Coronavirus cases across the globe jumped on Thursday as Japan planned to set up a special virus task force and New Zealand went under lockdown.
The U.S. Senate unanimously backed a $2 trillion bill aimed at helping unemployed workers and industries hurt by the epidemic.
Summer is unlikely to stop the spread of the virus, and every country in Europe is forecast to run out of intensive care beds by mid-April unless it acts fast.
European Union states need 10 times as much personal protective equipment and other medical devices than traditional supply chains can provide, an internal EU document showed on Wednesday.
Italy has seen more fatalities than any other country, with latest figures showing that 7,503 people have died from the infection in barely a month.
French health authorities reported 231 new deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total to 1,331.
The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK has risen to 463 as of Wednesday, while the total number of cases in the UK have risen to 9,529.
New York, experiencing more coronavirus deaths and infections than any other U.S. state, is showing tentative signs of slowing the spread of the virus.
