A man wearing a mask is silhouetted against a wall as he walks into the shade of a building Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Tokyo. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is setting up a special task force to discuss coronavirus measures and emergency responses as the government now considers the spread of the COVID-19 virus rampant in the country, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
March 26, 2020
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Virus infections near 500,000 as health systems buckle
MADRID (AP) — The number of coronavirus infections closed in on a half-million worldwide Thursday, with both Italy and the U.S. on track to surpass China, and a record-shattering 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week in a stark demonstration of the damage to the world's biggest economy.