The global death toll from the coronavirus outbreak exceeded 3,000 on Monday as South Korea reported almost 500 new cases of the disease and a second person died in the US.
Covid-19 has now infected more than 88,000 people and spread to more than 60 countries after first emerging in China late last year. Indonesia, which has so far claimed to be virus-free, registered its first two cases on Monday.
More than two months on, most cases and deaths are still confined to China, whose health commission reported 202 new infections on Monday – the lowest daily rise since late January – and 42 new deaths. Hubei province, where the outbreak has been concentrated, recorded 196 of the 202 new cases and all of the new deaths.
The death toll in China rose to 2,912, but it is also creeping up in other countries. Iran raised its official death toll to 66 – the highest outside China – amid 1,501 confirmed cases. Australia reported its first Covid-19 death over the weekend.
Infections nearly doubled over the weekend in Italy – Europe’s hardest-hit country with nearly 1,700 cases. All members of the local government of Lombardy region, the area worst hit by the outbreak in northern Italy, will undergo tests after a councillor tested positive for the illness, a statement said on Monday.
Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal, Iceland and Andorra all confirmed their first cases, while in Germany the number of confirmed cases rose to 150 and in France the Louvre museum in Paris shut its doors to art lovers and tourists for a second day.
Cases in the US rose to at least 76 with two deaths, both in Washington state. The second victim was a man in his 70s who died on Saturday in a nursing home where several other people are infected, local health authorities said.
New York state confirmed its first positive coronavirus test, governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday night, tweeting that a woman in her 30s contracted the respiratory illness during a recent trip to Iran and was in quarantine in her home. He did not say where the woman lived, but the New York Times, citing unnamed state officials, said her home was in New York City.
The US vice president, Mike Pence, attempted to quell criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the outbreak, promising to make up the shortfall in testing kits. “We could have more sad news, but the American people should know the risk to the average American remains low,” Pence told CNN.
South Korea, which has the highest number of infections outside China, reported 599 new cases on Monday, bringing its total to 4,335. Four more people died, bringing the country’s total to 26.
The number of South Korean cases is expected to rise as more than 260,000 people associated with a religious sect undergo testing. More than half of the infections in South Korea have been linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the south-eastern city of Daegu.
Its founder Lee Man-hee apologised and called the epidemic a “great calamity” on Monday. In a news conference outside a church facility in Gapyeong, north-east of Seoul, he said: “We did our best but were not able to stop the spread of the virus.
“I’m really grateful, but at the same time asking forgiveness. I never thought this would happen, even in my dreams,” he told reporters, bowing low twice in a traditional sign of humility and regret.
Several protesters shouted slurs at the reclusive leader, who spoke a day after the Seoul city government asked prosecutors to begin a murder investigation into him.
Tensions simmered ahead of the briefing outside the fortress-like venue, dubbed the Palace of Peace, which was guarded by hundreds of police officers.
The church had initially sought to hold the event inside the compound, known as a training institute for its members, but local authorities rejected the plan citing virus concerns.
In Iran, a member of a council that advises the supreme leader died on Monday after falling sick from the virus, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness. Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi died at a north Tehran hospital of the virus, state radio said. He was 71.
Experts worry Iran’s percentage of deaths to infections, around 5.5%, is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections in Iran may be much higher than current figures show.
Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei, himself addressing journalists by teleconference over concerns about the virus, acknowledged the challenges remaining for the Islamic Republic. “We will have two difficult weeks ahead,” he said.
Trying to stem the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Iran also on Monday held an online-only briefing by its foreign ministry. China as well has held similar teleconference briefings.
Markets welcomed signs that the world’s biggest central banks were moving towards coordinated policy action, with Asian shares steadying after early losses on Monday. The rout had deepened earlier in the day with new figures showing Chinese manufacturing activity collapsed in February, raising fears of a global recession from the coronavirus.
Concern over a possible Covid-19 pandemic wiped more than $5 trillion from global share values last week, as stocks recorded their steepest slump in more than a decade.
The virus outbreak has heightened fears of recession in Japan – the world’s third-biggest economy – due to disruption to supply chains, a sharp drop in the number of overseas tourists and sports and event cancellations.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report