deaths from 165,155 infections. It is followed by Spain with 19,130 fatalities from 182,816 confirmed infections and France with 17,167 deaths and 147,863 infections. The United Kingdom has registered 12,868 deaths from 98,476 cases.
Economic uncertainty
However, it is the economic pain that continues to haunt people. Health authorities warned that returning to normal is a distant goal. This despite many leaders’ hopes of reopening stores, factories, airplanes and schools quickly and safely.
New US unemployment figures loomed Thursday. With many factories shut down, American industrial output shrivelled in March. It registered its biggest decline since the nation demobilized in 1946 at the end of World War II. Retail sales fell by an unprecedented 8.7%, with April expected to be far worse.
In France, Amazon suspended operations after a court ruled it wasn’t doing enough to protect its workers in the country. The online retailer, which has six warehouses in France, said it would evaluate the court decision.
In Britain, a government survey found that a quarter of companies have suspended business. Cargo traffic at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands sank 9.3% in the first quarter from the same period a year ago. Its CEO warned of worse to come.
The WHO’s European chief said there is no cause for optimism with the spread of the virus declining in Italy, Spain and France. Coronavirus is rising or growing at a high level in Britain, Russia and Turkey.
IMF’s observation
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said fallout from the ‘Great Lockdown’ will be the most devastating since the ‘Great Depression’ in the 1930s.
That has made leaders all the more anxious to send people back to work and school. Their aim is to rebuild economies devastated by the pandemic that has infected more than two million people worldwide.
Agencies
