COVID-19: Italy death toll soars to 197

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - The coronavirus death toll in Italy jumped to 197 on Friday after 49 more fatalities were confirmed, local media reported.

The number of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,916 after 620 more were confirmed across the country, the ANSA news agency reported, citing Italy’s Civil Protection Agency.

Italy is the worst-hit country in Europe and has the highest number of deaths in the world after China.

Meanwhile, Vatican City also confirmed its first coronavirus case on Friday.

In a statement, the Vatican Press Office said healthcare services were closed to disinfect facilities after a patient tested positive for COVID-19.

In France, the death toll reached nine on Friday, including a Turkish citizen, while the number of cases increased to 577.

Spain confirmed its sixth fatality after the death of a 91-year-old patient, and 213 senior centers in the capital Madrid were closed to visitors.

Romania also reported nine more COVID-19 cases on Friday.

The global death toll is nearing 3,500, with around 100,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

China, where the coronavirus first surfaced last December, has almost 3,100 fatalities now.

It has since spread to over 80 countries and the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak an international health emergency, recently updated the global risk assessment to “very high”.

First detected in Wuhan, China in December, the disease, also known as COVID-19 now is present in over 87 countries worldwide.

* Writing by Handan Kazanci in Istanbul.