Plea To G20 Leaders As Worldwide Death Toll Surges To Over 16,000

The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating, warned the head of the World Health Organization yesterday.

- Mark Reynolds

Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.”

He also said he would be addressing G20 heads of state and government this week to ask them to work together to boost production of protective gear.

As the global number of cases reached 372,000 last night, with 16,300 deaths, the health chief said: “We need unity among the countries who have more than 80 per cent of the global GDP.

“If we don’t prioritise protecting health workers, many people will die because the health worker who could have saved their lives is sick.” Meanwhile, the horrifying reality for frontline medics in Spain was laid bare in a series of videos showing rows of seriously ill patients lying on hospital floors.

They had face masks on and bedsheets below them – and many were coughing as other patients sat on nearby chairs.

The disturbing scenes were filmed in Madrid at the Infanta Leonor Hospital and the Severo Ochoa de Leganes Hospital.