Covid-19 could cause economic loss up to $8.8 trn, 9.7% of global GDP: ADB

Nearly 300,000 people worldwide have died from complications from the virus, which has infected more than 4.3 million people

Global economic losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic could be between $5.8 trillion and $8.8 trillion this year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Friday, more than double its earlier estimates as containment measures paralyse economies.

The ADB's forecast, equal to 6.4% to 9.7% of global gross domestic product, was worse than projections in April when it said the global economy could suffer between $2.0 trillion and $4.1 trillion in losses, depending on how long containment measures were in place.

"This new analysis presents a broad picture of the very significant potential economic impact of Covid-19," said ADB Chief