COVID-19 outbreak on February 26: Italy skyrocketed to 322 cases, with 11 deaths

Italy's European neighbors pledged to keep their borders open despite the new strain of corona virus spreading south of Italy into Tuscany and Sicily and the number of COVID-19 infections soared to more than 300 people.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has blamed the poor management of a hospital in the north of the country for the rapid spread of acute respiratory infections caused by the new strain of corona virus (COVID-19). By the end of February 25, according to the AFP news agency, in Italy there were 11 deaths and 322 infections, the largest number of people infected in Europe.

All patients who died from COVID-19 in Italy were either elderly or with a history of illness.

However, while the number of infections in Italy continues to increase, the health ministers of neighboring countries with Italy, meeting in the city of Rome (Italy) with the EU health commissioner, say that the border closes. Gender is a "disproportionate and ineffective" measure.

"We are talking about a virus that does not care about the border," said Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn, also present at the meeting in Rome, said the ministers were seriously assessing the problem.

"The corona virus came to Europe for the first time in a situation where we don't fully understand how it was infected and there is no direct link to China. This means we have a new situation we need. I have said that the situation may get worse before it gets better and I keep this point, "said Minister Spahn.

The Tuscany region reported the first two cases, including a tour guide, while three occurred in Sicily, including a couple from Lombardy which was the worst affected region with 240 corona virus positive person.

The 11th death in Italy is a 76-year-old woman from the Veneto region, reported on the evening of February 25.

There have been 12 European countries recorded with COVID-19 infections

Today and yesterday (February 25), several more European countries announced the first cases of COVID-19 infections, including: Spain, Croatia, Austria, and Switzerland.

Spain quarantined hundreds of tourists at a hotel on the Canary Islands because an Italian tourist was hospitalized on suspicion of corona virus infection. The country has recorded 3 cases.

Croatia confirmed its first case of viral infection in the Balkans after a young man had just returned from Italy and was positive for the corona virus.

Austria, bordering Italy, also confirmed the first two cases on 25-2 in the province of Tyrol.

Switzerland also confirmed its first COVID-19 infection, forcing the country's food company Nestle to postpone its business until March 15.

France announced two new cases and Germany also reported a new case of COVID-19.

Thus, as of 6:30 am on February 26 (Vietnam time), 12 European countries had recorded cases of COVID-19 infection, including: Italy (322), Germany (18), UK (13) , France (14), Russia (2), Spain (3), Austria (2), Belgium (1), Finland (1), Croatia (1), Sweden (1), and Switzerland (1) ).

El Salvador prohibits visitors from Italy and Korea

President El Salvador said on February 25 that the country would ban entry of foreign nationals from Italy and Korea to prevent the spread of corona virus.

According to Reuters, El Salvador citizens and diplomats returning from the two countries will be subject to 30-day quarantine. So far, El Salvador has not had any cases of COVID-19 infection.

Algeria has its first case of COVID-19 infection

The Algerian Ministry of Health on February 25 reported the first case of COVID-19 in the country was a man from Italy on February 17 and has been quarantined.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune also informed on Twitter that he had asked health officials to increase vigilance about the epidemic to the maximum extent. He urged all Algerians to be careful about the information they were sharing.

The CDC warns people to be ready for the COVID-19 epidemic

On the same day, one of the top officials of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that there would be more new infections in the country. "We expect more viral infections in the community in this country," said Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Respiratory Immunology and Diseases.

"Now is no longer a question of whether infection will occur any more, but a more accurate question should be how many people in the country will get sick," added Messonier.

The CDC also announced on Twitter on February 25, calling on the American people to be ready to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic. "Now is the time for US businesses, hospitals and communities to begin preparing for the possible infection of COVID-19" - CDC Twitter said.

In a related development, according to CNN, the mayor of San Francisco London Breed declared a national emergency in the city amid fears of the spread of COVID-19. Mayor Breed issued this statement at noon 25-2 (US time) although the city has not had any cases because San Francisco needs to be prepared in the situation of the virus spreading in the area.

Up to 7:15 am on February 26 (Vietnam time), there were more than 80,400 cases in the world with "hot spots" concentrated in the Middle East, Europe, and Northeast Asia (Korea and Japan). ).

Source: tuoitre.vn