Asia coronavirus cases hit 250,000 but pace much slower than US, Europe

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Coronavirus cases in Asia rose to a quarter of a million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, driven by outbreaks in Singapore, Pakistan and India, even as China, South Korea and Japan significantly slowed the spread of the disease. The region where the pandemic started has fared better overall than North America and Europe since the first case was reported in Wuhan, China on Jan. 10. It has taken Asia almost four months to reach the 250,000 infection milestone, a level that Spain alone is approaching just a little over two months since reporting its first case. At 250,650, Asia now accounts for just 7% of global cases, compared with 40% for Europe and 34% for North America, although experts worry that unreported infections are masking the true extent of the pandemic. Infection may cause only mild symptoms and not everyone with symptoms is tested, while most countries only record hospital deaths, meaning deaths in private homes and nursing homes have not yet been included. The death toll in Asia has also slowed significantly in most countries and is now nearing 10,000 for the region as a whole, representing just 4% of global deaths. Europe accounts for 57% and North America for 29%. By comparison, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and France have all recorded more than 25,000 deaths each. The United States leads the grim tally with 70,000 fatalities.