Coronavirus: deadliest day in Italy and Spain shows worst not over yet
- Italy reported 969 deaths in 24 hours while Spain reported 769, bringing toll to 9,134 and 4,858, respectively
- Italy now has 86,498 cases, becoming second country after US to overtake China
Italy and Spain suffered their deadliest days from the coronavirus outbreak on Friday, with the government in Madrid warning citizens that the situation will get worse.
Italy reported 969 deaths in 24 hours while Spain reported 769, bringing total fatalities to 9,134 and 4,858, respectively.
Italy now has 86,498 total cases, trailing the US, but overtaking China, where the disease’s first outbreak occurred. New infections in Italy slowed to 5,959, compared with 6,153 the previous day, civil protection authorities said at their daily news conference in Rome.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez convened an emergency cabinet meeting to try to chart a way out of the crisis rapidly engulfing the nation. Both countries are in almost complete lockdown, with their governments counting on limited social interactions to help contain the spread of the disease.
“We may be entering a phase of stabilisation, but we haven’t reached the peak yet,” Health Minister Salvador Illa said at a news conference in Madrid.