People have their temperature checked and their hands disinfected as they enter the Palladium Shopping Center, in northern Tehran, Iran
(
AP
)
More than 90,000 people have been infected with the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus, the chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed as nations turn to increasingly drastic measures to halt the spread of the virus.
The coronavirus, which has continued its spread into more than 70 countries after emerging in China in December, has led to the deaths of 3.4 per cent of those confirmed to have contracted it – according to the WHO’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
However, while warning the virus was deadlier than the flu, which carries a fatality rate of less than 1 per cent, he told reporters in Geneva he believed the virus could still be contained.
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“To summarise, Covid-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics, and it can be contained”, he said.
In response the world’s worst afflicted regions have begun to consider even more drastic measures to contain the virus – with officials in Iran temporarily freeing prisoners with sentences shorter than five years and considering the deployment of 300,000 militia members on a door-to-door sanitisation mission.
Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears
Show all 16
Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears
1/16
Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
2/16
Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
3/16
A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
4/16
A gondolier on the Grand Canal as the sun sets in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
5/16
A local pulls a trolley as she leaves a street food market in Venice, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. A U.S. government advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to Italy due to the spread of a new virus is the "final blow" to the nation's tourism industry, the head of Italy's hotel federation said Saturday. Venice, which was nearing recovery in the Carnival season following a tourist lull after record flooding in November, saw bookings drop immediately after regional officials canceled the final two days of celebrations this week, unprecedented in modern times.
AP
6/16
Locals wait for a mass at the barely empty San Salvador church in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. A coughing Pope Francis told Italy, pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season.
AP
7/16
Tourists wearing protective masks take photographs in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000.
AP
8/16
Tourists wearing protective masks look at their smartphones as they have a break at the St. Mark's square in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000.
AP
9/16
A couple stand at the Rialto bridge during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000.
AP
10/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
11/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
Reuters
12/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
13/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
14/16
An empty water bus after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
15/16
Tourists shelter against the rain with umbrellas as they walk in the empty St. Mark's Square during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
AP
16/16
Gondolas are parked on a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
AP
1/16
Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
2/16
Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
3/16
A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
4/16
A gondolier on the Grand Canal as the sun sets in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession.
AP
5/16
A local pulls a trolley as she leaves a street food market in Venice, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. A U.S. government advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to Italy due to the spread of a new virus is the "final blow" to the nation's tourism industry, the head of Italy's hotel federation said Saturday. Venice, which was nearing recovery in the Carnival season following a tourist lull after record flooding in November, saw bookings drop immediately after regional officials canceled the final two days of celebrations this week, unprecedented in modern times.
AP
6/16
Locals wait for a mass at the barely empty San Salvador church in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. A coughing Pope Francis told Italy, pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season.
AP
7/16
Tourists wearing protective masks take photographs in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000.
AP
8/16
Tourists wearing protective masks look at their smartphones as they have a break at the St. Mark's square in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000.
AP
9/16
A couple stand at the Rialto bridge during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000.
AP
10/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
11/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
Reuters
12/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
13/16
An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
14/16
An empty water bus after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020.
REUTERS
15/16
Tourists shelter against the rain with umbrellas as they walk in the empty St. Mark's Square during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
AP
16/16
Gondolas are parked on a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
AP
Iran has repeatedly been criticised for its response to the virus amid accusations it has not fully revealed the number of people afflicted within its borders.
So far the nation has announced 2,336 confirmed cases and 77 deaths – although the real figure is suspected to be far higher. Cases have been linked back to Afghanistan, Canada, Lebanon, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates
The illness has also managed to spread across the upper echelons of Iranian society. Among the infected are a number of senior officials including a vice president, the deputy health minister, the head of the emergency medical services, and 23 members of its 290-strong parliament.
Meanwhile 71-year-old Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s octogenarian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, is confirmed to have died after contracting the virus.
In South Korea, the worst affected nation outside of China, president Moon Jae In said the “entire country has entered a war” against the virus as cases rose by 600 to nearly 5,000.
