People stand at a distant from each other as they wait to enter a COVID-19 testing site at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, in New York, March 26, 2020. (MARY ALTAFFER / AP)

WASHINGTON / PARIS / MILAN / LONDON / ZURICH / BRASILIA / PRETORIA / NAIROBI / CAIRO / TEGUCIGALPA / CARACAS / MEXICO CITY / OTTAWA / KINSHASA / BRUSSELS / MOSCOW / BUDAPEST / JOHANNESBURG / MOGADISHU / KAMPALA - The number of US coronavirus infections climbed above 85,000 on Thursday, surpassing the national tallies of China and Italy, as New York, New Orleans and other hot spots faced a surge in hospitalizations and looming shortages of supplies, staff and sick beds.

The country reported 85,840 as of 11:47 pm ET on Thursday (0347 GMT Friday), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The US has reported 85,840 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,296 deaths so far, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

The nationwide tally grew after over 10,000 cases were recorded in less than five hours. The state of New York has become the epicenter of the country's outbreak with nearly 40,000 cases reported. New Jersey and California have reported 6,876 and 3,802 cases, respectively, according to the center.

Total COVID-19-linked deaths in the United States reached 1,296, while at least 281 of them occurred in New York and 100 in Kings County of Washington state.

ALSO READ: WHO: US could be next 'virus epicenter'

President Donald Trump told governors Thursday in a letter that his administration will classify regions by levels of risk for COVID-19 in the next phase of response to the pandemic.

In the letter, Trump said expanded testing capabilities in the country would enable the federal government to label "high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk" counties with differentiated social distancing requirements.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state's hospitals will be overwhelmed under almost any realistic scenario in the coronavirus, as the hardest hit state in the US reported an additional 100 deaths between Wednesday and Thursday.

Scarcities of protective masks, gloves, gowns and eyewear for doctors and nurses have emerged as a national problem.

Separately, US Navy officials said that all 5,000 personnel aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt will be tested for the coronavirus after the number of sailors on the ship who have tested positive for the virus increased.

As of Thursday, 280 US service members around the world had tested positive for the coronavirus, including 104 from the Navy.

The US House of Representatives will begin a two-hour debate on the US$2.2 trillion coronavirus aid bill on Friday.

EU pledges close cooperation

The European Union (EU) pledged on Thursday close cooperation in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, vowing to address issues ranging from medical supplies to internal market.

The EU is prioritizing maintaining open borders for goods to flow and the hunt for a vaccine against the coronavirus, European Council President Charles Michel said in a video conference of EU leaders.

Leaders of the EU and its member states issued a joint statement after the conference, recognizing the most acute priority as "ensuring urgent and adequate provision of medical equipment throughout the EU". 

The European Commission was asked to explore ways to speed up the EU's joint procurement initiatives for personal protective equipment, ventilators and testing supplies.

The leaders also recognized increasing testing capacities as a matter of urgency, based on recommendations from the World Health Organization, according to the statement.

ECB's Lagarde self-isolates

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde isolated herself last week following exposure to a person with the coronavirus, according to two people familiar with the matter.

An ECB spokesman declined to comment, but said the president has been working in her office this week.

A South African Metro policeman tries to enforce distancing outside a supermarket in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, on March 27, 2020, after the country went into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. (MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

South Africa

South Africans woke up under lockdown on Friday, struggling to adapt to some of the toughest restrictions in the world as the country recorded its first coronavirus deaths.    

The 21-day lockdown came into force at midnight on Thursday, and largely confines people to their homes aside from specific purposes like buying food or for health emergencies.

But large crowds continued to gather in nearby Alexandra and other poor townships, where cramped conditions militate against social distancing and offer a rich breeding ground for the virus among people reliant on an ailing public health system.

Many are also too poor to weather the economic fallout the epidemic is causing.

The country's first two deaths from the virus both occurred in Western Cape, 1,000 kilometers to the southwest, while total cases rose above 1,000, the health ministry said.

That makes Africa's most industrialised nation an epicentre of the outbreak on the continent,

Hours before the lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa on called for richer countries to help African nations deal with the economic fallout.

