FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

There are more than 98,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 85 countries. China, where the virus originated, has the highest number of infected and deaths though COVID-19 has begun spreading quicker outside the Asian country, particularly in Italy.

Trending

Does the pope have coronavirus? Italy has the highest number of confirmed cases of any European country with 3,858. Of those, 351 people are in a serious condition while 414 have recovered from the virus. In total, 148 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in Italy. READ MORE: Dow suffers worst day in HISTORY over coronavirus fears

CORONAVIRUS’ latest victim could be the head of the Catholic church as the disease continues to blig

READ MORE Pope Francis: How Vatican leader came unstuck amid crushing defeat Several regions in Italy have had confirmed cases of the virus, from the north to the south of the country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that the 50,000 affected residents in the northern region of Lombardy, where 10 small towns have been locked down, could remain so for weeks. In these towns, regional authorities have ordered gathering spots, such as bars, restaurants, cinemas and discos to close while schools have also shut.

Coronavirus latest: Pope Francis has fallen ill and cancelled events in the basilica

Coronavirus latest: Pope Francis was seen coughing and blowing his nose

Pope Francis, 83, fell ill and cancelled events in the basilica last Thursday and was forced to cancel all official audiences for a second day on Friday. During an afternoon Ash Wednesday service in Rome, the pope appeared to have a cold and was blowing his nose, coughing and speaking with a hoarse voice. The pontiff had shown solidarity with coronavirus sufferers during his service when he said: “I wish, again, to express my closeness to those who are ill with coronavirus and to health-care workers who are caring for them.” Pope Francis carried out the rest of his Thursday schedule in his residence and continued to do so on Friday. DON'T MISS:

Alex Jones admits she's 'worried' her baby may get Coronavirus

Coronavirus symptoms: Can you get coronavirus twice?

Coronavirus forces £19,000-a-year Dulwich Prep School to close

READ MORE Coronavirus: Workers who throw ‘sickie’ to take day off will be caught A Vatican spokesman said last Thursday: “Because of a slight indisposition, he preferred to stay inside Santa Marta. “All other commitments will go ahead regularly.” But on March 3, the Vatican announced the Pope had undergone tests, none of which returned a positive diagnosis for coronavirus. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said: "The cold the Holy Father was diagnosed as having is taking its course without symptoms related to other pathologies."

Coronavirus latest: Catholic Churches in Britain are expected to ban wine from mass in order to stop the spread of coronavirus

On March 6, the Vatican confirmed its first case of coronavirus, days after the Pope was forced to cancel his appearances at Mass due to ill health. The Vatican said on Friday a patient in its health services had tested positive for coronavirus. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the discovery was made on Thursday and that outpatient services in Vatican clinics had been suspended to sanitise the areas. He said its emergency services will continue, adding that the Vatican had informed Italian health authorities.