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On Monday, March 23, Italy recorded 602 new coronavirus deaths, taking its death toll from the virus to 6,078. The number of deaths in Italy have dropped consistently for the past two days, after Saturday’s all-time high of 793 deaths. The number of new cases increased by 11%, from 59,138 to 63,928 – an increase of close to 5,000 cases. The number of recoveries have also increased from 7,024 on Sunday to 7,432 on Monday. The oldest woman to have recovered from the virus is a 95-year-old grandmother. The number of cases in the US have grown beyond 35,000 and number of deaths closer to 500, according to John Hopkins University data.

On Monday, March 23, Nigeria confirmed its first Covid-19 fatality. The Nigeria Center for Disease Control made the announcement in a tweet. The deceased was a 67-year-old man who had underlying health conditions like diabetes and multiple myeloma and was undergoing chemotherapy. He had just returned from the UK where he underwent a medical procedure. The 1st #COVID19 death in Nigeria has been recorded. The case was a 67 year old male who returned home following medical treatment in UK He had underlying medical conditions- multiple myeloma & diabetes & was undergoing chemotherapy Our thoughts are with his family pic.twitter.com/A7STOjTQeW — NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 23, 2020

Spain's Health Ministry, on Monday March 23, provided new grim statistics on the coronavirus in Spain. 462 people died on Sunday - a 26% increase on the previous tally of 1,720 deaths - taking the country's total number of deaths to 2,182. The number of cases also grew from 28,572 cases to 33,089.  There has also been a surge in intensive care patients as 2,355 persons are in intensive care - a 30% increase in number of ICU patients. Spain's deputy Prime Minister, Carmen Calvo, has been hospitalized for respiratory issues and is being tested for coronavirus. 3,310 medical professionals have already been infected with the virus in Spain.

On Sunday, March 22, Italy recorded a slightly smaller number of deaths than she recorded on Saturday. 651 new deaths were recorded on Sunday, taking Italy's death toll from the pandemic to 5,476. The average age of the dead is 78.5 years. There was a 10.4% rise in the number of confirmed cases (+5,560 cases), which took the country's total of confirmed cases to  59,138.  Italian Civil Protection Service chief Angelo Borrelli told reporters: "The figures announced today are lower than those for yesterday. "I hope and we all hope that these figures can be borne out in the coming days. But do not let your guard down." Lombardy has accounted for approximately two-thirds of Italy's coronavirus deaths since the outbreak of the virus in Italy but only accounted for 30.4% of the new infections recorded on Sunday. However, 360 out of the 651 deaths in Italy yesterday came from Lombardy. The Italian government has taken sterner measures to clamp down on t

Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mokgweetsi Masisi of Zimbabwe and Botswana respectively defied their travel bans to attend the inauguration of Namibian President, Hage Geingob. Angola had closed its air, land and sea borders during the week, while Botswana suspended international travel by all government employees. Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa had announced a national disaster even before Zimbabwe's first coronavirus case was confirmed on Friday. Botswana has the highest number of coronavirus cases in West Africa - 64 cases. The confirmed cases include its ministers of foreign affairs, mines, education, and the interior. Cameroon has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Central Africa, with 40 cases.

Spain has recorded a 30% increase in coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours with 394 new deaths. The country's official death toll is now 1,720. After Italy, Spain is the worst-hit country in Europe. The number of confirmed cases also rose by 14.6% - 3,646 new cases - to 28,572 cases. Spanish health officials have warned that the number of new cases will rise further in the coming days. 1,785 people are currently being treated in intensive care units for the virus. “We must prepare ourselves emotionally and psychologically for very hard days ahead,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the nation in a televised address late on Saturday. “We have yet to receive the impact of the strongest, most damaging wave, which will test our material and moral capacities to the limit, as well as our spirit as a society,” he added.