Italy

Coronavirus infections in Italy have yet to reach their peak, the head of the country’s national health institute said on Friday, as officials warned that lockdown restrictions would have to be extended beyond April 3.

Italy has reported 8,215 deaths from the illness, more than anywhere else in the world, while confirmed cases total 80,539, with latest data from Thursday showing no let up in new infections, stifling hopes of a possible turnaround.

“We haven’t reached the peak and we haven’t passed it,” the chief of the Superior Health Institute, Silvio Brusaferro, told reporters, adding that there were however “signs of a slowdown” in the numbers of people becoming infected.

“When the descent begins, how steep it is will depend on our behavior,” Brusaferro said, referring to how strictly Italians will continue to respect a government-imposed lockdown.

Italy was the first Western country to introduce swingeing restrictions on movement after uncovering the outbreak five weeks ago. It has progressively tightened the curbs, banning all non-essential activities until at least next Friday.

France

A spike in coronavirus cases will put France under huge pressure in coming days, its prime minister said on Friday, after reporting its biggest daily death toll and officials fearing hospitals in and around Paris could be saturated in 48 hours.

The death toll nationwide stood at 1,696, with signs that the virus is also becoming endemic in the southwest.

A 16-year-old girl was among the newly reported fatalities, Director General of Health Jerome Salomon said

A 16-year-old girl in the north-central French region of Ile-de-France was among the newly reported fatalities, Salomon said.

The daily government tally only accounts for those dying in hospital, and does not include the deaths in retirement homes.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in France rose by 3,922 within one day to 29,155, while 13,904 patients were hospitalized, Salomon added.

The official also announced "good news" about the recovery of 4,948 patients who were discharged from hospital, up 27 percent from Wednesday.

Early on Thursday, a high speed train TGV transported 20 patients in serious condition from the Grant Est region to the western city of Nantes, so as to help alleviate the burden on hospitals in the country's hard-hit area.

Switzerland

Switzerland's confirmed coronavirus infections jumped to more than 10,000 cases on Thursday, as health officials warned it was too early to lift restrictions on gatherings and border controls.

The Alpine country of 8.6 million people had 10,714 confirmed cases and 161 people have died as of Thursday morning, the Federal Office of Public Health said, up from 103 deaths and 9,765 cases on Wednesday.

Some cities including Lucerne have added drive-thru coronavirus testing to tackle the virus spread.

For weeks, the government has urged people remain at home, imposed border controls and banned gatherings of more than five people.

The Swiss army, which has not been mobilized since World War II, is also helping healthcare workers on the front line.

Families stand in front of their houses to give applause to show support for health workers dealing with the coronavirus outbreak in Britain. In a residential street in London, March 26, 2020. (FRANK AUGSTEIN / AP)

UK

Britain brought in tough measures on Thursday to curb the spread of coronavirus and ensure people obey the government's virtual lockdown.

The new powers allow police to issue instant fines those who leave their homes without good reason or gather in groups of more than two people. Those who did not pay up could be taken to court, where magistrates could impose unlimited fines, the government said.

Britain said 759 people had died after testing positive for coronavirus by 1700 GMT on Thursday, with 14,579 testing positive.

The death toll stood at 578, 24 hours earlier, meaning the toll had jumped by 31 percent.

The government urged people to avoid moving house during the coronavirus outbreak, as the pandemic brings the country's property market to a near standstill.

Some lockdown measures which restrict the social interactions of Britons could be in place for six months, but the steps are bearing fruit in the fight against the pandemic, Britain's deputy chief medical officer said.

Meanwhile, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said that Britain's failure to join a EU procurement program for ventilators to treat those ill with the coronavirus was due to a communications issue.

The email mix up meant that the United Kingdom did not receive an invitation to join the EU procurement process, a British government spokesman said.

Separately, Britain has pledged to contribute 210 million pounds (US$253 million) to the international coalition to find a vaccine against coronavirus.

Germany

Germany has proposed using big data and location tracking to isolate people with the coronavirus to keep the pandemic under control once social distancing measures now in force have slowed its spread, media reported on Friday.

The Interior Ministry's strategy paper recommends following South Korea in aggressively testing for COVID-19 and using smartphone location data to help trace people who have come into contact with those infected.

