Covid expected to stoke slowest growth in 50 yrs in E Asia, Pacific, China

The coronavirus pandemic is expected to stoke the slowest growth in more than 50 years in East Asia and the Pacific as well as China, World Bank said in an economic update on Monday, stated Reuters.

The bank said the region is expected to grow by only 0.9 per cent in 2020, the lowest rate since 1967, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the global death toll of COVID-19 has crossed one million-mark, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The respiratory disease was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year. The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a 'pandemic' in March.

The total number of coronavirus cases across the world has crossed 33 million, while nearly 23 million patients have recovered, Al Jazeera reported.

The United States has reported the most deaths - more than 205,000 - followed by Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom.