There have now been at least 2,001,204 reported infections in 193 countries and territories since the virus emerged in China in December, official statistics show.
Of those, more than 126,898 people have died worldwide.
– Officials in the Japanese city Osaka have issued an urgent appeal for residents to donate plastic raincoats to hospitals due to a chronic shortage of protective clothing for medical staff, reports Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo.
The request came amid reports that some doctors in Osaka hospitals were resorting to wearing plastic bin bags to protect themselves while treating coronavirus patients.
Issuing an appeal for raincoats, Ichiro Matsui, mayor of Osaka, said: “If doctors get infected, we can never beat coronavirus. We’re totally short of [protective gear], so we’d like [people] to offer as much [gear] as they have.”
Osaka, the third biggest city in Japan, was one of seven regions across the country included in a state of emergency imposed by Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, on Tuesday last week.
The number of coronavirus cases in Japan is continuing to rise steeply, with 8,200 confirmed infections and 166 deaths. Osaka has emerged as the second hardest-hit area after Tokyo, with nearly 900 cases reported in the region, according to local media.
