Europe continues to see a spike in new coronavirus cases daily, but the news of a European minister's passing of apparent suicide due to the ongoing global health emergency has left a dent in the heart of the continent's CoVID-19 battle.
German Minister Dies of Apparent Suicide amid Coronavirus Worries
In a recorded statement released on Sunday, German state premier Volker Bouffier confirmed the passing of Hesse state finance minister Thomas Schäfer of apparent suicide, The Local Germany reported.
According to Bouffier, they believe Schäfer was "deeply worried" over the economic impact of the coronavirus situation on the state as Hesse is home to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt is home to multiple home-grown banking giants.
Aside from Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank being headquartered in Frankfurt, the European Central Bank is also located on the said capital of Hesse.
Before Schäfer was found near a railway track on Saturday, he Bouffier said the finance minister was up "day and night" as he attempted to assist workers and companies in coping with the economic fallout brought about by the CoVID-19 crisis.
Germany has a high infection toll at 62,435 as of Saturday but the country has a significantly low death toll rate compared to other hard-hit European countries. The country only has at least over 500 deaths from the virus.
Italy's Death Toll Declines Again
Italy has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in all of Europe and the country has the highest death toll in the world, but a slight decline in deaths was recorded over the past two days since 919 lives were lost to the CoVID-19 strain on Friday.
On Sunday, Italy's Civil Protection Agency said 756 people died from the novel coronavirus, a decline from Saturday's toll of 889. Before the said two consecutive declines, Friday's toll broke the country's death rate decline streak of four days.
The country also saw a decline in new cases, with confirmed cases on Sunday reaching 5,217 - a decline from Saturday's 5,974. Italy now has at least 97,689 CoVID-19 cases and 10,799 deaths.
Spain Death Toll Hits Record-High
In Spain, another grim milestone was reached Saturday as the country recorded 838 deaths in 24 hours. The said number is a spike from Friday's 769 deaths.
Authorities noted that except for Thursday's Spain's death toll has been climbing by the day. Furthermore, experts expressed hopes that the outbreak's peak will come around soon so an apparent decline can be felt.
As of Saturday, Spain recorded a total of 78,797 confirmed CoVID-19 cases.
France Death Toll Passes 2,600
In France, the death toll has reached 2,606 after health authorities confirmed 292 CoVID-19 deaths in the country on Sunday.
According to The Local France, the number of people brought to intensive care also hiked, with the total reaching 4,632 after 359 more patients were referred to intensive units.
French health chief Jerome Salomon confirmed that France now has a total of 19,354 people being treated for the CoVID-19 while 7,132 cases have since recovered. The number of elderly patients dying from the disease are also being monitored due to a recent uptick.
Sweden Expects More Cases amid Change in Testing Methods
Sweden on Sunday confirmed at least 3,700 confirmed coronavirus cases but health experts believe the number will rise further following a change in testing procedures that should reveal the true extent of the CoVID-19 crisis in the country.
Over 90 deaths have also been recorded by Swedish health authorities as the country retains it non-draconian measures in managing the coronavirus situation.
So far, Sweden has only urged people aged 70 or older to avoid being in crowded groups and also ask their younger loved ones to do the shopping for them. Bars and restaurants have not been closed in the country so far.
Johnson Lauds Former NHS Workers Who Returned to Work
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is on self-isolation after testing CoVID-19 positive, lauded around 20,000 former National Health Service (NHS) workers who returned to their posts amid the country's coronavirus battle.
According to BBC, news of the return of NHS staff came after England's deputy chief medical officer Dr. Jenny Harries predicted that life in Britain will not return to normal until up to six months.
So far, the U.K. reported at least 19,522 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and 1,228 deaths.
