The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 20,599 people worldwide since it first appeared in China in December, official figures say.
More than 447,030 confirmed cases of infection have been diagnosed in 182 countries and territories since the start of the pandemic.
The tallies, using data collected from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), are likely to reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are now only testing cases that require hospitalisation.
Employees from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Refugees uses a temperature test machine on a child in Palestine
A worker sweeps the almost empty streets during the first day of national quarantine to stop spread of COVID-19 in Bogota, Colombia
A woman, wearing a protective face mask, and her child, sit on a curb in Mexico City as the child laughs at something that was said to him
A member of the Senegalese graffiti collective ‘RBS CREW’ paints informational murals advising how to stop the spread of the coronavirus, on the wall of a high school in the Parcelles Assainies neighborhood of the capital Dakar
This picture shows the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, in Rabat, Morocco, which lies empty after the country declared a curfew on March 19
Local Police corps are seen in Villalba General Hospital applauding the sanitary personal of Villalba General Hospital in Spain
Since the tally – carried out on Tuesday at 7pm – 2,341 new deaths and 43,010 new cases have been recorded worldwide.
The countries that recorded the most new deaths in 24 hours were Spain with 738, Italy with 683 and France with 231.
Italy, which recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus at the end of February, now has 7,503 deaths with 74,386 cases.
A man wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure against the spread of the new coronavirus walks in Panama City on Wednesday
In this photo released by Turkish Presidency, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and his advisors participate in a teleconference with his ministers in Istanbul
A billboard is installed on an apartment building in Cape Town, South Africa, before the country of 57million people will go into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days from Thursday
A view of the iconic Taksim Square in central Istanbul is deserted due to the coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday afternoon
Doctors take on protective suits before they enter the isolation room at the care unit of the new COVID-19 infected patients inside the Koranyi National Institute of Pulmonology in Budapest, Hungary
Sanitary personal of Villalba General Hospital are seen at the Emergency entrance while local police, civil guard and firefighters applaud them in Spain
Workers prepare bags filled with bread for sale at a local bakery in Amman, Jordan, on the fifth day of full curfew in the country
Irans revolutionary guard volunteer members disinfect the entrance of a hospital on in Tehran as the country battles a powerful wave of coronavirus cases
After Italy, the most affected countries are Spain with 3,434 deaths for 47,610 cases, mainland China with 3,281 deaths (81,218 cases), Iran with 2,077 deaths (27,017 cases), and France with 1,331 deaths (25,233 cases).
Since Tuesday at 7pm, Jamaica, Cameroon, Estonia and Niger have announced their first deaths linked to the virus. Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Mali, Libya, Belize, Grenada and Dominica, have announced their first cases.
Europe had 239,912 cases and 13,824 deaths, Asia 99,927 cases with 3,596 deaths and the US and Canada had 62,194 cases with 854 deaths.
The Middle East had 32,182 cases and 2,123 deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean 7,529 cases with 124 deaths, Oceania 2,656 cases and nine deaths and Africa 2,631 cases and 69 deaths.
Motorists are stopped at a checkpoint on the Gold Coast Highway at Coolangatta on the Queensland/NSW border near Brisbane
A woman wearing a protective mask walks past residents of the Downtown Eastside in British Columbia, Canada, as they gather to collect their social assistance cheques
A nurse greets patients outside a coronavirus disease assessment centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday afternoon
The world shuts down: Map shows how a third of global population – 3BILLION people – are now under coronavirus lockdown
- India went into coronavirus lockdown Tuesday, meaning a third of world population is now under containment
- Cases have now been reported on every continent except Antarctica, and in virtually every country
- Almost half a million infections have been confirmed along with 20,000 deaths, as cases continue to spike
- Pictures from across the globe show how streets have been left empty as people adjust to the new reality
Three billion people – more than a third of the world’s 7.8billion population – are now thought to be under some kind of coronavirus lockdown in an attempt to control the spread of the disease.
Cases of the highly-infectious virus have now been reported on every continent except Antarctica and in virtually every country as the number of confirmed global infections barrelled towards half a million on Wednesday.
World health authorities have warned that America and Europe are now the epicentres of the virus after it emerged in China towards the end of last year and swept from East to West across the globe.
But different countries have taken vastly different approaches – from India locking down all 1.3billion people to Donald Trump saying the USA will be back open for business by Easter.
China has also started loosening restrictions around the ground-zero province of Hubei, providing some hope that an end to the crisis is in sight.
Here, MailOnline has analysed the different measures being taken and complied a picture gallery showing how different countries are dealing with a new reality caused by the disease.
