A new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Thursday, calculated that those infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China during the initial outbreak of the virus had a 1.4% change of dying. That percentage is much lower than those previously estimated from other health experts as a chance of 2%-3.4%. But 1.4% chance of dying is still a high chance when compared to other highly contagious viruses, like the seasonal flu which has a 0.1% of an infected individual dying.
On Thursday, China reported that there were no new community spread infections for the first time since the outbreak began in late 2019. Also on Thursday, Italy's death toll hit 3,405, meaning the European country has now surpassed China in total deaths.
Chinese officials have stated that the 34 new cases reported on Thursday were from people who have returned to China from other parts of the world. Although this is great news for China, experts have noted that a country will need at least two consecutive weeks of zero cases to declare an end to infection via community spread. China has also taken extreme measures to contain the virus. Since January, more than 50 million people in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak started, have been under strict quarantine and many expect another outbreak re-emerge when more citizens attempt to go back to their normal lives.
Total Global Cases: At least 240,000
Total Deaths: At least 9,900
Total Recovered: Over 87,000
What Happened Today:
Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte has announced that the country's lockdown period will extend beyond the current end date of April 3. "The total blockade will go on. The measures taken, both the closure of [public] activities and the ones concerning school, can only be extended,: Conte stated.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahi has ordered Israelis to stay at home at least for a week starting later on Thursday. Netanyahi issued in a statement: "Under there orders, you, Israel's citizens, are required to stay at home. It is no longer a request, it is not a recommendation, it is an obligatory directive that will be enforced by enforcement authorities." Citizens would only be allowed to leave their homes for food and medicine.
The Head of Public Relations for the Iranian Health Ministry, Kianush Jahanpur, tweeted a harrowing statement: "Based on out information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran."
Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo warned the public on Thursday that the fight to control the spread of the virus also risked spreading fear and panic. "We are battled two things. And I am as afraid of the fear and panic as I am of the virus," Cuomo stated in a public address on Thursday. "I spend half my day knocking down rumors that we are going to lock people in their homes. I am not going to imprison anyone in the state of New York in their homes. I am not going to declare martial law in the city of New York."
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Tracking the Spread:
Americas: United States-2,352 new cases (24 new deaths), Chile-104, Peru-89, Canada-74 (1), Brazil-68 (3), Ecuador-31, Mexico-25 (1), Costa Rica-18, Colombia-15, Venezuela-6, Barbados-3, Bolivia-3, Honduras-3, Cayman Islands-2, Bahamas-2, Trinidad & Tobago-2, Argentina-(1), Aruba-1, Cuba-1, Curacao-(1), El Salvador-1, Guatemala-1, Guyana-1, Nicaragua-1, U.S. Virgin Islands-1.
Europe: Italy-5,322 new cases (427 new deaths), Spain-3,194 (192), Germany-2,993 (16), France- 1,861 (108), Switzerland-829 (8), United Kingdom-643 (40), Austria-511 (2), Netherlands-409 (18), Belgium-309 (2), Ireland-191 (1), Norway-175 (1), Czechia-172, Portugal-143 (2), Sweden-138 (1), Luxembourg-132 (2), Denmark-94 (2), Iceland-80, Poland-70, Greece-46 (1), Finland-41, Slovenia-33, Bosnia & Herzegovina-25, Andorra-21, Croatia-21 (1), Slovakia-19, Romania-17, Bulgaria-15 (1), Hungary-15, Latvia-15, Faeroe Islands-14, Serbia-14, Moldova-13, Armenia-12, Estonia-9, Lithuania-7, North Macedonia-6, Albania-5, Malta-5, Ukraine-5 (1), Channel Islands-4, Georgia-2, Gibraltar-2, Montenegro-2, Monaco-1.
Middle East: Iran-1,046 new cases (149 new deaths), Israel-140, Egypt-46 (1), Saudi Arabia-36, Iraq-28 (1), United Arab Emirates-27, Lebanon-24, Bahrain-21, Jordan-13, Cyprus-9, Oman-9, Qatar-8, Kuwait-6, Palestine-3.
Asia: South Korea-152 new cases (7 new deaths), Pakistan-147, Malaysia-110, Indonesia-81 (6), Thailand-60, Russia-52 (1), China-34 (8), Singapore-32, India-25 (1), Azerbaijan-10, Japan-9 (3), Sri Lanka-9, Vietnam-9, Kazakhstan-8 (3), Taiwan-8, Brunei-5, Uzbekistan-5, Bangladesh-4, Turkey-1 (1).
Africa: South Africa-34 new cases, Algeria-15 (2), Tunisia-10 (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo-7, Morocco-7, Burkina Faso-6, Ghana-4, Mauritius-4, Nigeria-4, Tanzania-3, Chad-1, Congo-2, Ethiopia-1, Namibia-1, Niger-1.
Oceania: Australia-113 new cases, Hong Kong-15, Philippines-15, New Zealand-8, Guam-4, Fiji-1, French Polynesia-1.
