The numbers are staggering. More the 240-thousand cases of coronavirus have been recorded worldwide. And, the death toll is approaching 10-thousand.

Europe is particularly hard hit. On Thursday, Italy surpassed China for most deaths caused by the virus. Spain is also struggling as the number of deaths and new infections spike there, too. Meanwhile, European leaders are promising an all-out response.

CGTN’s Alex Fraser has this report from Milan.

I spoke with Pieter Cleppe, the Head of the Brussels office of Open Europe, about the situation in the continent.

To discuss:

• Klaus Larres is a member of the Institute for Advanced Study and a Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
• Giovanna De Maio, visiting fellow of Foreign Policy, at the Brookings Institution
• Gavin Macgregor-Skinner is an infectious diseases expert.

For more: 

The Italian army takes coffins away in Bergamo as morgues and cemeteries struggle to cope with the number of #coronavirus deaths.
Latest in Europe: https://t.co/sAASNXPTjz pic.twitter.com/qaIcXgpXSj

— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) March 19, 2020

CORONAVIRUS LATEST: https://t.co/faGQM7LVm1

— Italy's death toll surpasses China's.
— Spain is second hardest-hit nation in Europe.
— Malaria drug, recovered patients' blood are potential treatments.
— Prince Albert II of Monaco tests positive. pic.twitter.com/wnnkgvonXQ

— ABC News (@ABC) March 19, 2020