BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in a battle against COVID-19, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 200 countries and regions.
The following are the updates on the contagious disease.
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LONDON -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 29,474 as of Wednesday morning, an increase of 4,324 in 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
As of Tuesday afternoon, of those hospitalised in the country who tested positive for novel coronavirus, 2,352 have died, up 563 over the same time on the previous day, the latest figures from the department showed.
Prince Charles, who has come out of self-isolation after being diagnosed with COVID-19, delivered a message to the public through recorded video posted on social media.
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TOKYO -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said that 2,362 people have been infected with the COVID-19 virus in Japan as of 6:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, with 66 new cases recorded in Tokyo, adding to pressure on the government to take further measures to curb the domestic spread of the virus.
The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 78, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.
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MADRID -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain rose by 7,719 to 102,136 on Wednesday, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services.
The ministry also reported that the number of deaths rose to 9,053, up 864 in the past 24 hours. This is the highest death toll for a single day so far witnessed during the pandemic, beating Tuesday's record of 849.
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TEHRAN -- Iran on Wednesday reported 2,987 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of cases to 47,593 in the country, according to the health ministry.
Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, reported 138 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, and the death toll of the virus in the country hit 3,036.
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HANOI -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decree on Wednesday to declare COVID-19 a nationwide epidemic in Vietnam, according to the government website.
The COVID-19 is spreading nationwide as it was classified as a Class A contagious disease, and defined as a group of "extremely dangerous infectious diseases that can transmit very rapidly and spread widely with high mortality rates", according to the prime minister.
