Johnson says coronavirus spread ‘likely’ as cases rise

The country worst affected by the coronavirus in Europe is Italy where infections have jumped by fifty per cent in 24 hours and 52 people have died.

The death toll worldwide has now surpassed 3,000, with more than 89,000 infections confirmed.

Some of the latest countries to report cases include Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Latvia and Senegal.

Iran is experiencing a severe outbreak. 66 people are said to have died from Covid-19, but there are fears that the government there has not reported its true scale.

Four more have been diagnosed with coronavirus in England. The total for the UK now stands at 40.  All four of the new UK cases had travelled to Italy.