Italy passed a grim milestone on Thursday when it overtook China as the country with most reported deaths from the new coronavirus sweeping the planet.

The country announced another 427 fatalities on Thursday, taking its total to 3,405, according to an AFP tally.

China, where the outbreak first emerged in December last year, has officially reported 3,245 deaths.

The world has stepped up its war to try to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19, with several countries imposing lockdowns that are keeping tens of millions of people trapped in their homes.

But the death toll has soared in Europe even as China saw a glimmer of hope with zero new domestic cases reported for the first time.