The United States today eclipsed China to become the global centre of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the latest figures America now has at least 85,500 positive tests, overtaking China which has 81,782 cases and Italy at 80,589.
But Italy is still the hardest-hit country in terms of deaths with 8,215, compared with China’s 3,291 and America’s 1,300 as the number of coronavirus infections worldwide surpasses half a million.
Despite America’s grim milestone, President Donald Trump insisted the country would get back to work “pretty quickly”. He suggested the surging number of US cases was “a tribute to the amount of testing that we’re doing”.
He also appeared to be making attempts to patch up his ongoing feud with China, saying he had “much respect” for President Xi Jinping’s handling of the crisis following a call between the pair today.
Mr Trump angered China by blaming the outbreak on the “Chinese virus” and the “Wuhan virus” and as recently as yesterday cast doubt on the statistics coming out of the Communist country.
But in a shift in tone, he tweeted today that he had “a very good conversation” and discussed the pandemic in “great detail” with Mr Xi, adding: “China has been through much and has developed a strong understanding of the virus. We are working closely together. Much respect!”
State broadcaster CCTV reported that Mr Xi assured Mr Trump that China had been transparent and responsible in its release of information. In an apparent swipe at his US counterpart, he said the virus “knows no boundaries and ethnicity”. “The relationship of China and the US is at a critical juncture. Co-operation is mutually beneficial to both nations, while fighting will hurt,” he added, according to state media.
Refusing to back down on his goal of reopening the country by Easter Sunday on April 12, Mr Trump hinted in a letter to state governors that he may be planning to loosen social distancing restrictions in some areas less affected by the virus as soon as next week.
He told Fox News he believed Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska and parts of Texas could reopen earlier than other states.
The Pentagon said an the outbreak on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, off Guam, had spread from three sailors to 25.
Health officials said New Orleans may become the country’s worst-hit city after a spike in cases following Mardi Gras celebrations. The growth rate in Louisiana is the highest in the world, according to a university study. The state has nearly 1,800 cases with at least 65 deaths. In New Orleans alone there were 37 deaths.