Coronavirus worldwide death toll exceeds 10,000

More than 245,000 people have now been infected by the virus

The worldwide coronavirus death toll has exceeded 10,000 people, according to the latest figures.

More than 245,400 people have been infected by the virus which on Friday had killed 10,000 people around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US, which is tracking cases reported by the World Health Organisation and additional sources.

Italy, with 60 million citizens, recorded 3,405 deaths overnight, exceeding the 3,248 in China - a country with a population more than 20 times larger.

The figures currently show Iran has seen the third highest number of deaths with 1,433, Spain has had 1,002, France has had 371, the US has had 217, the UK has had 137, South Korea has recorded 94 deaths, and the Netherlands has had 76.

In the United States, 40 million citizens in California have been ordered to stay at home and governor Gavin Newsome said authorities expect over half of the population - 25 million people to contract the virus.

Iran has accused the United States of helping spread the virus by retaining sanctions that prevent it importing desperately needed medicine and medical equipment.

“While the US is trying to curb the virus internally, it is helping the spread of the virus externally,” Iran’s UN mission said in a statement.

Meanwhile in China where the outbreak started in December 2019, the government has reported its second consecutive day of no new cases following months of tight restrictions on populations.

In Peru, the South American country’s leaders announced on Thursday night the entire country was going into lockdown for a month, after more than a hundred people were infected and three people died due to the disease.

The head of the World Health Organisation has reiterated his warning for Africa to implement measures to prevent the spread of the disease while their case numbers remain low.

“The best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst and prepare today,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The illness is mild in most people, but the elderly are particularly susceptible to serious symptoms.

One reason Italy’s death toll has been high is the country has the world's second-oldest population, and the vast majority of those who have died, 87 per cent, were over 70 years old.

Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a virologist at Germany's Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, offered another reason for Italy's high death rate: “That's what happens when the health system collapses,” he told the Associated Press.

A nurse stands next to a pre-triage tent in front of the A&E department of a local hospital in Cremona, near Milan. Italy's death toll has now surpassed China's (Getty)

More than 86,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, but the pace is much slower than the spread of the virus.

Recovery takes around two weeks for mild cases but can be up to six weeks for those that turn serious, according to the World Health Organisation.