Global coronavirus death toll crosses 19,000

The number of deaths around the world from the novel coronavirus cases stood at 19,246, according to a tally compiled by the media at 1100 GMT on Wednesday from official sources.

More than 427,940 declared cases have been registered in 181 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

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The tallies, using data collected by AFP offices from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), are likely to reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are now only testing cases that require hospitalisation.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte speaks to the media. File photo

Italy, which recorded its first coronavirus death in February, has to date declared 6,820 fatalities, with 69,176 infections and 8,326 people recovered.

Like Italy, Spain now has more fatalities than China with 3,434, as well as having 47,610 infections and 5,367 recoveries.

Customers purchase bottles of hand sanitisers as a precautionary step.

China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- has to date declared 3,281 deaths and 81,218 cases. The other worst-hit countries are Iran with 2,077 fatalities and 27,017 cases, France with 1,100 deaths and 22,302 cases, and the United States with 600 deaths and 55,225 cases.

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No new coronavirus cases reported in Wuhan

Since 1900 GMT Tuesday, Cameroon and Niger have announced their first deaths while Libya, Laos, Belize, Grenada, Mali and Dominica reported their first cases.

By continent, Europe has listed 226,340 cases and 12,719 deaths to date, Asia 99,805 cases and 3,593 deaths, the US and Canada together 57,304 cases with 624 deaths, the Middle East 32,118 cases and 2,119 deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean 7,337 cases with 118 deaths, Oceania 2,656 cases with nine deaths and Africa 2,382 cases with 64 deaths.

'Months, not weeks'

The pandemic has bludgeoned global stock markets, and the United States — the world's biggest economy — is preparing a huge emergency stimulus package that could top $1 trillion.

Medical workers in overalls attend to a patient under intensive care at the Gemelli hospital in Rome.  File/AFP

China reported its first local infection in four days on Sunday. While the number of cases in the mainland has slumped dramatically since the crisis began, there are fears of "imported" cases from other hotspots like Europe.

France, Italy, Spain and other European countries have ordered people to stay at home, threatening fines in some cases, while Australia on Sunday told citizens to cancel domestic travel plans.

Britain has told pubs, restaurants and theatres to close and warned citizens to stop panic-buying.

And India went into lockdown on Sunday with a one-day nationwide "self-imposed curfew".

While the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the hardest hit by the virus, the WHO has warned that young people are also vulnerable.

Accurate COVID-19 figures are difficult to reach because many of the victims suffered from other illnesses, and infection rates are uncertain because of a lack of testing in many countries.

The coronavirus has infected more than 1,000 across Africa too, where healthcare systems are limited and social distancing measures -- like the ones being adopted in North America and Europe -- are difficult in crowded cities.

The Middle East also remains on high alert, where Iran -- which suffered a major outbreak -- reporting 123 new deaths on Saturday. But the Islamic Republic has refused to join the rest of the world in imposing heavy restrictions.