Rome, March 27 (RHC)-- Italy has reported 919 deaths from coronavirus, the highest number of fatalities any country has reported in the space of 24 hours since the outbreak began late last year.  The total number of people who have died as a result of COVID-19 in Italy now stands at 9,134.

Meanwhile, the number of people infected on Friday rose to 86,498, meaning Italy has now become the second country after the United States to overtake China in terms of cases.  Further dashing hopes that Europe is containing the pandemic, Spain recorded 769 new deaths in one day, bringing the total number to 4,858.

Worldwide, more than 25,000 people have died from coronavirus, an infection which has affected more than half a million people.