Image source, Getty Images

Despite the surge in the US, Southern Europe remains at the epicentre of the pandemic.

After Italy, Spain has become the second country to surpass the death toll of China. The number of deaths rose by 738 in 24 hours - a daily record - to 3,434, higher than the 683 announced in Italy.

By comparison, China has officially reported 3,285 deaths, while Italy – the worst affected country – has 6,820.

Spain's rate of infection has increased by a fifth and almost 27,000 people are being treated in hospital.

Other hard-hit countries in Europe are Germany, France, the UK and Switzerland.

Coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs small droplets - packed with the virus - into the air. These can be breathed in, or cause an infection if you touch a surface they have landed on, then your eyes, nose or mouth.

The best thing is regular and thorough hand washing,, external preferably with soap and water.

Read more on what the symptoms are and what you yourself can to do stop the spread.

Remember the pictures from spring break in the US where Miami beaches were full of party goers, ignoring all warnings to take the situation seriously and stop the spread?

One clip that went viral was a young man saying: "If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying."

That was Brady Sluder, on spring break in Miami, and he was criticised for these comments that made the rounds on news and social media around the globe.

Since then US infections and deaths have surged.

Now, Brady has apologised "for the insensitive comment I made in regards to Covid-19".

On Instagram, he said "our generation may feel invincible, like I did when I commented, but we have a responsibility to listen and follow the recommendations in our communities".

Image source, Getty Images

What have we learned about the United States as it confronts this national and global catastrophe? And what of Donald Trump who has cloaked himself in the mantle of "wartime president"?

The BBC's Nick Bryant in New York says while we're seeing "the selflessness and bravery of the first responders", Donald Trump's response has been predictable.

"He has not changed. He has not grown. He has not admitted errors. He has shown little humility."

Read all of Nick's analysis of what the crisis tells us about the US here.

Image source, AFP

Walk around with a face mask in the US, and you'll get stared at. But walk around without a mask in Hong Kong, and you'll get stared at too. The WHO advice says you shouldn't wear a mask unless you're sick or a healthcare professional who needs it. So why is mask-wearing a social norm in some places - and might these countries have a point? Read more here about why some countries advocate wearing masks while others don't.

Image source, Getty Images

More on the situation in New York, the state with the highest numbers in both infections and deaths in the US.

Despite the slowing hospitalisation rate, Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that “much remains to be done” and announced new steps aimed at containing the virus.

New York City – with more than 8 million people – is making some streets pedestrian-only to allow more room for social distancing between people.

The city also plans to ban basketball and other contact sports in public parks, urging individuals to comply on a voluntary basis.

"Our closeness makes us vulnerable," Mr Cuomo warned.

In a sign that things are expected to get worse before they get better, New York along with North Carolina and Hawaii, has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send special mortuary teams that can be deployed for mass casualties.

Watch Cassy Appleton draw applause from passengers for this speech, on her final Virgin Australia flight.

The airline is among those suspending international flights.

The number of people infected in the US has jumped to 68,572 - according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University (JHU)., external

The US now has the third most Covid-19 cases in the world, behind China and Italy.

It's worth bearing in mind that the CDC numbers we reported earlier are announced once daily, whereas JHU keeps a rolling, live count of the numbers as they come.

World-renowned chef Floyd Cardoz has died after testing positive for coronavirus.

He co-owned the hugely popular Mumbai restaurants Bombay Canteen and O Pedro.

The Mumbai-born chef was a pioneer of modern Indian cuisine and first shot to fame as executive chef at the restaurant Tabla in New York City.

He was diagnosed with Covid-19 on 18 March in New Jersey, according to Hunger Inc where he was culinary director.

The food world has been in mourning since news of his death on Wednesday.

"The media would like to see me do poorly in the election."

Jay Savage
BBC News, Sydney

Both have implemented strict new measures today.

New Zealand's is a month-long lockdown that allows only essential workers to leave home, and forces the closure of all schools and non-essential businesses. The country has almost 300 cases of the virus.

Last night, as streets emptied, PM Jacinda Ardern answered people's questions live on Facebook, external.

Australia's new rules do not go as far, but place strict limits on how many people can attend weddings and funerals. Many public places and businesses are now shut, after more than 2,600 positive tests and 11 deaths.

Other businesses, however, remain open – a point of continuing debate.

PM Scott Morrison has now scrapped a controversial 30-minute limit on hairdressing appointments – “following the receipt of feedback on the practical implementation of [those] measures".

Image source, Getty Images

The number of cases in the US has jumped by 10,000 - bringing the total number of cases in the country to 54,453.

According to the US CDC, the death toll also rose by 193 cases, bringing it to 737.

The state of New York has more than half of the country's overall cases - with more than 30,800 patients.

Image source, Getty Images

Frances Mao
Sydney

Image source, BINDI IRWIN/INSTAGRAM

In Australia, there’s been a rush down the aisle in the past 24 hours after authorities announced new social isolation rules banning more than five people at a wedding.

That number includes the marrying couple and their celebrant – so only two guests are allowed.

Facing the prospect of nuptials postponed for an indeterminable time, or perhaps a live-streamed ceremony (see here and here), some opted to tie the knot immediately, to beat the Wednesday midnight deadline.

TV wildlife conservationist Bindi Irwin did just that, external, announcing her marriage to Chandler Powell on social media. The small ceremony took place at Australia Zoo in Queensland on Wednesday with only immediate family in attendance.

“We’ve planned this beautiful day for nearly a year and had to change everything, as we didn’t have guests at our wedding,” she wrote.

“This was a very difficult decision but important to keep everyone safe.”

As you can imagine, the maths jokes have been flying around. In Australia now, four weddings+ one funeral = 30 people max.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has described the hospitalisation rate in the state as "almost too good to be true" and "headed in the right direction" - while warning that numbers are still expected to spike.

Latest figures suggest the doubling of hospitalisation numbers is not coming every two days - as was expected earlier - but only every 4.7 days.

This crucial change gives medical staff more time to treat patients and slows down the overcrowding of hospitals.

Mr Cuomo said the peak of patients needing hospital care in the state was expected in about 21 days, but that the trend showed that social distancing was working.

New York is the worst hit state in the US, accounting for more than half of overall cases.

Welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We're writing to you out of Singapore today - where many of us are working from home - and we'll be handing over to our colleagues in London later this afternoon. Here's your news this morning:

• The number of coronavirus cases in the US has jumped by more than 10,000 in a single day. This brings the total number of cases to 54,453, with 737 deaths so far
• But it's not all bad news. New York's governor says the city's strict measures seem to be working, as the rate of hospitalisations appears to have slowed in recent days. Governor Cuomo said the arrows were "headed in the right direction"

• In the UK, the death toll has risen to 463 from 422, as the number of cases in the country passes the 9,500 mark
• No new virus cases were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan - where the virus emerged late last year. There has however, been a rise in the number of imported cases across China