Global coronavirus infections have just exceeded 303,001, as cases in the United States and Italy show no signs of slowing down.
On Friday, Italy reported 627 deaths, followed by 793 deaths on Saturday, pushing the national total to 4,825. That total is the most in the world, and accounts for 37% of deaths worldwide (out of 12,950).
The biggest wave of new infections this week was seen in Africa. According to multiple media sources, 24 nations on the continent and surrounding islands have confirmed their first infections this week, bringing Africa’s total count to 43 out of 54 nations. Egypt currently has the most reported infections on the continent, with 294 cases and 10 deaths.
As of Mar 21 at 2000 UTC, here are the hardest hit nations:
| NATION | KNOWN INFECTIONS | REPORTED DEATHS |
| 1. China | 81,304 | 3,259 |
| 2. Italy | 53,578 | 4,825 |
| 3. Spain | 25,374 | 1,375 |
| 4. United States | 24,148 | 285 |
| 5. Germany | 22,213 | 75 |
| 6. Iran | 20,610 | 1,556 |
| 7. France | 14,308 | 562 |
| 8. South Korea | 8,799 | 102 |
| 9. Switzerland | 6,575 | 75 |
| 10. United Kingdom | 234 | 234 |
In the United States, reported infections continue to climb. The US reported an additional 4,905 cases on Mar 19 and 5,133 cases on Mar 20. Deaths have also increased, with 55 reported on Mar 19 and another 51 reported on Mar 20.
On Thursday, the US State Department warned Americans not to travel abroad, or to be prepared to remain overseas for the duration of the pandemic. The Level 4 travel advisory is the highest travel warning.
“US citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel,” according to the alert. “If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe.”
