Several European countries have some of the highest coronavirus cases in the entire world as Italy catches up to the United States in the total number of CoVID-19 infections.
Italy Death Toll Surges Past 10,000
Italy is the second hardest-hit country in the world after the U.S. and on Saturday, the country's death toll marked a grim milestone as the total coronavirus deaths in the country reached 10,024.
According to The Local Italy, the Department for Civil Protection revealed that 889 lives were lost to the fast-spreading virus on Saturday in Italy. The country also recorded 5,974 new infections in 24 hours.
Italy now has a total of 92,472 confirmed CoVID-19 cases. 12,384 people have recovered so far from the disease.
Spain Reports Record-High Deaths in One Day
Spain on Saturday recorded 832 new deaths from the highly-infectious virus, marking the highest death toll in the country after it recorded an earlier 769 deaths on Friday.
The country is the fourth hardest-hit in the world but health authorities are watching closely for additional confirmed CoVID-19 cases as Spain now has over 73,000 cases, The Local Spain reported.
China, the third-hardest hit country, has started assisting other nations in their coronavirus battles. Spain received 1.2 million masks from the Chinese government on Saturday. The masks will be distributed to frontliners in the transport sector and healthcare providers.
Spain is on lockdown until April 11 but authorities believe the lockdown will be extended to give more time for the government to contain the novel virus.
French PM Warns of Worst-Case Scenario
French PM Edouard Philippe said during a media briefing on Saturday that the first half of April will be difficult for citizens as health authorities are expecting more confirmed CoVID-19 cases to be added to the ballooning toll.
Philippe said the upcoming first 15 days of April will be harder than the 2 weeks that already passed since the lockdown on France kicked off on March 17. His comments came as the death toll in the country surged passed 2,300.
As of Saturday, France recorded at least 17,620 coronavirus cases, with around 4,273 people under intensive care.
German Chancellor at Center of Calm Crisis Management
With around 14 years of experience in managing the German government, Chancellor Angela Merkel's handling of the coronavirus crisis has been placed in the center of appropriate management, FRANCE24 reported.
Experts noted that Merkel's nation address on Saturday pictured the same demeanor she has displayed as a leader over the past years: calm and composed despite the ongoing chaos in some governments around the world due to the spike in deaths from the CoVID-19 strain.
Germany has a massive number of coronavirus cases at 57,695 but unlike other countries with over 50,000 CoVID-19 cases, the country only has at least 433 deaths so far.
Health and epidemiology experts noted that Germany's early and widespread testing played a key role in ensuring that the number of recoveries will rise and the number of deaths will be controlled.
Boris Johnson Warns of Stricter Measures if Necessary
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that there could be stricter restrictions on the way as the coronavirus crisis in the United Kingdom heightens, BBC reported.
Johnson's comments came amid criticism of how the government has been handling the health emergency. Lack of clarity in government guidelines and action plans are some of the main concerns raised by the masses and other authorities.
The U.K. recorded a total of 17,089 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and 1,019 deaths from the disease.
Sweden Stands Out in CoVID-19 Handling
The Swedish government has been recognized in Europe as the only country that appears to be lax in handling the global coronavirus emergency. Despite rising cases in other European nations, Sweden has not resorted to draconian measures.
Instead of strict measures, Sweden has only been urging people to stay at home, avoid traveling if with no essential reasons, frequent hand-washing, and staying home for high-risk people.
Compared to other European countries on lockdown, Sweden has so far recorded almost 3,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and 105 deaths.
