With 4,07,485 people tested positive and 18,227 deaths, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has been wreaking havoc across the world. The figures from Johns Hopkins University website at around 11:40 PM (IST) on Tuesday (March 24, 2020) show that new cases have risen by 40,028 in just 24 hours and the coronavirus infection has gone from the 3-lakh mark to over 4 lakh in just about three days.
The death toll has risen by 2,114 in the last 24 hours with Italy being the worst-hit country with 6,820 deaths. China, which seems to have brought the pandemic under control, has seen 3,281 deaths but the maximum number of cases at 81,591. Spain is another European country which has seen a big jump in the number of positive cases (39,676) and fatalities (2,800) while the United States of America is also hit hard. The US (49,768 positive and 606 dead) is now third on the list with maximum cases after China and Italy.
India, the second-most populous country in the world after China, has witnessed 536 cases till 08:00 PM (IST) on March 24 as per the data recorded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). But the country has also seen 10 deaths due to coronavirus.
Most countries across the globe have gone into a complete lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announcing a 21-day complete lockdown just like a curfew to tackle the pandemic which has sent the world economy into a tailspin.
Economic activities in several countries in Asia, Europe and North America have slowed down, signalling a spell of recession as the medical fraternity tries to find a cure and vaccine to the mysterious virus which originated in China in late 2019 and in a few weeks spread across the world.
