02/04/2020 10:10
Coronavirus: US death toll exceeds 5,000
The US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has gone above 5,000, Johns Hopkins University has said.
Earlier the university said 884 people had died in 24 hours - a new record, BBC repords.
Among the latest victims was a six-week-old baby. More than 216,000 are now infected - the world's highest figure.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post said the federal government's reserves of protective equipment and medical supplies were almost exhausted.
Quoting officials in the Department for Homeland Security, the newspaper said this had left the federal government and individual US states competing for safety gear, while the unprecedented demand had led to profiteering.