Published 11:00 IST, April 2nd 2020
France reports 509 more coronavirus deaths, highest single-day toll
Coronavirus pandemic claimed lives of 509 in France on April 1, bringing the death toll to 4,032. With this, France recorded the highest number of deaths.
The coronavirus infection continues to increase its horizon and claimed the lives of 509 in France on April 1, bringing the death toll to 4,032. The number of deaths registered on April 1, made it the darkest day of France with such a huge number of casualties in a single day from COVID-19. There are now 24,639 people hospitalized in France with infection, out of which 6,017 are currently being monitored under intensive care, health official Jerome Salomon reportedly told the media outlets.
The figures put forward by the health authorities on April 1, makes France the fourth country to pass the 4,000-casualties threshold after Italy, Spain, and the US. With 13,155 deaths to date, Italy contributes to 30 per cent of the global death tally. Spain has 9,053 deaths and, just like France, the US death tally has also crossed the 4,000-mark, surpassing the death toll of the horrifying 9/11 terror attack which happened in 2001.
Coronavirus pandemic in Europe
The coronavirus pandemic which has tightened its grip has claimed more than 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed on April 1. After seeing the loss of life everywhere, the United Nations has described this epidemic as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. Italy and Spain have currently borne the brunt of the crisis, accounting for three cases of fatalities in every four on the continent, as the grim tally hit another milestone even though half of the planet's population is under quarantine or self-isolation to battle the deadly disease.
Owing to the dangerous virus, on one hand, several companies have shut down for undetermined periods and entire workforces are working from to halt the spread of COVID-19, while on the other hand, scenes of economic desperation and unrest are emerging all across the world. In Italy, long queues of people were lengthening at soup kitchens while some supermarkets were reportedly crowded.
Seeing the rapid pace of rising in cases, US President Donald Trump warned Americans of a very painful two weeks as the state registered its deadliest 24 hours where the upsurge in the death toll was more than that from a "plague." The outbreak in the US has mushroomed rapidly. There are around 190,000 known cases, making the figure just double in five days. Currently, 47,249 cases of casualties have been registered across the world from more than 936,204 infection cases since the disease emerged in China last year in December.
(Image credit: AP)
Updated 11:00 IST, April 2nd 2020