Coronavirus death toll in Europe crosses 20,000, Italy, Spain worst hit

Europe is now the most affected continent with 20,059 deaths from a total of 337,632 cases.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections worldwide topped 600,000 on Saturday,as new cases stacked up quickly in Europe and the United States and officials dug in for a long fight against the pandemic.

While the US leads the world in reported infections , five countries exceed its roughly 1,700 deaths: Italy, Spain, China, Iran, and France.

In India, the total number of cases climbed to 918, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry had, earlier in the day, announced that the toll had hit 19. It said that 79 people had recovered from the infection so far. 

The number of coronavirus patients in Maharashtra who died rose to six on Saturday when it was confirmed that an 85-year-old Mumbai doctor, who succumbed at a private hospital on Friday, had the infection, the health department said.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness, and lead to death.