Coronavirus Global Death Toll Surpasses 3,000

The death toll from COVID-19 continues to surge worldwide as China, Iran, and the United States grapple with new coronavirus-related deaths in recent days. On Monday, six coronavirus patients died in Washington alone, raising the global death toll to at least 3,000.

The novel coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, China in early January. Since then, the virus has spread to more than 60 countries and infected more than 89,000 people worldwide. In February, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global health emergency, with fears of a pandemic on the rise.

As of this writing, China, Iran, Europe, and the U.S. are already on high alert as the number of coronavirus cases in these regions continues to skyrocket. Over the weekend, two dozen new cases and two deaths were reported in Washington, raising the number of cases in the country to at least 100. This unexpected surge of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. has led to new travel restrictions, school closures, and emergency declarations.

Since the outbreak reached the country, four deaths have already been reported in Kirkland, where residents at the Life Care Center nursing care facility are being closely monitored for symptoms of the coronavirus. “Current residents and associates continue to be monitored closely, specifically for an elevated temperature, cough, and shortness of breath,” said the officials of the facility in a statement on Monday.

“Any resident displaying these symptoms is placed in isolation. Associates are screened prior to beginning work and upon leaving,” the officials added.

The increase in coronavirus cases in Europe in recent days has also prompted a raised alert. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had to raise its risk assessment for Europeans from “moderate” to “high” on Monday after the number of cases in Italy had doubled in just 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Hubei province in China also reported 42 deaths on Monday, raising the death toll in the coronavirus epicenter to 2,912. However, the W.H.O. noted that infections now seem to rise faster abroad than in China due to the country’s drastic measures in containing the disease. In South Korea, for instance, 500 new cases were reported on Monday alone, making the total cases in the country at least 4,000.