Cumulative Number of Patients Outside China Surpasses China

Europe and US Surge... Over 6,000 New Cases in One Day

On the 15th (local time), the empty streets of Barcelona, Spain. Following the Spanish government's declaration of a two-week national state of emergency the previous day to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), movement across Spain was strictly restricted, and restaurants and other shops were closed.

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon] As confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) rapidly increase in Europe and the United States, the cumulative number of cases outside China has surpassed that of China, the initial outbreak location.

According to the COVID-19 status report from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University in the US on the 16th, the total global cumulative cases were counted at 169,086 (as of 11 a.m.). Among these, cases within China numbered 81,020 (including Hong Kong and Macau, excluding Taiwan), while the remaining 88,066 cases occurred in countries outside China.

Until the previous day, the cumulative cases in China were 81,048, and outside China were 72,469, showing a difference of over 8,000. However, with over 6,000 additional cases in just Italy, Spain, and France within one day, the number of cases in Europe surged, surpassing China. Meanwhile, in China, the initial epicenter Hubei Province reported only 4 new confirmed cases that day, indicating a clear trend of containment.

Global COVID-19 Case Status

The number of deaths counted worldwide as of that day was 6,512, with deaths in China (3,217) accounting for less than half of the total. Italy, which has the second highest number of cases after China, reported 24,747 confirmed cases and 1,809 deaths. Italy's fatality rate stands at 7.3%, nearly double the global average of 3.8%.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, as of midnight that day, 74 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 8,236. The number of newly released patients from quarantine increased by 303, totaling 1,137. An elderly woman in her 80s, who was confirmed positive at Cheongdo County Nursing Hospital and was receiving treatment at Gimcheon Medical Center, passed away the previous day, raising the total deaths in South Korea to 76.

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