The United States has taken the grim title of the country with the most coronavirus infections, as the number of officially recorded cases around the world passed the grim milestone of half a million.
The number of infections is overwhelming healthcare systems even in wealthy nations and triggering an avalanche of government-ordered lockdowns that have disrupted life for billions.
In the US, 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.
The United States has recorded 1,178 deaths, while the global death toll stood at 23,293. "We are waging war on this virus using every financial,