'Europe's Crisis' Italy's COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 200 for the First Time in a Day

Italy Deaths Near 40% of China Deaths
Spain Also Surpasses 4,000 Infections
Germany, France, Switzerland See Rapid Increase in Cases

The empty football stadium in Milan, Italy
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] In Italy, more than 200 new deaths from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) occurred in a single day.

Italian health authorities announced on the 13th at 6 p.m. (local time) that the cumulative death toll increased by 250 to 1,266. This is the first time that more than 200 deaths have occurred in one day. This number corresponds to 40% of China's cumulative death toll of 3,177, where over 80,000 cases have been reported. Considering the population difference between China and Italy, this example shows how serious the situation in Italy is.

The number of confirmed cases surged by 2,547 (16.8%) compared to the previous day, expanding to 17,660. With confirmed cases increasing by more than 2,000 for three consecutive days, reaching 20,000 is expected to be only a matter of time. Italy is the country with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, following China.

The case fatality rate, which represents the ratio of cumulative deaths to cumulative confirmed cases, soared to 7.17%. This is more than twice the global average of 3.4% estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO). South Korea's fatality rate is around 0.9%.

Experts point to the high infection rate among the elderly population aged 60 and above with underlying conditions as a reason why Italy's fatality rate is unusually high compared to other countries.

Besides Italy, the situation in Europe is also worsening. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Spain's confirmed cases reached 4,334. Spain is the only European country other than Italy with more than 4,000 confirmed cases. Germany has 3,156 cases, and France has 2,882. Switzerland's confirmed cases have also increased to 1,125, showing a notable spread relative to its population size.

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