As of Thursday, Germany had 42,288 confirmed cases and 253 deaths from the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, German hospitals with spare capacity will take in at least 47 coronavirus patients from Italy in a sign of European solidarity, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Health Minister Jens Spahn said earlier that the country was still in "the calm before the storm", adding that the intensive care capacities and treatment options in hospitals has to be increased so that the health system can cope with the crisis.

Brazil

Brazil's governors pressed President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday for more federal support in the coronavirus battle after he blasted them as job-killers and undermined their orders with a decree keeping churches open at evangelical preachers' request.

In a public letter, Brazil's governors listed eight proposed measures for Bolsonaro to take, such as suspending state payments to the federal government and helping states buy medical equipment.

Bolsonaro lobbied on Thursday for a subsidy for Brazil's poorest that was passed by the lower chamber of Congress later in the day. The subsidy was meant for informal workers and small business people and amounts to 600 reais (US$119.46) per month for three months. The bill still requires Senate approval.

Confirmed cases in Brazil had roughly doubled in four days to 2,915 with 77 deaths on Thursday, according to the health ministry.

The iconic Maracana stadium will be used as a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients, Rio de Janeiro's state governor Wilson Witzel said.

A soldier disinfects a train parked at the central train station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 26, 2020. (LEO CORREA / AP)

Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s capital city Kinshasa on Thursday evening announced an order for its over 11 million residents to stay at home for three weeks with certain intervals in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

READ MORE: WHO tells nations not to waste second chance to curb virus

"I decree an intermittent total confinement of 3 weeks which will take effect from Saturday March 28, 2020 and will continue on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday March 31," Governor Gentiny Ngobila of Kinshasa said in a televised announcement.

He said Kinshasans will be allowed to go outdoors on April 1-2 for shopping and walk before resuming confinement within 4 days for a total containment.

The decision was made after 54 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the capital city.

Three deaths from COVID-19 had been reported as of Tuesday in the country.

Hungary

Hungary is imposing a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which is expected to peak in the country in June or July, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

Citizens will be allowed to shop and take limited exercise outside during the lockdown, which starts on Saturday, but people should keep their distance from each other and restrictions will be enforced by police, who will have powers to levy fines for non-compliance, Orban public radio.

The government will present a post-outbreak action plan for the economy in the first or second week of April, he added.

Hungary has recorded 300 cases of the coronavirus, and 10 deaths. Orban has said the actual number of cases is probably much higher.

Somalia

The United Nations (UN) in Somalia confirmed on Friday that an employee of a commercial contractor engaged by the UN has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) said the contractor has been in quarantine for eight days prior to diagnosis and that medical professionals are interviewing the individual to trace contacts.

The statement came a day after Somalia reported its second confirmed case. 

Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday updated Canadians on the latest domestic response efforts, including the Quarantine Act.

His government is deploying the Quarantine Act in the fight against COVID-19, imposing a 14-day mandatory self-isolation rule for any traveller returning to Canada. The act went into effect Wednesday night.

"Unfortunately, there are a number of people who have not been following guidelines," Trudeau said. "We are implementing the Quarantine Act to keep all Canadians safe. If you do not comply with these instructions, you could face serious fines and even prison time."

 As of 3 pm Canada Eastern Time Thursday, there were 3,897 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 37 deaths in the country.

Separately, Trudeau said that it was in the US and Canada's interests to keep the border unmilitarized after the United States floated the idea of placing troops on the Canada-US border.

After Trudeau's remarks, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a press conference that Canada is strongly opposed to the US idea of sending troops to the border to intercept illegal migrants as part of the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: Canada attacks 'damaging' Trump plan to deploy troops at border

Kenya

Kenya confirmed its first coronavirus death on Thursday,  government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said, without providing further details.

Earlier on Thursday, the ministry of health reported three more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected people in the East African country to 31.

Egypt

Egypt on Thursday reported 39 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, the health ministry said in a statement, bringing the total number of infections to 495 including 24 fatalities.

According to the statement, 102 of the people infected had recovered and been released from a quarantine hospital.

