Europe reels as Italy records biggest single day jump in deaths
BERLIN/LONDON: It was another difficult day for coronavirus-hit Europe on Tuesday.
Italy recorded its biggest single day jump in deaths, German chancellor Angela Merkel predicted 70 per cent of the world will get the illness, Spain became the second most infected place in Europe after Italy and a junior health minister from Britain had tested positive for the virus.
The death toll in Italy jumped by 168 to 631, an increase of 36 per cent, the Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday, the largest rise in absolute numbers since the contagion came to light on Feb 21.
The total number of cases rose to 10,149 from a previous 9,172, an increase of 10.7 per cent.
The head of the agency said that of those originally infected, 1,004 had recovered compared to 724 the day before. Some 877 people were in intensive care against a previous 733.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel added to the gloom, predicting 70 per cent of people globally will get infected.
She said: "When the virus is out there, the population has no immunity and no therapy exists, then 60 to 70 per cent of the population will be infected," she told a news conference in Berlin.
"The process has to be focused on not overburdening the health system by slowing the virus's spread... It's about winning time."
Germany reported 1,296 cases of the virus and two deaths, the Robert Koch Institute said late on Tuesday.
Coronavirus infections in Spain passed the 2,000 mark with 47 deaths, the health ministry announced yesterday, making it Europe's second hardest hit nation after Italy.
"By this morning, we had 2,002 cases," said health ministry emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon, up from 1,639 on Tuesday and almost quadruple Sunday's total.
TESTED POSITIVE
In Britain, junior health minister Nadine Dorries had tested positive for coronavirus and is in self-isolation.
Ms Dorries said she took "all the advised precautions" as soon as she was told of her diagnosis.
The Times reported that Ms Dorries met hundreds of people in Parliament in the past week and attended a reception with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The death toll had risen to six in Britain on Tuesday, with the number of people who had tested positive for the virus at more than 450. - AFP, REUTERS
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