Coronavirus: WHO reports new daily record, as India nears 7 million cases
- More than 350,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported to the World Health Organization on Friday, with over 100,000 from Europe alone
- Australia reported no new coronavirus deaths, while Melbourne faces a longer lockdown and a Qantas ‘flight to nowhere’ took off
The new daily high of 350,766 cases surpasses a record set earlier this week by nearly 12,000. That tally includes more than 109,000 cases from Europe alone.
He told a media briefing that although the agency wants countries to avoid the punishing lockdowns that have devastated economies, governments must ensure the most vulnerable people are protected and numerous measures must be taken.
“The majority of people in the world are still susceptible to this disease,” Ryan warned. He said countries should focus not just on restrictive measures, but also on bolstering their surveillance systems, testing, contact tracing and ensuring populations are engaged.
As the virus continues to surge across Europe and elsewhere, Ryan acknowledged that restrictive measures might be warranted at some point. British scientists reported this week that the Covid-19 outbreak is doubling every few weeks, French hospitals are running out of ICU beds, Germany may enlist the army to help contain its outbreak and Spain declared a state of emergency in Madrid as coronavirus cases soar.