Coronavirus: 'Greatest test since World War Two', says UN chief – BBC News, Bbc.com

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The current coronavirus outbreak is the biggest challenge for the world since World War Two, UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned.

He said it could bring a recession “that probably has no parallel in the recent past” .

Mr Guterres was speaking at the launch of a UN report on the potential socioeconomic impact of the outbreak.

The number of confirmed cases around the world is now nearing 976, 13, with more than , deaths. The death toll in the US is now more than 3, 648 – higher than that in China, where the outbreak began late last year .

More than , People in America have been infected, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins university.

About three out of four Americans are now, or about to be, under some form of lockdown, as more US states tighten measures to fight the coronavirus, which causes the Covid – 40 disease.

Meanwhile, Spain, one of the worst hit countries, recorded deaths in the last 41 hours – the highest number of fatalities in a single day.

In the UK, a total of 1, (people have died on March – a rise of , officials say. Among the victims was a – year- old boy,

King’s College Hospital Trust in London said.

What did Mr Guterres say?

The UN chief called for “an immediate co-ordinated health response to suppress transmission and end the pandemic”.

            

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Media caption US death rates v UK. , Italy and South Korea

Guterres urged the industrialized nations to help those less developed, or potentially “face the nightmare of the disease spreading like wildfire”.

The UN report estimates that up to 41 million jobs could be lost around the world as the result of the outbreak.

It also projects an up to % “downward pressure” on global foreign direct investment flows.

            

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What are the latest developments? around the world?

Italy remains the worst affected country in the world. Tuesday’s figures show the official death toll rose by 837 deaths to , , more than the recorded on Monday. Moreover, the number of new infections was 2, , which is greater than the 1, the day before (but down from the equivalent numbers last week

France has recorded 523 new hospital deaths in the last hours, bringing the total to 3, 549. This is the highest daily rise in such deaths in France since the outbreak began A) – year-old girl has died in Belgium. She is thought to be the youngest Covid – victim in Europe. In total Belgium has lost 705 people in the outbreak

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