COVID-19 Rampages... Confirmed Cases Exceed 500 in the US and 10,000 in Europe (Comprehensive)

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondents Baek Jong-min and Lee Hyun-woo] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is raging in the United States and Europe. The U.S., which had a relatively small number of confirmed cases until now, has surpassed 500 cases, and Europe, centered on Italy, is rapidly spreading, exceeding 10,000 cases. Italy's cumulative confirmed cases surpassed South Korea as of last weekend. Experts analyze that COVID-19 is effectively in a pandemic (global outbreak) situation.

According to Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. on the 8th (local time), citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state governments, and health agencies, the cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. reached 524, surpassing 500. On the same day, two additional deaths were reported in Washington State, increasing the total death toll to 21. With new confirmed cases reported in Connecticut, a total of 33 states in the U.S. have been infected. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the number of patients in the state increased by 16, bringing the total to 105.

Confirmed cases have also been reported in Washington D.C., deepening the federal government's concerns. There is worry about the repercussions if federal government employees in Washington D.C. become infected. CNN reported that the first patient in Washington D.C. was identified as Timothy Cole, an Episcopal church pastor in the Georgetown area, established in 1817. Following the Washington D.C. health authorities' recommendation to suspend worship services, the services were canceled that day.

The situation in Europe is more serious. According to foreign media including Bloomberg News, Italy's cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 7,375, and deaths reached 366, making it the country with the second highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the world after China. Italy reported 1,492 new confirmed cases in a single day, surpassing South Korea, which had the second highest cumulative confirmed cases after China. To curb the spread, the Italian government imposed extensive lockdown measures on 15 regions, including Lombardy in the north, the main outbreak area. A decree was also issued to temporarily close public facilities such as theaters, cinemas, and museums.

COVID-19 is spreading throughout Europe, not just in Italy. As of the previous day, France had 1,126 cases, Germany 902, Spain 613, Switzerland 337, the United Kingdom 273, and the Netherlands 265, with the total number of confirmed cases across Europe exceeding 10,000. This contrasts with China, the initial outbreak country, where the number of new confirmed cases dropped to 40 on the same day.

With the global number of confirmed cases surpassing 100,000, international infectious disease experts consider that the pandemic stage has already been reached. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told the British daily The Guardian, "I think it is clear that we are now in the pandemic phase," and Debi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, also said, "The current spread of COVID-19 meets all the definitions of a pandemic."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.