Milan, March 13: The highest one-day death toll was recorded by coronavirus-hit Italy, as 250 COVID-19 positive patients succumbed to death in the nation on Friday. With the fresh fatalities, the overall death toll in Italy climbed to 1,266. The nation is reeling with  17,660 infections overall, a rise of 2,547 since Thursday evening. Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Says He Tested Negative For Novel Coronavirus, Trashes Media Reports of Him Being COVID-19 Positive.

The exponential rise in coronavirus cases in Italy comes amid a reduction in newer cases and sharp decline in number of deaths being reported from the virus epicentre China. The change in the area now worst impacted by coronavirus compelled the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare Europe as the "new epicentre" of coronavirus outbreak. Coronavirus Outbreak in Italy: SIAARTI Guidelines Say Those Too Old or With Low Chances of Recovery 'Must be Left to Die', Cites Crunch in Medical Resources.

"Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a virtual press conference on Friday. "More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic," he added.

The novel coronavirus, which first broke out in China's central Hubei province in mid-December last year, has now infected over 134,000 persons across the world. The death toll has climbed to 5,064, with fatalities being reported at every hour across the globe.

Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO's emerging diseases unit, said it was not possible to predict how the pandemic will develop. "It's impossible for us to say when this will peak globally. We hope that it is sooner rather than later."

Their comments came as countries in Europe and around the world put in place dramatic measures to halt the spread of the virus, including closing schools and tightening borders.

With coronavirus now wreaking havoc in Europe, countries located in other continents are barring their nationals from visiting the continent. Apart from Italy, neighbouring Germany is also feared to be standing at the verge of a major cluster breakout of coronavirus. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said it is feared that upto 70 percent of Germans could be infected.

(With AFP inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 13, 2020 11:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).