A map showing how the world is reacting to coronavirus. Countries in red have announced restrictions on movement of all or most of their citizens around the clock in response to the virus. Those in amber have restricted the movement of only some citizens or for only part of the day, such as evening curfews. Those in green have either light restrictions or no restrictions on their own citizens, but may have brought in other international measures such border closures and flight bans
While the US government has resisted calls to enact a federal shutdown, various states have either fully locked down or put in place lockdowns on some of their citizens to try and control the spread of coronavirus
EUROPE
ITALY: The Italian government was the first in Europe to enact a country-wide lockdown 7of some 60million people, banning them from leaving their homes for all-but essential needs. It has also reported the most deaths of any country in the world
SPAIN: The number of cases in Spain is rapidly spiralling out of control, with workers deserting elderly people in care homes that were later found dead or dying by police (pictured, a woman in her apartment in Burgos)
FRANCE: Emmanuel Macron has put in place sweeping lockdown measures across France that has left streets virutally deserted as the country’s death and case toll mounts
UK: Boris Johnson announced the the UK would be following the rest of Europe into a full lockdown this week, amid signs the country is on track to see a death toll that could top that of Italy
GERMANY: While the number of cases in Germany has almost hit 30,000 – on par with other badly-affected European nations – the death rate has remained low. Still, the government has enacted sweeping lockdown measures (pictured, Dresden)
BELGIUM: Like most of Europe, Belgians are only being allowed to leave their homes for essential tasks or medical needs, with restrictions due to last for the next eight weeks at least (pictured, Brussels)
CZECH REPUBLIC: The typically-bustling Charles Bridge in Prague was all-but deserted after the government shut down most restaurants and shops across the country to combat the virus
POLAND: A sculpture in the centre of Krakow is seen with a mask across the mouth after Poland went into full lockdown over coroanvirus, with most shops and businesses forced to close
IRELAND: Underlining the seriousness of the crisis, Ireland closed all pubs just a few days shy of St Patrick’s Day, with the majority of businesses now shuttered and schools closed
DENMARK: Copenhagen Airport’s Terminal 3 hall is seen almost empty after a nationwide lockdown that closed schools, restaurants, and most public offices which is due to continue until at least mid-April
PORTUGAL: The country has closed landmarks along with the majority of shops in attempts to control the spread of the disease, though has stopped short of barring people from the streets as other nations have done
AMERICAS
NEW YORK, USA: Donald Trump has resisted calls for the federal government to call a lockdown, but individual cities have been issued with shelter-in-place orders. New York (pictured) and San Francisco are among them
COLOMBIA: The South American country has restricted the movement of all-but essential workers, with those aged 70 and over told to stay inside their homes until May
EL SALVADOR: Mass gatherings have been banned, borders closed, all returning citizens must undergo 30-day quarantine and schools have been shuttered in the Equatorial nation
ARGENTINA: Residents have been forced off the streets while police have been ordered to fine or arrest rule-breakers until at least the end of March
ASIA
CHINA: The ruling communist party locked down some 760million people across the country in January as coronavirus first emerged, though is now preparing to ease containment measures in ground-zero province of Wuhan (pictured)
INDIA: The country’s 1.3billion people were ordered to stay inside from Wednesday in the most far-reaching containment effort anywhere in the world. Police enforced the restrictions with an iron will, and wooden sticks
SRI LANKA: An island-wide curfew has been in place since the weekend to prevent the spread, though social distancing measures being used by some other nations have not been adopted widely
NEPAL: Deserted streets and closed shop are seen during the first day of government-imposed nationwide lockdown in the Everest region of Nepal after measures come into place on Monday
MALAYSIA: A member of Royal Malaysia Navy stands at a roadblock to maintain the Movement Control Order, which limits the activities of people in Malaysia as a preventive measure against the spread of coronavirus
MIDDLE EAST
EGYPT: Egyptian authorities announced a two-week curfew, starting from 25 March, during which public transportation will be suspended to avoid the spread of coronavirus
TURKEY: The country’s Interior Ministry has announced the shut down of all public events, sporting events, schools and universities, cafes, cinemas, bars and restaurants (pictured, an empty street in Istanbul)
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has announced a nation-wide curfew from 7pm until 6am starting from 24 March for 21 days to combat the virus. In the capital Riyadh, the curfew starts at 3pm (Jeddah, pictured)
ISRAEL: A deserted street in Jerusalem is seen this week as the country prepares to announce the start of a complete lockdown, with outdoor exercise banned while individuals will be allowed to venture only 100 meters from their homes
