Coronavirus worldwide death toll tops 8,000
International tally shows more than 200,000 people have tested positive
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The global death toll of coronavirus has risen to more than 8,000.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases has surpassed 200,000, according to new figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Their international tally found that more than 82,000 people who had been diagnosed with coronavirus – a flu-like disease that can turn into pneumonia – have recovered so far.
The Johns Hopkins Centre for Systems Science and Engineering found that the countries with the most confirmed cases were China, Italy, Iran, Spain and Germany – with the first four joining France in having the greatest number of coronavirus patient deaths.
Covid-19 – a flu-like disease which can turn into pneumonia – was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation last week.
Since the outbreak started towards the end of last year, people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in more than 160 countries and territories.
The rate of infections in China – where the virus originated in the central city of Wuhan – is slowing down, with 99.9 per cent of new cases in the last week being reported elsewhere in the world, according to a Reuters tally.
Some countries have gone into lockdown as they work to combat the spread of the disease, including Italy – Europe’s worst-hit country – and Spain.
People in the UK have been urged to avoid all non-essential travel, going into the office and to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres in the fight against the outbreak.
The number of confirmed cases in Britain stands at nearly 2,000, according to figures released on Tuesday.
Seventy-one people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the UK to date.
Additional reporting by agencies
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments