There are now more than 1.5 mn confirmed cases of covid-19 infections globally. The total number of infections in the US has surpassed 430,000 as the country reported a record-high 1,973 deaths yesterday. New York, the U.K. and Belgium reported their deadliest days so far. Spain's fatalities and new cases rose to the highest in four days. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is stable and responding to treatment at a London hospital. The growth in U.S. coronavirus cases showed signs of slowing Wednesday, even as deaths accelerated in some of the hardest-hit states. President Donald Trump said he plans to reopen the U.S. economy in phases and would "rely heavily" on public-health experts to make any changes. U.S. cases rose 9.6% from the day before to 419,975 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Cases in U.S had been climbing an average of 11% a day over the past week. Deaths rose 19% to 14,262.
