WHO announces daily record in new global coronavirus cases

The World Health Organisation has announced a record in new daily coronavirus cases confirmed worldwide.

More than 350,000 new infections were reported to the UN health agency on Friday. The new daily number surpasses a record set earlier this week by nearly 12,000 infections. That tally includes more than 109,000 cases from just Europe alone.

In a press briefing on Friday, WHO emergencies chief Dr Michael Ryan acknowledged that even as COVID-19 continues to surge across the world, “there are no new answers.” He said that although the agency wants countries to avoid the punishing lockdowns that have devastated economies, governments must ensure the most vulnerable people are protected and numerous measures must be taken.

“The majority of people in the world are still susceptible to this disease,” Ryan warned. He said countries should focus not just on restrictive measures, but also on bolstering their surveillance systems, testing, contact tracing and ensuring populations are engaged.

As the virus continues to surge across Europe and elsewhere, Ryan acknowledged that restrictive measures might be warranted at some point. British scientists reported this week that the COVID-19 outbreak is doubling every few weeks, French hospitals are running out of ICU beds, Germany may enlist the army to help contain its outbreak and Spain declared a state of emergency in Madrid as coronavirus cases soar.

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