Since its onset in late 2019, the coronavirus epidemic has spread to around 30 countries, infected tens of thousands of people and claimed thousands of lives. While Europe counts its first deaths, Europe 1 takes stock of the spread of this respiratory infection country by country.

The Covid-19 is growing. While the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the "window" to stop the epidemic of the new coronavirus "is narrowing", the latter now affects around thirty countries and territories around the world . Europe 1 takes stock this Sunday, country by country, of the evolution of a situation facing which it is not yet "too late" to act, according to Yazdan Yazdanpanah, infectiologist at the Parisian hospital Bichat.

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Asia pays the heaviest tribe

Cradle of the epidemic, mainland China , and more particularly the city of Wuhan and its region of Hubei, is the country most affected by the coronavirus. At least 77,000 people were infected, and 2,442 patients died according to the latest report available this Sunday, February 23. Now worse than the epidemic of Sras, of which China already had the epicenter, Xi Jinping declared that the coronavirus constitutes "the most serious health emergency" to strike his country since the foundation of the communist regime in 1949. In addition, two deaths have been reported in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory of Hong Kong where at least 69 cases have been recorded. And ten cases have been reported in Macau .

The coronavirus also spread to South Korea , infecting 602 people and killing five patients. The number of cases has jumped in recent days, especially in the city of Daegu, to the southeast, where hundreds of followers of a Christian sect have been infected. The new cases also include 18 people who have returned from a pilgrimage to Israel.

For its part, Japan has more than 130 cases and four deaths, including three from the liner Diamond Princess who died in hospital. More than 630 people contracted the coronavirus on board the ship, which was quarantined in early February. Hundreds of passengers were allowed to disembark this week after negative tests. Japan acknowledged that some 20 had been able to leave the liner without passing all the required checks. In the region, many countries record dozens of cases, such as Taiwan (26), Malaysia (22), Singapore (85), Thailand (35), and even Vietnam (16). Note that Australia has also counted 17 infections, including two evacuated from the Diamond Princess.

Iran is the hardest hit country in the Middle East

Less publicized, the countries of the Middle East are beautiful and well affected by the Covid-19. Iran is the country with the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus outside of China, with 8 victims and 43 cases. A situation which pushed Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan to close their borders with Tehran, and to prohibit the trips from or to Iran, Sunday. In addition to these decisions, Jordan has declared a ban on entry to its territory for anyone from China, Iran and South Korea, except its own nationals. For their part, Israel and Lebanon have both announced a confirmed case of coronavirus. In addition, on the African continent, only Egypt is affected, with an infected patient.

The situation in Europe is changing rapidly

While a third plane from Wuhan arrived on Friday repatriating 28 of its nationals, France is relatively unaffected by the coronavirus. Twelve cases have been formally identified so far, although the first death outside Asia was recorded in Paris, on February 15.

The situation has however deteriorated very quickly in recent days in Italy . The virus was introduced in Lombardy, before infecting more than 130 people and killing two, the first Europeans. Faced with this lightning spread, the Italian government adopted a legislative decree Friday evening in the Council of Ministers which isolates a dozen cities in Lombardy around Codogno, 60 kilometers from Milan. Some 50,000 residents are now banned from leaving hotbeds, while authorities have ended the Venice carnival.

On the rest of the continent, Germany counts 16 cases, the United Kingdom 9, and Russia 5, while Belgium , Spain, Finland and Sweden oscillate between one and two contaminations. On the other side of the Atlantic, only Canada (8 cases) and the United States (35 cases, including 18 from the Diamond Princess) seem to be affected for the moment.

A real-time map to see the evolution of the coronavirus

Developed by researchers at the Johns-Hopkins University in the United States, a map lists all the confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world, as well as those suspected, in real time. But it is also accompanied by several counters which provide information on the number of victims ... and people healed.