A shopper looks at empty shelf at a grocery store in Tokyo, Thursday, March 26, 2020. Residents of Tokyo on Thursday raced to stock up on foods and daily necessities after its governor on Wednesday called on residents to stay at home during this coming weekend amid rising infections of new coronavirus in the capital city.(AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
March 26, 2020
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March 26, 2020 6:14 a.m.
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.