Coronavirus cases hit 1.5 million, deaths near 100k

The coronavirus has now killed more than 92,000 people and infected over 1.5 million, sparing almost no country and tipping the world into a devastating crisis as global commerce shudders to a halt.

The coronavirus pandemic notched up another round of record death tolls in the US and Europe, dousing the optimism of American President Donald Trump who insisted there was light at the end of the tunnel.

A boy stands in front of a graffiti painted by artist Kai ‘Uzey’ Wohlgemuth featuring a nurse as Superwoman on a wall in Hamm, Germany. (AFP)

The virus has now killed more than 92,000 people and infected over 1.5 million, sparing almost no country and tipping the world into a devastating crisis as global commerce shudders to a halt.

While the US and the UK continued to report a high number of deaths and cases, France saw its number of dead go past 10,000 as the country prepared to extend its lockdown measures. Spain reported 446 new deaths and Italy confirmed 610 new fatalities as the two countries continue to bear the brunt. In Italy, which is now planning to extend its lockdown until May 3, about 100 doctors have died since the pandemic reached the country in February.

The pandemic is marching into areas previously only lightly affected: in Africa, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency and Liberia said it was locking down its capital Monrovia.

Its deadly tentacles also crept deep into the Amazon rainforest, with the first case detected among the Yanomami, an indigenous people isolated from the world until the mid-20th century and vulnerable to disease.

Also on Thursday, the US accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of putting politics first by ignoring Taiwanese warnings over China’s coronavirus outbreak, laying out its case against the UN body.