Here’s the latest news on the outbreak
Deaths from COVID-19 in Italy have exceeded those reported in China, after 473 people died in the past 24 hours. The coronavirus has so far killed 3,405 people in Italy, according to official statistics from 19 March. In China, 3,242 people have died of the disease since the outbreak began in December, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has doubled in less than two weeks, to more than 200,000. On 19 March, seven countries confirmed their first coronavirus cases, including Zambia, Gambia, Mauritius, and Kyrgyzstan, according to WHO.
19 March 20:00 GMT — Coronavirus hospitalisations occur at any age, says US CDC. COVID-19 can be severe enough to require hospitalisation in adults of any age, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
That statistic is roughly consistent with numbers released by the Italian Higher Institute of Health, which reported on 15 March that 24% of cases in the country occurred in adults aged 19–50. These data do not include age-group breakdowns of severe cases, only fatalities. Italy surpassed China in the number of total COVID-19 deaths on 19 March.
No data were collected regarding underlying conditions that have been shown to make people more susceptible to the disease, so it is unclear whether the young adults being hospitalised are those who are more vulnerable. Still, the report stresses, severe illness “can occur in adults of any age”.
