Italy Coronavirus death toll overtakes China

Addis Ababa, March 20, 2020 (FBC) -Coronavirus has killed more people in Italy than in any other country, after deaths there rose by 427 in a day.

The number of deaths now stands at 3,405, which is more than in China where the virus originated last year.

There have been 3,245 reported deaths in China, but there have been questions over the reliability of its data.

A lockdown imposed on 12 March in Italy has been extended beyond the original 25 March end date. Nearly all Italians have been told to stay at home.

Despite these measures, the number of new cases and deaths has continued to spiral.

There have been 220,000 cases of the virus worldwide with more than 9,000 deaths.

China confirmed it had no new domestic cases on Wednesday for the first time since the outbreak began, a major milestone.

But it reported 34 new cases among people who had recently returned to the country.

The number of cases in China – more than 81,000 – is still far higher than in Italy, which has 41,035.

Source: BBC