As France moves to declare a state of health emergency, Italy's death toll has surpassed China's. Globally, conditions are worsening, exceeding 10,000 deaths. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Thursday that millions of lives hang in the balance.
On March 19, 2020, France's latest COVID-19 report confirmed 11,010 cases and 372 deaths. The past 24 hours saw 108 fatalities, with over 1,100 patients in intensive care. Cases are doubling every two days, according to Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon.
President Emmanuel Macron convened a new defense council. He expressed concern that many French citizens are not fully adhering to confinement measures, as parks, beaches, and markets remain crowded. The Senate has approved the state of health emergency, with parliamentary vote scheduled for Friday. Expected measures include containment potentially lasting six weeks or longer, alongside stricter enforcement. In Nice, an 8 p.m. curfew is already enforced.
Italy reports 41,035 confirmed cases and 3,405 deaths, surpassing China's fatalities despite half the cases. The day saw 427 deaths, including 300 in Lombardy. Recoveries total 4,440, but 2,498 remain in intensive care.
Spain has 18,077 cases and 833 deaths, nearing Iran's toll of 1,284. Germany's cases rose to 15,320 with 44 deaths. Switzerland faces a serious outbreak with 4,164 cases and 73 deaths.
While China and South Korea near the end, U.S. cases exploded to 14,250, nearing 200 deaths. California entered full containment on March 19. Globally, COVID-19 accounts for about 247,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths.
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