April 5 (UPI) — As the coronavirus outbreak intensifies exponentially throughout the world, the rate of fatalities is decreasing notably in the two hardest-hit nations, Italy and Spain.
Among the 67,928 deaths from the pandemic, Italy tops the list with 15,887 fatalities and Spain is second with 12,418, according to tracking by worldometers.com. Meanwhile, the death toll in the United States is surging with more than 9,000 deaths and in some parts of Europe, including No 4 France with 7,560 and United Kingdom with 4,934 fatalities.
Globally, there are 1,245,741 cases and 256,760 recovered from the illness.
On Sunday, Italy reported a 3.4 percent increase and Spain a 4.1 percent gain.
Italy’s 525 deaths were the lowest since March 19 when there were 427. On Saturday, the number of deaths had decreased to 681. The peak was 909 deaths on March 27.
The nation has been on a virtual lockdown, first starting in northern Italy on March 9 and the entire nation a week later. The lockdown was supposed to end last Friday but has been extended to at least Easter next Sunday.
The first eight deaths were announced on Feb. 29.
More than 75 percent of overall cases and deaths are north of Tuscany, in the center of the country, according to the Italian Civil Protection agency.
But the poorer southern region also is struggling.
Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando has petitioned for a “survival income” to give to citizens left behind without the desperate help they need, according to a CNN interview. Palermo is the capital of the Italian island of Sicily.
On Sunday, Spain recorded the lowest rise since the first 13 deaths were announced on March 9. The health ministry announced 674 additional deaths, which represents 4.1 percent increase. That is far less than the peak of 961 Thursday. In addition, 4,591 additional cases were reported.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, writing in 10 major newspapers in Europe, implored the European Union: “Either we rise to this challenge or we will fail as a union.”
He wrote: “We have reached a critical juncture at which even the most fervently pro-European countries and governments, as is Spain’s case, need real proof of commitment.”
Spain and Italy lambasted the refusal of other governments to contemplate a Europe-wide “coronabond” during a long video conference among EU leaders two weeks ago.
The toll has been spiking in other European countries.
On Saturday, France reported additional 1,053 deaths, joining the United States as the only countries with at least 1,000 deaths. That is a 16.2 percent increase as the toll rose past 7,500 — the fourth most in the world. The nation will release its Sunday figures later in the day.
Britain is fifth on the list with 4,934 deaths through Sunday when 619 fatalities were reported for a 14.6 percent gain.
Queen Elizabeth was to make a rare broadcast on Sunday night.
“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all,” she will say, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace obtained by CNN.
Germany has been consistently in better shape than other nations, reporting 34 deaths Sunday for a total of 1,478. Its high was 176 on Thursday. The country has served as a model for rigid testing of between 300,000 and 500,000 tests every week and health safety measures, including an early lockdown.
Rather than one central authority, German public health services are provided by approximately 400 public health offices.
“I don’t have to wait to get a call from the health minister before I can go ahead with a test,” said Matthias Orth, of the Institute of Laboratory Medicine at Stuttgart’s Marien Hospital in a Guardian report.
The Netherlands recorded a significant drop in the number of new coronavirus deaths, according to new figures from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
A total of 115 new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours compared with 164. The total number of reported deaths from coronavirus stands at 1,766 in eighth place globally.
Other nations in the top 10 are No. 6 Iran with 151 more deaths for a total of 3,603, No. 7 China with three deaths for 3,329 and Belgium 164 more at 1,447.
Mainland China, which was the original epicenter of the outbreak, has announced single-digit deaths and double-digit cases for weeks. Most of the cases are imported, meaning they came from another country.
Other Asian nations have fared well.
South Korea reported a spike in 81 cases to 10,237 with six additional deaths to 183 as the nation braces for a second wave of infection. South Korea’s daily cases reached a peak of 909 in late February and were as low at 64 in mid-March.
Although the death count in Japan is relatively low, the nation has seen a spike in cases, a rise of eight to 77 on Saturday.
Saturday’s total was 204 on Saturday after 318 on Friday.
Tokyo reported its new case totals Sunday — 143 new one of more than 1,000. Total nationwide data were not announced.
Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has not declared a nationwide state of emergency, local authorities asked residents to stay at home except for essential reasons. Gov. Yuriko Koike on a TV program Sunday said “lives were at stake.”
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