Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak:
WHO declares the outbreak a pandemic
The World Health Organization said the coronavirus outbreak had become sufficiently widespread to be declared a pandemic.
Its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he did not want to use that word “lightly or carelessly” and that the declaration would not change the organisation’s approach. But the shift in the language appeared to be an attempt to shock some countries into addressing what Tedros felt was a lack of resolve.
Global death toll nears 4,400
According to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, which is mapping the outbreak, the total number of cases confirmed across the world so far has reached 121,564, of whom 4,373 have died and 66,239 have recovered.
Italian death toll increases by nearly 200 in a day
The number of people who have died in Europe’s worst-affected country reached 827 – an increase of 196 on yesterday’s total. And the number of confirmed cases in Italy rose by more than 2,000, from 10,149 on Tuesday to 12,462 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report.
The UK government updated its travel advice, saying any citizens in Italy should return home if their travel is not necessary.
UK sees eighth death
A 53-year-old British woman died in Bali, Indonesian authorities said. She was the eighth UK citizen to die after contracting the virus. The UK has 460 confirmed cases, including four more in Wales and the first instance of the virus being transmitted within the community in Scotland.
On Wednesday morning, the Department of Heath and Social Care said 27,476 people had been tested in the UK, of whom 27,020 were confirmed negative.
UK chancellor announced coronavirus funding
Delivering his first budget to the Commons on Wednesday, the UK’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, pledged £30bn in an attempt to protect the economy. Sunak said the outbreak would be temporary but costly for the UK.
The Bank of England also cut interest rates in an emergency move to bolster the economy against the outbreak.
Second UK MP enters isolation
After it was confirmed on Tuesday that the junior health minister, Nadine Dorries, had tested positive for the virus, the York MP Rachael Maskell said she had been advised to self-isolate following a meeting with Dorries last Thursday. Maskell said she was asymptomatic. One of Dorries’ staff also tested positive, according to a Conservative party source.
Host of countries confirm first deaths
Sweden, Belgium and Bulgaria all confirmed deaths among sufferers – the first to occur in each of these countries. Ireland also reportedly declared its first. Belgium announced a death on Wednesday, then said two more people died shortly afterwards.
Hungary reportedly declared a state of emergency, closing universities and banning large gatherings.
Washington risks leaving it too late to act – US official
Anthony Fauci, the top US official on infectious disease, urged more aggressive pre-emptive action during testimony to the House oversight committee. “If we don’t do very serious mitigation now, what’s going to happen is that we’re going to be weeks behind, and the horse is going to be out of the barn,” he said.
Fauci suggested that a vaccine could be about 18 months away during his testimony. On the same day, states of emergency were declared in Michigan and Massachusetts, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the US passed 1,000.
Brexit talks thrown into doubt
There was uncertainty surrounding the round of negotiations due to take place in London next week as Michael Gove told MPs that fresh concerns about the safety of the talks had been raised by EU officials.
Huge increase in Iranian cases
Iran announced a record increase in cases to 9,000 as the country’s death toll from the virus increased to 354. Friday prayers have been cancelled for the third week in a row.
Turkey confirmed its first case and, in Europe, Spain confirmed 2,002 cases and 47 deaths, and Greece said it had seen 99 cases. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, warned that up to 70% of Germany’s population could be infected if measures are not found to slow the outbreak.
