Coronavirus death toll in Spain passes 1,000 as nearly 20,000 people infected

The death toll from coronavirus in Spain has passed 1,000, according to authorities.

The official toll now stands at 1,002 as of Friday, a jump of 235 from the 767 recorded deaths on Thursday.

Nearly 20,000 people have been infected in Spain while 1,588 people recovered.

This is rise from just over 17,000 cases reported on Thursday.

It comes as globally, the death toll from Covid-19 passed 10,000 and infections exceeded 244,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

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

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

The developments came as countries impose ever-stricter border controls and lock downs to keep people at home and keep away outsiders, hoping to slow the spread of the virus while preparing for an onslaught of sick patients.

Italy, with 60 million citizens, has recorded 3,405 deaths, exceeding the 3,248 in China, a country with a population with more than 20 times larger. Italy’s caseload of 41,000 is more than half of China’s as well and more than 15% of the global total.