Nearly 18,300 deaths have been recorded in Italy, 16,686 in the US - including more than 5,000 in New York city alone - and 15,447 in Spain, the university says (although its figures can vary from those issued by governments).

The true global number is likely to be higher because many countries have not included deaths outside of hospitals in their statistics.

However, it's worth noting that some experts say many of those dying with Covid-19 might have died in a short period anyway - because many victims are old, frail and have underlying health conditions.