Italy reports 6 dead, 229 infected as Europe braces for COVID-19

…. Italian health officials reported Monday that there are 229 people infected nationwide, with six deaths.

There are 101 people in the hospital, and 27 are in intensive care.

The hard-hit northern region of Lombardy reported 172 cases. Five of the deaths are in the Lombardy region……

At least 10 towns in northern Italy, with a population of around 50,000, were locked down Sunday to help stop the spread of the virus.


Iran Denies Cover-Up After Lawmaker Contradicts Official Coronavirus Figures, Says 50 Dead

Take you pick of the numbers from the another country whose rulers are known for lying through their teeth

A member of Iran’s parliament announced on Monday that 50 people had died from the new coronavirus in the city of Qom and accused Iran’s Health Ministry of covering up the true extent of the outbreak in the country. The Health Ministry claims just 12 people have died in Iran from COVID-19, with 66 people sick from the disease. The official numbers in Iran were up from a total of 8 deaths and 43 illnesses reported on Sunday.

Ahmad Amirabadi Farhani, who represents Qom, a city roughly 120 kilometres south of Tehran, told Iran’s semiofficial news outlet ILNA that he believes the death count in his city was far higher than what the Iranian government was saying.

“Up until last night, around 50 people died from coronavirus. The health minister is to blame,” Amirabadi Farhani said on Monday, according to an English translation by Middle East news network Al Arabiya, adding that he believes 10 people are dying per day.


S.Korea reports 161 new cases of coronavirus, brings total to 763

SEOUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) – South Korea reported 161 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected patients in the country to 763, health authorities said on Monday, a day after the government raised its infectious disease alert to its highest level.
Of the new cases, 115 were linked to a church in the southeastern city of Daegu after a 61-year-old woman known as “Patient 31” who attended services there tested positive, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

KCDC also reported the seventh death from the virus, a 62-year-old man from a hospital in Cheongdo, a county that saw surges in confirmed cases along with nearby Daegu in recent weeks.

Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the new outbreak, with Patient 31 having no recent record of overseas travel.