The United States on Thursday took the grim title of the country with the most coronavirus infections and reported a record surge in unemployment as world leaders vowed $ 5 trillion to stave off global economic collapse .
More than 500 ,000 people around the world have now contracted the new coronavirus , overwhelming healthcare systems even in wealthy nations and triggering an avalanche of government -ordered lockdowns that have disrupted life for billions .
In the United States , more than 83 ,000 people have tested positive for COVID – 19 , edging out Italy , which has reported the most deaths, and China , where the virus was first detected in December in the metropolis of Wuhan.
Surrounded by members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force , US President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference on COVID – 19 , known as the coronavirus , in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington , DC. Photo : AFP
The US has recorded 1 ,178 deaths, while the global death toll stood at 23 , 293 .
With about 40 percent of Americans under lockdown orders, Trump urged citizens to do their part by practicing social distancing : “ Stay home. Just relax , stay home. ”
– Record one-day toll in France –
Alarmed by the rapid spread of the sickness in Italy , France has taken aggressive action to stem the virus and went under lockdown on March 17 .
But the 365 deaths reported Thursday was its highest in a one -day period and, alarmingly, included a 16 – year -old girl — a rare case of a young person succumbing to a virus that has devastated the elderly.