IRAQ: The government in Baghdad has followed many of its Middle Eastern neighbours in announcing a curfew from sunset until sunrise in the hopes that it will stop the spread of coronavirus
KUWAIT: The government has announced harsher penalties than some of its neighbours, shutting down international flights and banning people from going to restaurants and gyms for three weeks (pictured, Kuwait City)
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA: The country will enter a 21-day lockdown starting from Thursday this week in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus (pictured, a child in Johannesburg)
KENYA: The country has closed bars, restaurants, schools and some public offices but crowded markets – such as this one in Nairobi – remain open amid fears the disease could rapidly spread
TUNISIA: Tunisia’s president on Monday ordered the army to patrol the streets and enforce lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus disease
RWANDA: A boy carries jerrycans as he walks past the deserted crossing point between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda before the country enters lockdown to try and prevent the spread of the virus
SENEGAL: Policemen in masks patrol a market in the capital Dakar as the country prepares to place restrictions on what shops can open and who is allowed on to the streets
MADAGASCAR: Two of the country’s biggest cities have been placed on lockdown after cases of coronavirus were reported while the president has ordered everyone to ‘stay inside’
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA: Overseas travel has been banned, travel between states restricted, entertainment venues including pubs and clubs have been shut as have gym and sports venues
NEW ZEALAND: A child plays at a closed playground on March 25, 2020 in Napier, New Zealand. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday declared a State of National Emergency and a lockdown
New hope for Italy as daily rate of infections and number of deaths both fall, with 7.5 per cent rise and 683 fatalities compared to 8.2 per cent and 743 dead yesterday
Italy’s coronavirus death toll has jumped by 683 to 7,503, a decline in the daily tally of fatalities following a spike yesterday.
On Tuesday 743 people died, following 602 deaths on Monday, 650 on Sunday and a record of 793 on Saturday – the highest daily figure since the deadly bug emerged in the country on February 21.
The total number of confirmed cases there has risen to 74,386 from a previous 69,176, the Civil Protection Agency said.
Italy’s coronavirus death toll has jumped by 683 to 7,503, a decline in the daily tally of fatalities following a spike yesterday. Pictured: At a care home in Rome
On Tuesday 743 people died, following 602 deaths on Monday, 650 on Sunday and a record of 793 on Saturday – the highest daily figure since the deadly bug emerged in the country on February 21. Pictured: Elderly hosts of the retirement home Giovanni XIII affected by coronavirus are being evacuated to hospital in Rome
The head of the agency, Angelo Borrelli, was not present at the customary news conference to illustrate the data because he came down with a fever on Wednesday.
Of those originally infected nationwide, 9,362 had fully recovered on Wednesday compared to 8,326 the day before.
There were 3,489 people in intensive care against a previous 3,396.
The hardest-hit northern region of Lombardy reported a sharp fall in the number of deaths compared with the day before, but remained in a critical situation, with a total of 4,474 deaths and 32,346 cases.
That compared with 4,178 deaths and 30,703 cases reported up to Tuesday.
Spain has world’s second highest tally of coronavirus deaths after seeing its biggest daily rise yet – 738 – to reach 3,434, overtaking China
Spain has today overtaken China to record the world’s second-highest death toll from coronavirus.
Spanish officials reported 738 new deaths today, the country’s biggest daily jump so far, taking the total from 2,696 to 3,434.
The figure is now higher than the 3,285 people who have died in mainland China, where the outbreak began in late 2019.
Italy has the world’s highest death toll, with 6,820.
Members of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) arrive to carry out a general disinfection at a local market in Badalona near Barcelona
A photographer’s wife sews a mask with a sewing machine as part of a group of friends’ initiative to donate masks for coronavirus protection in Madrid
Spain’s total number of infections also rose by 20 per cent today, with 7,937 new cases bringing the total from 39,673 to 47,610.
Despite an unprecedented lockdown imposed in Spain on March 14, both deaths and infections have continued to mount, with the Spanish army called in to join efforts to curb its spread.
‘We are approaching the peak,’ the health ministry’s emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon said in announcing the figures.
Health authorities are hoping it will soon become clear whether the lockdown is having the desired effect.
‘This is a very hard week because we’re in the first stages of overcoming the virus, a phase in which we are approaching the peak of the epidemic,’ health minister Salvador Illa told a televised news conference.
Spain only recorded its first virus death on March 3, but within three weeks the death toll has surged far more quickly than it did in Italy or China.
There are now 3,434 deaths in Spain, while Italy had only 1,266 deaths at the same stage after the first one. China had 259.