Covid-19 global death toll passes 200,000 as cases near 3 million

The global death toll from the Covid-19 coronavirus passed 200,000 with confirmed cases expected to reach 3 million in coming days.

More than half of the fatalities have been reported by the United States, Spain and Italy.

The first death linked to the disease was reported on 10 January in Wuhan, China. It took 91 days for the death toll to pass 100,000 and a further 16 days to reach 200,000.

By comparison, there are an estimated 400,000 deaths annually from malaria, one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases.

The 200,000 death toll was announced by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which has been keeping count.

It said there had been 2.8 million confirmed cases in more than 210 countries and territories.

The US had reported more than 52,400 deaths as of Saturday morning, while Italy, Spain and France have reported between 22,000-26,000 fatalities each.

Of the top 20 most severely affected countries, Belgium reported the highest number of fatalities per capita, with six deaths per 10,000 people, compared to 4.9 in Spain and 1.6 in the United States.

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About 8 percent of all cases reported in the United States have been fatal, while more than 10 percent of cases reported in Spain and Italy have resulted in deaths.

The global death toll has continued to grow at a rate of 3-4% per day over the past 10 days, though that rate has slowed since the beginning of the month.

The true number of fatalities is expected to be higher as many countries have not included deaths recorded in nursing homes and other locations outside hospitals.

The World Health Organization has said there was "no evidence" that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.

It warned against countries issuing so-called 'immunity passports' to allow people who have recovered from Covid-19 to return to work or travel.

It said there was no evidence people with antibodies were protected from re-infection.

There have also been warnings the antibody tests being bought by many countries are not entirely reliable.

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Europe

Britain became the fifth country with a Covid-19 death toll over 20,000, in what the interior minister called "a tragic and terrible milestone" as she urged people to stay at home.

Spain released guidelines allowing children to go outside after six weeks living under one of Europe's strictest lockdowns.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in an address to the nation on Saturday that people will be allowed out to exercise from 2 May if the number of new coronavirus cases continued to fall.

Sanchez said people would be allowed outside for sport or to go for a walk with a person with whom they live if the evolution of the pandemic "remains favourable".

German police wearing riot gear and face masks tussled with dozens of protesters demonstrating in central Berlin against the Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown.

Deaths from the epidemic in Italy climbed by 415, the smallest daily tally since 17 March, the Civil Protection Agency said.

Poland plans to reopen outdoor sports areas on 4 May and will allow top league football matches to be played at the end of next month, as part of an easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Americas

The US still has the deadliest outbreak of the virus, where fatalities have passed 50,000.

Many Americans were expected to flock to beaches on Saturday as one Florida county relaxed restrictions and California braced for a heat wave, even as new coronavirus cases hit a record high the day before.

New York will begin conducting antibody tests for workers at four hospitals hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and will allow local pharmacies to begin collecting samples for diagnostic tests, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said plans under way to restart the economies of Canadian provinces did not depend on presuming people who became infected with Covid-19 would develop immunity to it.

A key US government trial of Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental Covid-19 treatment may yield results as early as mid-May, according to the study's lead investigator, after doctors clamored to enroll their patients in the study.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian government allowed a limited reopening of shops in neighbourhoods and residential areas from Saturday, more than a month after the nation went into a lockdown, officials said.

Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed among crew members of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan after health authorities finished testing everyone on board, an official said.

Tokyo had 103 new cases of coronavirus infections, Kyodo news reported, amid concerns that the start of a holiday season could lead to an increase in infections.

The epidemic has not only put Nepal's people and economy in lockdown for a month, it also stopped the slow and desperately needed reconstruction of homes and other buildings devastated by two huge earthquakes in 2015.

China is dropping a requirement that a number of key virus care products get domestic regulatory approval before export, as long as they are approved in the importing countries, the commerce ministry said on Saturday.

Middle East and Africa

Iran should draw up economic plans based on a worst-case scenario of nearly a year of disruptions due to the coronavirus, President Hassan Rouhani said, as the death toll from the disease rose by 76 to 5650.

Nigerian state governors have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the compulsory use of face masks in public as confirmed coronavirus cases rise, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

South Africa plans to reopen its agriculture sector and allow some manufacturing and retail to resume as the country balances the need to restart economic output and curb the spread of the coronavirus, trade minister Ebrahim Patel said.

Economic fallout

Low cost airline Wizz Air said it would restart some flights from London's Luton Airport on 1 May, becoming one of the first European carriers to begin to restore services which have been grounded during the pandemic.

EU countries will soon be able to grant subordinated debt to prop up virus-hit economies, people familiar with the matter said, as state aid regulators once again loosened rules to make it easier for companies get state support.

The Greek economy, hit by coronavirus restrictions, is expected to shrink by 5-10 percent this year, the country's finance minister said.

Global equity benchmarks struggled on Friday as some US states began reopening businesses despite the disapproval of health experts, and as the European Union put off addressing details of its new economic rescue plan.

- Reuters

Read more about the Covid-19 coronavirus:

• See all RNZ Covid-19 news
• Your Covid-19 questions answered - from health and employment to managing anxiety
• A timeline: How the coronavirus started, spread and stalled life in New Zealand
• Covid-19 symptoms: What they are and how they make you feel
• Touching your Face: Why do we do it and how to stop
• Scientific hand-washing advice to avoid infection
• Coronavirus: A glossary of terms
• The Coronavirus Podcast