Nations brace for new coronavirus outbreaks as global death toll nears 750,000
- United States leads world with number of reported cases and deaths
- Nations such as Germany see infections jump amid concerning trend
The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic was expected to surpass 750,000 in days as nations braced for new outbreaks.
The number of confirmed infections worldwide since the virus was first detected in China late last year was 20,307,862 at 6pm Hong Kong time on Wednesday, with at least 741,737 deaths, according to a tally by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.
In the United States, the world’s worst hit nation, the death toll had risen to 164,537 with a caseload of infections at more than 5.14 million.
Just seven weeks after bringing its first coronavirus wave under control, experts say Spain was once again in a “critical” situation with the worst infection rate in western Europe. Authorities have ordered nationwide mask-wearing in public places and some regions have returned to lockdown.
The country reported an average of 4,923 new daily cases of the respiratory disease during the week, a higher amount than that of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined.