Coronavirus outbreak 'greatest test since WW2'
The current coronavirus outbreak may be the biggest challenge for the world since World War Two, UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned.
He said it might bring a recession "that probably has no parallel recently".
Mr Guterres was speaking at the launch of a UN report on the potential socioeconomic impact of the outbreak.
The quantity of confirmed cases all over the world is currently nearing 860,000, with more than 42,000 deaths.
The death toll in america is now more than 3,800 - greater than that in China, where in fact the outbreak began late last year.
A lot more than 188,000 people in the us have been infected, based on the data published by Johns Hopkins university.
Around three out of four Americans are actually, or about to be, under some sort of lockdown, as more US states tighten measures to fight the coronavirus, which in turn causes the Covid-19 disease.
Meanwhile, Spain, among the worst hit countries, recorded 849 deaths within the last 24 hours - the best number of fatalities within a day.
In the UK, a total of 1 1,789 persons have died on 30 March - a growth of 381, officials say. Among the victims was a 13-year-old boy, King's College Hospital Trust in London said.
What did Mr Guterres say?
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York City, Mr Guterres said: "The brand new coronavirus disease is attacking societies at their core, claiming lives and people's livelihoods.
"Covid-19 is the foremost test that people have faced together because the formation of the United Nations."
The UN chief needed "an instantaneous co-ordinated health response to suppress transmission and end the pandemic".
Mr Guterres urged the industrialised nations to greatly help those less developed, or potentially "face the nightmare of the disease spreading like wildfire".
The UN report estimates that up to 25 million jobs could possibly be lost all over the world as the consequence of the outbreak.
It also projects an up to 40% "downward pressure" on global foreign direct investment flows.
Grim death toll projections in US
US President Donald Trump had already announced the necessity to substantially extend social distancing guidelines beyond both weeks just completed, saying persons would need to stay in the home as much as they possibly could for another month.
At Tuesday's White House briefing he turned the microphone to his medical experts to greatly help him persuade Americans to comply.
They explained that desire to was to bring down the quantity of new cases in the hotspots, especially NY, preventing runaway outbreaks in other states.
Infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said steps taken so far had already begun to have an effect, and now was not enough time to take the foot off the accelerator.
But despite having strict measures the White House is projecting that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans will die of the coronavirus pandemic.
New York would be the first to feel the brunt of this. It's centered on preparing enough beds and getting enough medical equipment for when the number of cases reaches its peak - in about two weeks' time.
What are the most recent developments around the world?
- Italy remains the worst damaged country on the globe. Tuesday's figures show the state death toll rose by 837 deaths to 12,428, a lot more than the 812 recorded on Monday. Moreover, the number of new infections was 2,107, which is higher than the 1,648 your day before (but down from the same numbers the other day)
- France has recorded 499 new hospital deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the full total to 3,523. Here is the highest daily rise in such deaths in France because the outbreak began
- A 12-year-old girl has died in Belgium. She actually is regarded as the youngest Covid-19 victim in Europe. Altogether Belgium has lost 705 persons in the outbreak
- In Russia, lawmakers have passed an "anti-virus" package of laws including up to seven years in prison for serious violations of quarantine rules
- In India, the authorities are trying to find hundreds of men and women who attended a religious event in the capital that has tripped several Covid-19 clusters
- In the Middle East, there are warnings that the outbreak is a ticking time-bomb for the unstable region
