Europe’s coronavirus death toll passes 75,000 milestone – AFP tally

The number of fatalities due to Covid-19 in Europe rose above 75,000 on Sunday, according to a tally carried out by the AFP news agency. It is currently the continent worst hit by the pandemic.

More than 80 percent of the deaths have occurred in just four countries – Italy, Spain, France and the UK – according to statistics compiled from official sources.

The number of people infected with the virus is still climbing towards the one million mark, with the number of confirmed cases now standing at 909,673. 

Italy remains Europe's most affected country, with 19,468 deaths, followed by Spain with 16,972, France with 13,832 and the UK with 9,875.

The grim marker was reached as officials in Spain announced 619 new fatalities on Sunday. This was a significant increase on Saturday’s 510 figure, and ended three consecutive days of declining numbers in the Iberian country.

Europe remains the continent hit hardest by the pandemic, by a significant margin. On a global scale approximately 109,000 people are recorded as having died from the disease, though experts have noted that the real death toll is likely much higher than the official figures.

The epicenter of the pandemic has shifted to the US in recent weeks, as more than 530,000 people have tested positive for the virus and over 20,000 have died.

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