Coronavirus update: 15,113 confirmed cases in Italy, death toll jumps to 1,016

The total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Italy has risen to 15,113 from 12,462 on Wednesday, Italy's Civil Protection Agency announced on Thursday. The death toll in the same period has increased by 23% to 1,016.

Meanwhile, the British government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said that they have raised the coronavirus risk level to "high." 

"There are currently about 590 cases identified in the UK and there are more than 20 patients on intensive care units," said Vallance, per Reuters. "If you calculate what that really means in terms of the total number, it is much more likely that you have somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people infected at the moment."

Elsewhere, after the NBA, the US' National Hockey League (NHL) has suspended the 2019-2020 season. 

Flight to safety

Risk-aversion continues to dominate the financial markets on Thursday. As of writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 7% on the day while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite were erasing 6.2% and 5.45%, respectively.