There are more than 857,000 novel coronavirus cases around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) and additional sources.
The US has more confirmed cases than any other country — over 185,400, according to a CNN count. More than 3,800 people have died in the US.
CNN says that according to US government modeling, even with stringent mitigation efforts, between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die in the coming weeks.
A plane from Russia loaded with personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies to assist in the response to Covid-19 is expected to arrive in the United States on April 1, a senior administration official told CNN.
“We expect Russia to deliver a planeload of personal protection equipment and supplies tomorrow, as President Putin offered President Trump yesterday,” the official said.
“We will put into immediate use any needed items that are FDA approved. Likewise, the United States is sending equipment and supplies to many other countries and will continue to do more as we are able.”
President Trump on Monday told reporters that Russia sent the US “a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment which was very nice.”
Meanwhile, the UN secretary-general says the pandemic is the "greatest test" the world has faced since the end of World War II.
"COVID-19 is the greatest test that we have faced together since the formation of the United Nations," Guterres said in a new report released Tuesday.
"This human crisis demands coordinated, decisive, inclusive and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies – and maximum financial and technical support for the poorest and most vulnerable people and countries.
"But this is much more than a health crisis. It is a human crisis. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is attacking societies at their core."
Guterres said the world must work together if it is going to reduce the social and economic impact of the coronavirus on the global population.
In response to the crisis, the secretary-general said in a statement that he has established a dedicated Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund to support the efforts of low- and middle-income countries to stop local epidemics.
