The United States will likely end up with millions of coronavirus cases, the government's top infectious-disease expert has warned, as people in and around the country's outbreak epicentre of New York were urged to limit their travel to contain the scourge.
The dire prediction came from Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaking to CNN.
He also said the death toll in the US could top 100,000 but he was hesitant to make projections.
As of Sunday morning, the US had about 125,000 infections and 2200 deaths.
Around the world doctors were forced to make tough choices about which patients to save with their limited breathing machines, and Spain and Italy demanded more European help as they fight still-surging coronavirus infections in the continent's worst crisis since World War II.
The confirmed global death toll surpassed 31,000 and new virus epicentres emerged in US cities like Detroit, New Orleans and Chicago. Virus hotspots also erupted in midwestern US towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens.
Spain and Italy alone account for more than half of the world's death toll, and are still recording more than 800 deaths a day each.
Experts say, however, that virus toll numbers across the world are being seriously under-represented because of limited testing and political decisions about which bodies to count.
Unlike the US, France and Italy do not count deaths that take place at home or in nursing homes, even though nursing homes are known coronavirus incubators around the world.
"Europe must demonstrate that it is able to respond to this historic call," Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said late on Saturday.
"I will fight until the last drop of sweat, until the last gram of energy, to obtain a strong, vigorous, cohesive European response."
US President Donald Trump backtracked on a threat to quarantine New York and neighbouring states amid criticism and questions about the legality of such a move.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory urging all residents of New York City and others in New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut to avoid all non-essential travel for 14 days.
But the restrictions were not as strict as those imposed in other countries. Parisians are fined if they try to leave the city, South Africans can't buy liquor and Serbs are upset over a ban on walking their dog.
In Italy, burials are being held with only one family member.
Spain moved to tighten its lockdown and ban all non-essential work on Sunday as it hit another daily record of 838 dead.
The country's overall official toll was more than 6500.
Spain's health emergencies chief Fernando Simon said the country's infection rate fell on Sunday to 9.0 per cent, down from 18 per cent three days before.
But he said the number of people in intensive care units keeps rising and hospitals are at their limits in several regions.
"That is why we have to strictly apply the control measures," he said.
The crisis is pummelling world economies and putting huge strains on countries' health care systems.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for a more vigorous response from the 27-member European Union.
"It is the most difficult moment for the EU since its foundation and it has to be ready to rise to the challenge," he said.
Spain, Italy, France and six other EU members have asked the union to share the burden by issuing European debt, dubbed coronabonds, to help fight the virus. But the idea has met resistance from Germany and the Netherlands.
European countries have also resisted sharing masks with their neighbours for fear that they, too, will need them in mass quantities soon.
Many countries have turned to China, where the outbreak is easing, flying in cargo planes to get protective medical equipment.
Worldwide infections surpassed 680,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States leads the world with about 125,000 reported cases, but five other countries have higher death tolls: Italy, Spain, China, Iran and France.
Italy has more than 10,000 deaths, the most of any country.
Egypt shut its beaches as cases in the Mideast surpassed 50,000.
Police in the Philippines stepped up arrests of quarantine violators, and more tourists were evacuated from Mount Everest and the Indonesian island of Bali.
Poland is considering delaying its May 10 presidential election and Russia ordered borders to close on Monday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has the virus himself, warned: "Things will get worse before they get better."
Australian Associated Press
