49 new coronavirus deaths reported in Italy as death toll there nears 200

The death toll from coronavirus in Italy saw a sharp spike on Friday with 49 more fatalities bringing the country’s total to near 200.

In the last two days, 90 people in Italy have died from the virus, Euro News reported, citing the country’s civil protection agency.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) reported 197 deaths in Italy as of Friday evening.

The global number of confirmed cases has risen above 100,000, according to the CSSE’s latest data.

The current confirmed total of COVID-19 related deaths is 3,460.

“Every day we can slow the epidemic is another day hospitals can prepare themselves for cases,” said World Health Organization Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “In a globalized world, the only option is to stand together. All countries should really make sure that we stand together.”

In the U.S. on Friday, President Trump signed an $8.3 billion emergency funding package to combat the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 200 people in at least 22 states.