Europe is on high alert amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, including a third death in Italy. Iran reports a dramatic increase, while France ramps up hospital capacities and testing to prepare.
As reported by the South China Morning Post on February 24, 2020, China recorded 78,979 cases and 2,467 deaths, with over 23,000 recoveries. A Chinese study indicates 80.9% of patients have mild symptoms, 13.8% severe cases, and 4.7% critical. The mainland death rate stands at 3.07%.
President Xi Jinping described this as China's most severe public health emergency since 1949, noting its rapid spread and challenges in containment—the toughest since the founding of the People's Republic. He emphasized learning from these shortcomings to handle future crises effectively.
On February 23, 52,000 residents in 11 northern Italian towns entered a "semi-lockdown," restricting movement and closing schools, supermarkets, and bars. Events like the Venice Carnival were canceled. By evening, Le Monde confirmed a third death amid over 150 cases.
Iran's cases exploded from 28 on February 22 to 43 with 8 deaths by February 24, per L'Obs. Tehran's mayor warned of a full quarantine for its 8 million residents if trends continue. Neighbors including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Iraq have sealed borders.
South Korea reported 169 new cases, totaling 602. Of these, 95 link to the Shincheonji Church in Daegu, source of the outbreak. Nationwide, 300 cases tie to the group, with 9,300 members quarantined and 1,240 showing symptoms.
Health Minister Olivier Véran, as detailed in Le Parisien, addressed the spike in neighboring Italy. Hospital beds for coronavirus patients rose from 38 to 70 starting February 24, with testing capacity tripled.
The government ordered tens of millions of FFP2 masks—professional-grade for close contact with infected patients, effective for three hours—not standard surgical masks.
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