With governments around the world frantically trying to find ways to restrict the spread of the virus, the crisis in Italian towns and cities grew worse yesterday.
Professor Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “This is much, much worse than Ebola.
“Ebola requires very close contact for transmission. People are very scared of it, but frankly it is usually very contained. There are some exceptions.
“But because it [Covid-19] is a respiratory transmitted virus, that makes it so worrisome.”
Warning
The warning came as official figures showed that the death toll in Italy has jumped in 24 hours by 189 to 1,016 – a rise of 23 per cent.
The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 15,113 from the previous day’s 12,462, an increase of 21 per cent.
This marked the biggest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion first came to light on February 21.
As part of its national lockdown, Italy yesterday ordered the closure of all shops, except pharmacies and supermarkets, in a bid to slow the outbreak.
But one former NHS doctor trapped in Italy pleaded with the UK and other governments to “shut down everything” in the ongoing war against the killer bug.
Professor Mohamed Abu Hilal, who now works in the northern Italian city of Brescia, urged other countries to follow Italy’s example. He tweeted: “From Brescia to my friends across the globe. Covid-19 is serious. People are dying, not only elderly. Beds are full.
“Governments must shut down everything. Prepare beds, ventilators, anti-virals, doctors and nurses. People should stay at home.”
In Iran – another country stricken by the virus – satellite images were yesterday said to show authorities building vast burial trenches amid fears that the death toll is much higher than Tehran is admitting.
Reports from the US claimed the images showed Iran was rapidly expanding a cemetery in the holy city of Qom.
Meanwhile, Irish premier Leo Varadkar yesterday announced that all schools, colleges and childcare facilities in the Republic will close until March 29 in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
But China announced that the nation had passed the peak of the coronavirus epidemic.
The number of new cases in the Chinese province of Hubei, where the outbreak first began, had fallen to the lowest rate since they began, officials there said. Mi Feng, the country’s health commission spokesman, said it was hoped the virus had now peaked in China.
He said just 15 new cases were confirmed yesterday and that infections were recorded at a daily tally of under 50 for five straight days.
Overall, the increase of new cases was now at a low level, the spokesman added.
There was also good news in South Korea, which reported 114 new cases, its lowest daily total for more than two weeks.
However, the first Covid-19 deaths have now been recorded in Greece, Ivory Coast, Austria and Algeria.
They came after Ireland, Albania, Belgium, Sweden and Bulgaria registered their first deaths on Wednesday.
In Spain, the entire government was yesterday undergoin...
Professor Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “This is much, much worse than Ebola.
“Ebola requires very close contact for transmission. People are very scared of it, but frankly it is usually very contained. There are some exceptions.
“But because it [Covid-19] is a respiratory transmitted virus, that makes it so worrisome.”
Warning
The warning came as official figures showed that the death toll in Italy has jumped in 24 hours by 189 to 1,016 – a rise of 23 per cent.
The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 15,113 from the previous day’s 12,462, an increase of 21 per cent.
This marked the biggest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion first came to light on February 21.
As part of its national lockdown, Italy yesterday ordered the closure of all shops, except pharmacies and supermarkets, in a bid to slow the outbreak.
But one former NHS doctor trapped in Italy pleaded with the UK and other governments to “shut down everything” in the ongoing war against the killer bug.
Professor Mohamed Abu Hilal, who now works in the northern Italian city of Brescia, urged other countries to follow Italy’s example. He tweeted: “From Brescia to my friends across the globe. Covid-19 is serious. People are dying, not only elderly. Beds are full.
“Governments must shut down everything. Prepare beds, ventilators, anti-virals, doctors and nurses. People should stay at home.”
In Iran – another country stricken by the virus – satellite images were yesterday said to show authorities building vast burial trenches amid fears that the death toll is much higher than Tehran is admitting.
Reports from the US claimed the images showed Iran was rapidly expanding a cemetery in the holy city of Qom.
Meanwhile, Irish premier Leo Varadkar yesterday announced that all schools, colleges and childcare facilities in the Republic will close until March 29 in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
But China announced that the nation had passed the peak of the coronavirus epidemic.
The number of new cases in the Chinese province of Hubei, where the outbreak first began, had fallen to the lowest rate since they began, officials there said. Mi Feng, the country’s health commission spokesman, said it was hoped the virus had now peaked in China.
He said just 15 new cases were confirmed yesterday and that infections were recorded at a daily tally of under 50 for five straight days.
Overall, the increase of new cases was now at a low level, the spokesman added.
There was also good news in South Korea, which reported 114 new cases, its lowest daily total for more than two weeks.
However, the first Covid-19 deaths have now been recorded in Greece, Ivory Coast, Austria and Algeria.
They came after Ireland, Albania, Belgium, Sweden and Bulgaria registered their first deaths on Wednesday.
In Spain, the entire government was yesterday undergoin...
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Daily Express (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 13, 2020