Latest on the coronavirus: British PM Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on March 27 he had tested positive for coronavirus and was self isolating but would still lead the government's response to the outbreak.

A Downing Street spokesman said Johnson, 55, experienced mild symptoms on March 26 - a day after he answered at the prime minister's weekly question-and-answer session in parliament's House of Commons chamber.

"Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus," Johnson said. "I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via video-conference as we fight this virus."

Deaths, infections

Almost 531,500 people have been infected globally and over 24,000 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Europe

• The coronavirus death toll in Italy rose by 662 to 8,165 on March 26.
• The number of cases in Italy's northern region of Lombardy increased by some 2,500, a steeper increase than in previous days.
• Spain extended its lockdown to at least April 12, as the death toll rose to 4,089.
• German hospitals with spare capacity will take in at least 47 coronavirus patients from Italy in a sign of European solidarity.
• Another 115 people have died in the United Kingdom after testing positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 578.
• Britain has placed an emergency order of 10,000 ventilators from Dyson.
• Switzerland's infections topped 10,000 as the government pumped money into the economy and army medical units helped hospitals handle the spreading epidemic.
• President Vladimir Putin said he hoped Russia would defeat the virus in two to three months, as authorities suspended...