Coronavirus: WHO reports world record single-day increase in cases

The number of new cases of coronavirus increased by almost 260,000 in 24 hours, the largest increase in a single day since the pandemic began, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

According to the WHO, this is the first time that the number of new daily infections exceeds a quarter of a million.

The largest increases were in the US, Brazil, India, and South Africa.

The global death toll from coronavirus also increased by 7,360, the largest daily increase since May 10.

The previous record increase in new confirmed cases was recorded by the WHO just a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases exceeded 14 million on Saturday, with more than 600,000 deaths recorded, according to a count by the United States-based Johns Hopkins University.

What is going on in the United States?

Cases are emerging in several states in the US, particularly in the southern states that were initially reluctant to impose blockades or require the use of masks. Florida, Texas and Arizona have seen particularly high waves.

Florida is currently the epicenter of the American epidemic. The state recorded more than 10,000 new infections and 90 more deaths on Saturday, bringing its total number of cases to more than 337,000 and its number of deaths to more than 5,000.

In recent weeks, hospitals across the state have also warned that their intensive care units are at capacity and cannot accept new patients.

Measures to stop the spread of the virus, including wearing masks, have been politicized in the United States.

America’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday urged state and local leaders to be “blunt” in making sure people wear masks, though President Donald Trump later said no would require the use of masks nationwide.

What other countries are experiencing surges?

In Brazil, where the coronavirus and measures to contain it have been highly politicized, cases continue to rise, although the WHO announced earlier this week that cases were no longer increasing exponentially.

Scientists have also warned that India could still be months away from the peak of its outbreak, despite the country already having the third-highest number of confirmed cases. Hospitals in the hardest hit cities, such as Mumbai and Bangalore, have been overwhelmed by patients.

India recorded another 34,884 infections in a 24-hour period on Saturday and another 671 coronavirus-related deaths.

And South Africa, which saw one of the largest single-day increases in cases, has the highest number of confirmed infections on the African continent.

What happens in Europe?

Western European countries, which have largely contained the spread of the virus, are now beginning to reopen their borders and businesses.

However, there are localized waves throughout Spain, the worst in the northeast region of Catalonia.

The region has again recorded a daily increase in confirmed cases of more than 1,000, and nearly four million people in Barcelona, ​​La Noguera and El Segrià have been ordered to stay home for 15 days.

Among the measures imposed are a ban on public or private gatherings of more than 10 people, a ban on visits to nursing homes and the closure of gyms and nightclubs.

Spain only ended its harsh national closure about four weeks ago and hoped to revive the economy, particularly with the number of tourists.

The streets of Barcelona were reported to be emptier on Saturday, although some residents may have defied orders and gone out in cars for second homes.

Neighboring France is now considering closing the borders with Spain in response to the increase.

When asked if a border closure could be possible, new Prime Minister Jean Castex said: “We are monitoring this very closely, in particular here, because it is a real issue that we must also discuss with the Spanish authorities.”

The French border was reopened to general citizens on June 21.

How are the EU plans for coronavirus relief going?

Discussions began in Brussels on Saturday over a major post-coronavirus economic recovery plan.

The second day of talks received mixed criticism. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the talks were at a standstill, but Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said he thought they were going in the right direction.

Some northern “frugal” nations like the Netherlands and Sweden have rejected the € 750 billion ($ 857 billion; £ 680 billion) package, arguing that it should be loans, not grants.

A revised plan would tone down the level of subsidies, but there seems to be a long way to go.

The talks will now enter a third day on Sunday.