Nigeria

Nigeria will only allow cargo vessels that have been at sea for more than two weeks to dock in its ports to prevent the spread of coronavirus, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday.

Nigeria has closed its land borders and international airports in the last week to curb the spread of the virus.

Earlier, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 14 new coronavirus cases had been identified, taking the total number to 65. Six of the new cases were detected on one vessel.

The president said the new restrictions would not apply to ships carrying oil and gas products because there was minimal human contact on such vessels.

Venezuela

Venezuela has confirmed the country's first death from the novel coronavirus, Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez said in comments broadcast over state television.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has registered the Central American country's first death from coronavirus, an HIV-positive person with multiple health conditions, the health ministry on Thursday

The country has registered one other instance of the virus.

Honduras

A 60-year-old Honduran on Thursday became the country's first fatal victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, a local health official said.

The Central American country, home to 3.2 million people, has to date detected 52 cases of the coronavirus.

People wearing face masks walk on Red Square in downtown Moscow on March 26, 2020. (YURI KADOBNOV / AFP)

Russia

The Kremlin on Friday said people could carry on working home or studying despite next week being declared a holiday to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the goal of next week was to minimize contact between people and not to grind the education process to a halt.

Russia on Friday urged its citizens to refrain from travelling, with the exception of essential trips, asking people to stay at home in an effort to stop the spread of coronavrius, the Interfax news agency cited Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin as saying.

Russia ordered its vast network of state-run hotels, resorts and recreational facilities to shut down from March 28 until June 1, as its number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose past 1,000.

The country on Friday reported 196 new cases of coronavirus, a daily record, taking its official total for those infected with the disease to 1,036.

One more person had been killed by the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to four.

Mishustin said tough measures were needed, adding that the more stringent changes in Moscow should be extended to other regions of the country.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he hoped Russia would defeat coronavirus in 2-3 months if it imposed tough measures quickly.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its partners have produced 500,000 coronavirus test kits so far, Kirill Dmitriev, RDIF's head, told Reuters in a phone interview. Test kits for fast and mass public use would be ready within a month, Dmitriev said.

Portugal

Portuguese authorities upgraded on Thursday the country's COVID-19 situation to the mitigation phase, its highest alert and response level, Lusa News Agency reported.

Portugal registered 60 deaths associated with COVID-19 and 3,544 cases of infection, 549 more than the previous day, according to the daily bulletin of the Directorate-General for Health on Thursday.

The mitigation phase means mobilization of the entire health system, public and private, to combat the spread of the pandemic, said Lusa.

In this phase, patients with mild symptoms stay at home, moderates go to health centers, the serious but not critical are referred to hospitals and only critical patients will be hospitalized. Health centers and hospitals will have areas dedicated to the COVID-19 disease.

Mexico

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday urged Mexicans in the United States to avoid visiting Mexico except in emergencies in order to avoid spreading coronavirus.

Mexico has registered 585 cases of coronavirus in the country, up from 475 the previous day, as well as two more deaths, a health ministry official said on Thursday.

A total of eight people have died from the virus in Mexico.

El Salvador

El Salvador's Congress on Thursday said it has authorized the government to take on debt, either bank loans or debt issuance, of up to US$2 billion to confront the coronavirus crisis.

Costa Rica

Costa Rican Health Minister Daniel Salas said on Thursday that there are 30 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the Central American nation, bringing the total number or cases to 231.

Ireland

Ireland reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 infections on Thursday, more than doubling the total number of fatalities to 19, Ireland's Department of Health said.

The country also reported an additional 255 confirmed infections to bring the total to 1,819, the department said in a statement.

Uganda

Uganda has registered four new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 18, according to the ministry of health.

Minister of Health Ruth Aceng tweeted Friday that out of the 197 samples run on Thursday, four have tested positive for COVID-19.

Rwanda

The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rwanda has jumped from 41 to 50, Rwanda's Ministry of Health said on Thursday in a statement.

Chile

A total of 1,306 people in Chile have tested positive for COVID-19, and four died from the disease, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said on Thursday.

Over a 24-hour period ending at 9 pm local time (2400 GMT) Wednesday night, health authorities registered 164 new cases, he said.

Of the total number of cases, 33 patients had recovered.

