ANALYSIS: Coronavirus: 'Greatest test since World War Two', says UN chief
April 1, 2020 03H:09 GMT/ZULU
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EPA
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Coronavirus awareness campaigns have been held in a number of countries around the world
by Susan Riddell and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Analysts, New York
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 850,000, with more than 41,000 deaths.
The death toll in the US is now more than 3,600 - higher than that in China, where the outbreak began late last year.
More than 181,000 people in America have been infected, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins university.
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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-19 disease.
Meanwhile, Spain, one of the worst hit countries, recorded 849 deaths in the last 24 hours - the highest number of fatalities in a single day.
In the UK, a total of 1,789 people have died on 30 March - a rise of 381, officials say. Among the victims was a 13-year-old boy, King's College Hospital Trust in London said.
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WHAT DID MR GUTERRES SAY?
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York City, Mr Guterres said: "The new coronavirus disease is attacking societies at their core, claiming lives and people's livelihoods.
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REUTERS
Image caption
António Guterres: "What the world needs now is solidarity."
"Covid-19 is the greatest test that we have faced together since the formation of the United Nations."
The UN chief called for "an immediate co-ordinated health response to suppress transmission and end the pandemic".
Media caption
US death rates v UK, Italy and South Korea
Mr Guterres urged the industrialised nations to help those less developed, or potentially "face the nightmare of the disease spreading like wildfire".
The UN report estimates that up to 25 million jobs could be lost around the world as the result of the outbreak.
It also projects an up to 40% "downward pressure" on global foreign direct investment flows.
Media caption
Why staying at home in is a matter of life and death
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 12,428, more than the 812 recorded on Monday. Moreover, the number of new infections was 2,107, which is greater than the 1,648 the day before (but down from the equivalent numbers last week)
- France has recorded 499 new hospital deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,523. This is the highest daily rise in such deaths in France since the outbreak began
- A 12-year-old girl has died in Belgium. She is thought to be the youngest Covid-19 victim in Europe. In total Belgium has lost 705 people in the outbreak
- In Russia, lawmakers have passed an "anti-virus" package of laws including up to seven years in prison for serious violations of quarantine rules
- In India, the authorities are searching for hundreds of people who attended a religious event in the capital that has set off several Covid-19 clusters
- In the Middle East, there are warnings that the outbreak is a ticking time-bomb for the unstable region
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Posted by Biodun Iginla at 6:20 PM Email This
Labels: António Guterres, bbc news, coronavirus, france, India, italy, lockdown, middle east, recession, russia, spain, Susan Riddell and Biodun Iginla, The UK, The US