Virus deaths surge in US

Coronavirus deaths in the United States surged to their highest level in months yesterday as Italy extended state of emergency to fight the lingering pandemic.

The human toll of the disease in the US hit a magnitude not seen since mid-May with nearly 1,600 deaths recorded in 24 hours for the world's hardest-hit country, Johns Hopkins University reported.

Residents in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong were adjusting to their strictest social-distancing measures yet over fears a "large-scale" outbreak could overwhelm hospitals.

Covid-19 has claimed more than 661,000 lives and infected over 16.7 million people across the globe, according to an AFP tally of official figures, although experts believe the true infection rate could be wildly higher.

President Donald Trump's push for re-election in November has been dogged by the virus crisis that has already killed nearly 150,000 Americans and wrought havoc on the world's biggest economy.

China, which Trump has often criticised for its initial handling of the pandemic, reported a three-month high of 101 new virus cases yesterday as sporadic regional outbreaks illustrated the mammoth task of keeping contagion at bay.

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam warned the financial hub was "on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially of the elderly".

In Europe, swelling caseloads are blasting a similar hole in local hopes for a financial windfall in summer holiday hotspots.

Spain, one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, insists it is a safe destination despite dealing with 361 active outbreaks and more than 4,000 new cases.

Several countries have nonetheless imposed quarantines on people returning from Spain, including its biggest tourist market, Britain.

Italy's parliament yesterday gave the go-ahead to extend the country's state of emergency until October 15, allowing the government more flexibility to fight the pandemic.