Coronavirus deaths have surged past 150,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States.
Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of humanity -- 4.5 billion people -- were confined to their homes.
The United States accounts for nearly a third of the 2.25 million coronavirus infections reported globally. It has also recorded over 37,000 deaths, more than any other nation, followed by Italy, Spain and France which have all been ravaged by their own outbreaks.
The coronavirus has killed more than 100,000 people in Europe, nearly two thirds of the overall global death toll, according to an AFP tally Saturday at 1800 GMT.
With a total 100,501 deaths out of 1,136,672 infections, Europe is the hardest-hit continent by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 157,163 worldwide.
Many countries are testing only the most serious cases and the number of confirmed global cases is likely only a fraction of the true total.
Virtually no corner of the world has been left untouched, with deaths in Africa passing 1,000.
Nigeria announced the death of President Muhammadu Buhari's top aide on Saturday, the highest-profile person to succumb to the virus in Africa's most populous nation.
China sharply raised its death toll to 4,636 on Friday after adding another 1,290 fatalities for the city of Wuhan, where the respiratory disease first emerged late last year.
Protests erupt in US
The debate in the US has taken on political tones. Republican President Donald Trump urged supporters to LIBERATE three states led by Democratic governors, tweeting the kind of rhetoric some have used to demand an end to stay-at-home orders that have thrown millions out of work.
"LIBERATE MINNESOTA! LIBERATE MICHIGAN! LIBERATE VIRGINIA, " Trump said in a tweet-storm in which he also lashed out at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, for criticizing the federal response.
Cuomo should spend more time 'doing' and less time 'complaining,' the president said.
Demonstrators in three US states assembled in public this week to call for an end to the restrictions, with the largest protest in Michigan attracting 3,000 people - some of whom were armed.
Trump has largely left decisions on easing lockdowns to state officials even as he outlined guidelines for a staged reopening of the national economy.
In Idaho, where the governor is a Republican, scores of protesters not wearing masks stood shoulder-to-shoulder on Friday. Some carried signs claiming the coronavirus is a hoax.
The US accounts for nearly a third of the 2.2 million coronavirus infections reported globally. It has also recorded around 37,000 deaths, more than any other nation, followed by Italy, Spain and France which have all been ravaged by their own outbreaks.
However these figures likely reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections, because many countries are testing only the most serious cases. Virtually no corner of the world has been left untouched, with deaths in Africa passing 1,000 overnight.
Nigeria announced the death of President Muhammadu Buhari's top aide on Saturday, the highest-profile person to succumb to the virus in Africa's most populous nation.
China update death toll
China sharply raised its own death toll to 4,636 on Friday after adding another 1,290 fatalities for the city of Wuhan, where the respiratory disease first emerged late last year.
Trump, who has angrily shot back at claims he reacted too slowly to the virus threat, has accused Beijing of downplaying the impact of the virus within its borders.
Leaders in France and Britain have also questioned China's management of the crisis but Beijing hit back, saying it had not concealed information about the illness.
Europe easing restrictions
Signs that the outbreak could be easing in parts of Europe prompted Switzerland, Denmark and Finland to begin reopening shops schools this week. Germany's health minister said infection rates had "sunk significantly" after 3,400 deaths in his country, which is now beginning the delicate task of lifting some restrictions without triggering a secondary outbreak.
Some small shops will be allowed to reopen Monday, and some children would return to school within weeks.
Parts of Italy also began emerging from lockdown, with Venice residents strolling around quiet canals. But Japan, Britain and Mexico all expanded their current movement.
Signs of the economic damage of the pandemic are mounting, with China reporting its first contraction in GDP in several decades.
African state leaders and global financial bodies warned on Friday that the continent needed tens of billions of dollars in additional funds to fight the outbreak.
The IMF also warned the virus could spark another "lost decade" in Latin America and backed debt moratoriums to free up spending for the region's fragile economies.
Economies falter
Governments around the world are wrestling with when and how to lift economically painful virus-control measures as unemployment rises and rent payments come due.
Many places have mandated strict restrictions on movement to try to stop the spread of a new coronavirus that has infected more than 2.2 million people and for which there is no vaccine.
Most governments remain cautious, even as the economic toll rises. Public helth experts warn that easing shutdowns must be accompanied by wider testing and tracing of infected people to keep the virus from coming back.
South Korea's Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said Saturday that new guidelines could be issued soon that officials have said would allow people to engage in certain levels of economic and social activity.
America's largest state, California, lost nearly 100,000 jobs in March.
We are now in a pandemic-induced recession, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Texas and Florida, which both have Republican governors, took first steps toward easing restrictions.
Top leaders of China's ruling Communist Party called for deficit spending and a more flexible monetary policy after the economy shrunk 6.8 percent in the first three months of the year.
Actual death toll
The outbreak has killed more than 150,000 people worldwide, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally based on figures supplied by government health authorities around the globe. The number all but certainly underestimates the actual toll.
Authorities said that almost everywhere, thousands have died with COVID-19 symptoms many in nursing homes without being tested for the virus, and have thus gone uncounted.
In Britain, with an official count of about 14,600 dead, the country's statistics agency said the actual number could be around 15% higher.
An Associated Press tally from news media reports and state health departments indicates 6,912 US deaths have been linked to coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The US government has not been releasing a count.
