KATHMANDU: The death toll from the coronavirus in Spain, the country hit hardest by the pandemic after the United States and Italy, moved past 20,000, the Spanish health ministry said.
A total of 20,043 people have now succumbed to the disease, which killed 565 people in Spain in the past 24 hours, slightly down on the 585 reported on Friday, international media reported.
The number of declared cases has risen to 191,726, the ministry said. However, the increase in infections has
Meanwhile, coronavirus deaths have surged past 160,500 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, where President Donald Trump lent his support to protesters rallying against lockdown orders.
Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of humanity — 4.5 billion people — were confined to their homes.
Governments around the world are now grappling with when and how to ease lockdowns that have crippled the global economy, even as the COVID-19 death toll climbs further in hard-hit countries.
The United States accounts for nearly a third of the 2.25 million coronavirus infections reported globally.
It has also recorded over 37,000 deaths, more than any other nation, followed by Italy, Spain and France which have all been ravaged by their own outbreaks.
Many countries are testing only the most serious cases and the number of confirmed global cases is likely only a fraction of the true total.
(With inputs from agencies)
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