Summary

  • Italy's death toll has risen by more than 900 - believed to be the sharpest hike in fatalities of any country

  • President Trump has signed into law a $2tn stimulus bill to kick-start the coronavirus-hit economy

  • Britain's PM Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, as has Health Secretary Matt Hancock

  • Testing for frontline UK health workers is to be ramped up next week; the number of deaths in the UK has reached 759

  • Thousands of home-bound Ukrainians queued for hours at Polish border crossings to beat a midnight deadline

Live Reporting

Sophie Williams, George Bowden, George Wright, Joshua Nevett, Jim Todd, Yvette Tan, Andreas Illmer, Saira Asher, Jay Savage, Frances Mao, Owen Amos and Krutika Pathi

  1. UK erupts in applause

    Applause was heard all over the UK last night as people thanked healthcare staff for working through the virus outbreak.

    People flocked to their balconies, windows and gardens as part of the "Clap for Carers" tribute, which also saw the Royal Family and the prime minister take part.

    The National Health Service (NHS) called the tribute "emotional".

    Clap for our Carers: National applause for coronavirus health workers

  2. More than half a million infected worldwide

    There are now almost 530,000 people worldwide confirmed with the new coronavirus. While more than 120,000 have recovered, the global death toll stands at just under 24,000.

    The country with the highest number is now the United States, with 83,836 cases. That's followed by China with 81,782 - although most of those have recovered and the number of new infections in the country where the outbreak started is tiny.

    In Europe, the worst-hit country remains Italy with more than 80,000 cases, and the world's worst death toll at 8,215.

    Spain, Germany, France and Iran all have between 30,000 and 60,000 cases and the UK has now almost 12,000 confirmed infections and 580 deaths.

    You can find all those numbers at the coronavirus map by the Johns Hopkins University. The numbers change fast, reflecting the persistent rise of confirmed cases around the globe.

  3. Welcome back

    Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We're writing to you from Singapore this morning - we'll be handing over to our teams in London later today. Here's a quick glance at your news today:

    • The US now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any country - overtaking China, where the virus emerged. There are now 83,500 cases in the US, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. China has 81,782 cases
    • However, the US death toll lags behind China which has 3,291 fatalities. The US death toll stands at 1,288
    • Canada has criticised a US proposal to deploy troops along their joint border to help fight the spread of the virus. The deputy prime minister called it "entirely unnecessary"
    • And finally, some heartwarming news. People across the UK joined a massive round of applause (from their balconies and windows) to thank health workers for their hard work