The coronavirus is closer to causing a pandemic but outbreaks in countries can still be controled through a combination of containment and mitigation measures, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
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"Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, told a news conference. "But it would be the first pandemic that could be controlled. The bottom line is we are not at the mercy of the virus."
Four countries account for 93% of the nearly 110,000 cases worldwide, Tedros said. "We are encouraged that Italy is taking aggressive measures to contain its epidemic and we hope that those measures prove effective in the coming days," he added.
According to an France24 tally Monday, the number of deaths in Europe from the coronavirus has topped 500, including the latest jump in Italy from 366 to 463 deaths. The figure tallies 21 deaths in France, 16 in Spain, four in Britain, three in the Netherlands, two in Switzerland and two in Germany.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the spread of the virus "deeply concerning" and urged all countries to make containment "their highest priority".
Officials announced the record daily death toll in a statement on Friday.
They said the number could not be officially confirmed until health officials had "established the actual cause of death".
The national health institute said the average age of those who have died was 81, with the majority suffering from underlying health problems. An estimated 72% of all those who have died were men.
According to government data, 4.25% of individuals confirmed to have the coronavirus have died, the highest rate in the world.
Italy has one of the world's oldest populations.
The government this week ordered the closure of all schools for 10 days as it battles to contain the outbreak.
All professional sport, including Serie A football matches, will also be played behind closed doors for a month.
The BBC's Rome correspondent Mark Lowen tweeted that a resident in the quarantined Italian town of Codogno told him the most upsetting thing for many people there is that funerals are not being permitted for coronavirus victims because of the need to limit gatherings.
"Priests are saying a couple of prayers - and that's it," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Vatican - which reported its first case of the virus on Friday - said it was considering having the Pope deliver his Angelus address on Sunday via video, rather than from a window at the Vatican, to avoid drawing a large crowd. The Pope, who has been suffering from a cold, recently tested negative for the coronavirus, Italian media reported.
Only China, South Korea and Iran have reported more coronavirus cases than Italy.
As of Saturday, South Korea has had 7,041 cases and 46 deaths. Iran has had about 3,500 cases and 124 deaths though these figures are believed to be underestimated.
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Florida reported two deaths on Friday, taking the US death toll to 16 with more than 200 confirmed cases. The other fatalities have been in the west-coast states of California and Washington State.
In California, 21 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed on the Grand Princess cruise ship that is being held off the coast near San Francisco. The cruise liner is a sister ship of the Diamond Princess, which was the scene of a major coronavirus outbreak while moored in Japan.
US Vice President Mike Pence said the Grand Princess would be sent to a non-commercial dock over the weekend where all its 3,533 passengers and crew would be tested.
The impact of the virus on China's economy and global supply chains was made clear by new figures showing Chinese exports fell by 17.2% in January-February from the same period in 2019
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