The number of coronavirus infections closed in on a half-million worldwide on Thursday, with both Italy and the US on track to surpass China, AP reports.
Italy has reported 6,153 new coronavirus infections, pushing the global total over half a million, based on a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Italy now has 80,539 cases, almost as many as China. Italy's Civil Protection Agency reported 662 deaths on Thursday, bringing the country's death toll to 8,165, which is the highest in the world.
Health care systems in Europe and New York buckled under the strain, with Spain's death toll climbing to more than 4,000.
