Virus-Hit Europe Buckles Up

WHO hails efforts by its health systems after 250K cases reported

The number of declared Coronavirus cases in Europe topped 250,000, according to an official tally on Thursday, more than half of which are in hard-hit Italy and Spain.

Europe is the worst-affected region in the world with 258,068 cases, including 14,640 deaths, ahead of Asia’s 100,937 infections and 3,636 fatalities, according to a tally compiled from national health data and World Health Organisation (WHO) figures.

Italy has registered 74,386 infections and Spain 56,188. The global number of infections now stands at 481,230 across 182 countries, with 21,867 deaths. The number of actual infections is likely to be higher since many countries are only testing severe cases or patients who require hospitalisation.