Over half of the total of 746 cases are concentrated in the metropolitan area of the capital Santiago.

Sweden

The Swedish government said on Friday it had decided to ban all public gatherings of more than 50 people to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The new rule will come into force on Sunday and those who break it risk fines or up to 6 months in prison. The government had previously banned all gatherings of more than 500 people.

Sweden has reported more than 60 fatalities linked to the coronavirus but on Thursday, the Public Health Agency said it was not yet prepared to impose a lockdown.

The number of confirmed casesin Sweden continues to grow, hitting 2,806 on Thursday. A total of 66 people have died of COVID-19 and 178 patients have been treated in intensive care units, the Public Health Agency said at its daily press briefing.

At Thursday's briefing, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said Sweden could be nearing "day zero", the phase when the coronavirus outbreak curve is expected to move sharply upwards.

Cyprus

The government of Cyprus decided on Thursday to introduce a new economic aid package worth 500 million euros (US$552 million) to support businesses and workers for one month.

The Council of Ministers also approved a bill suspending repayment of loans for nine months and a two-billion-euro stimulus plan in a bid to boost liquidity in the economy amid the ongoing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Health Ministry said on Thursday evening that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 146 since the first infection was confirmed on March 9.

There were 47 confirmed coronavirus cases by Thursday in the Turkish-controlled part of Cyprus, raising the tally for the entire island to 193. 

READ MORE: UN chief asks for wartime plan for COVID-19

The Finnish parliament on Thursday raised the financial aid to enterprises to a billion euros (US$1.1 billion) from the 200 million proposed by the cabinet last week, Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni said at a press conference.

So far, 958 COVID-19 cases has been confirmed in Finland, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported on Thursday. In order to prevent the further spread of the virus, the government on Wednesday announced a plan to block its Uusimaa region including the capital area.

Greece

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Greece has reached 892, including 26 deaths, Professor Sotirios Tsiodras, coronavirus control spokesman of the Health Ministry, announced on Thursday.

Since Wednesday, authorities diagnosed 71 new cases and reported 4 more deaths, he said.

Tunisia

Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh on Thursday said the total number of COVID-19 cases in Tunisia has risen to 200, including six deaths.

Twenty-seven new cases and two deaths were reported on Thursday.

Fakhfakh underlined the need to respect general confinement and mandatory quarantine for people arriving from abroad.

Tunisia is in "state of war" against the pandemic, the Tunisian leader said, adding that the government has mobilized 2.5 billion dinars (about US$875 million) in funds fo fight the pandemic.

Malta

People older than 65 and vulnerable persons with pre-existing medical conditions will be forced to stay at home throughout Malta from Saturday, the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Thursday.

Another new measure that was imposed to curb the coronavirus in Malta was a ban on social gatherings of more than five people. 

The two new measures will come into effect from Saturday.

A total of 134 coronavirus cases have been registered in Malta with no death reported to date. 

Morocco

Morocco's Ministry of Health confirmed on Thursday 50 new cases infected with COVID-19, bringing the total number to 275 in the country.

The ministry said 10 deaths from COVID-19 were reported while eight patients have recovered.

The most infected regions are Casablanca with 87 cases, Fes-Meknes with 51 cases, and Rabat with 50 cases, it added.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has registered six new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number to 152, announced by Marial Ouedraogo, national coordinator of the response to the coronavirus epidemic.

"So far,  Burkina Faso confirmed 152 cases, 7 death cases and 10 cured cases of COVID-19", said Ouedraogo at a press conference.

Mozambique

The Ministry of Health of Mozambique (MISAU) said on Thursday that the number of people infected with COVID-19 rose to seven in the country.

A total of 98 suspected cases were tested so far, of which 21 were tested in the last 24 hours, said Rosa Marlene, the national director of public health.

Spain

Spain’s coronavirus death toll rose overnight by 769 cases to 4,858, the health ministry said on Friday, a new record in the number of fatalities recorded in 24 hours.

The total number of those infected rose to 64,059 from 56,188 on Thursday.

Ethiopia

The Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health on Friday reported four more confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the national total to 16.

The four new cases consist of a Mauritian national and three Ethiopians.