Calling the outbreak “a grave situation”, Mr Moon added his government would inject 30 trillion South Korean won (£19bn) to fund clinics and aid small businesses.
Meanwhile in Italy, officials have considered increasing the scale of its quarantine as the outbreak in the north of the country saw the death toll more than double in the space of two days from 34 to 79.
The Italian government set up two red-zones on 22 February - one centred on 10 towns in the region of Lombardy, southeast of the country’s financial capital Milan, and another, smaller one in the neighbouring region of Veneto.
Since then, a growing number of cases have emerged near Bergamo, northeast of Milan – with health chief Silvio Brusaferro confirming the government were considering the introduction of a quarantine in the city.
The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea
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The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea
1/11
Visitors with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus, inside of a car, bottom right, get virus test by members of medical team as others queue in their cars at a "drive-through" test facility at Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AP
2/11
Workers move equipment into containers set up as a makeshift medical facility to accommodate COVID-19 patients at a hospital's grounds in Daegu, South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020
AP
3/11
People wait in line to buy face masks in front of a store at Dongseongro shopping district in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
4/11
Medical workers wearing protective gears comfort each other outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on 28 February 2020
REUTERS
5/11
Medical staff in protective gears arrive for a duty shift at Dongsan Hospital in Daegu South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020
AP
6/11
A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
7/11
A man wears a mask and goggles as he waits in line to buy face masks from a post office near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty
8/11
South Korean medical workers wearing protective gear visit a residence of people with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus to take samples, near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
9/11
A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
10/11
A South Korean army vehicle sprays disinfectant on a road to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea on Thursday 27 February 2020.
AP
11/11
Troops set up makeshift partitions and beds at the Armed Forces Hospital in Daegu South Korea 28 February 2020
EPA
1/11
Visitors with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus, inside of a car, bottom right, get virus test by members of medical team as others queue in their cars at a "drive-through" test facility at Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AP
2/11
Workers move equipment into containers set up as a makeshift medical facility to accommodate COVID-19 patients at a hospital's grounds in Daegu, South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020
AP
3/11
People wait in line to buy face masks in front of a store at Dongseongro shopping district in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
4/11
Medical workers wearing protective gears comfort each other outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on 28 February 2020
REUTERS
5/11
Medical staff in protective gears arrive for a duty shift at Dongsan Hospital in Daegu South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020
AP
6/11
A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
7/11
A man wears a mask and goggles as he waits in line to buy face masks from a post office near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty
8/11
South Korean medical workers wearing protective gear visit a residence of people with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus to take samples, near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
9/11
A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020
AFP via Getty Images
10/11
A South Korean army vehicle sprays disinfectant on a road to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea on Thursday 27 February 2020.
AP
11/11
Troops set up makeshift partitions and beds at the Armed Forces Hospital in Daegu South Korea 28 February 2020
EPA
The three nations most severely affected outside of China, Iran, Italy and South Korea have been the subject of increasing restrictions from other countries including Shanghai, who have begun quarantining anyone entering the city from virus-stricken nations for 14 days.
In the US, Donald Trump has said his administration may cut off travel to areas with high rates of coronavirus, but said officials were not considering any restrictions on domestic travel.
So far Washington State has announced 27 cases of the virus, nine of which have proved fatal – an increase of three in the space of 24 hours.
In congress politicians came close to an agreement on a spending package with as much as $9bn of funding to tackle the virus – however Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said a dispute over the cost of a potential future vaccine held up a deal.
Democrats are understood to be insisting that the spending bill contain language stating that any coronavirus vaccine be priced at a “fair and reasonable” level. Democrats also want the government to help pay for vaccines to help those who might not be able to afford them.
Leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate hoped to resolve the dispute and approve the emergency legislation by the end of this week.
“I am hearing personally from people across our state who are frustrated. They have been exposed. They are sick. They want to get tested. They have nowhere to go,” said Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington state.
“This is truly a serious crisis and we cannot respond on the cheap or at the last minute.”
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