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Four passengers have died on board the MS Zaandam, a cruise ship currently off the coast of Panama with over 130 guests suffering from influenza-like symptoms, at least two of whom have coronavirus, the vessel's operator said on Friday.

Coronavirus cases in Los Angeles are spiking, putting the region on track to have as many cases as hard-hit New York in five days, Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Friday, speaking from a naval hospital ship in the Port of Los Angeles.

At least one New York hospital has begun putting two patients on a single ventilator machine, an experimental crisis-mode protocol some doctors worry is too risky but others deemed necessary as the coronavirus outbreak strains medical resources.

There are now more than half a million coronavirus cases across 202 countries and territories globally, with the United States overtaking China as the country with the most infections. Infection rates are starting to pick up in Africa, Latin America and parts of the Middle East.

Residents of the Japanese capital formed long queues at supermarkets and stores on Friday, in preparation for a weekend at home, after Tokyo's governor urged them to stay indoors in a bid to keep a coronavirus from spreading.

Britain is scaling up coronavirus testing for frontline National Health Service (NHS) staff, with hundreds of tests due to be carried out in coming days and many more next week.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he expected thousands of urgently needed ventilators will be produced as part of the United States' response to the coronavirus pandemic.

There was no room for error at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Friday as medical staff moved an 18-year-old patient from the coronavirus ward for urgent tests in another unit.

The Army Corps of Engineers is looking at potentially converting more than 100 facilities in the United States to assist with the strain on hospitals dealing with the spread of the coronavirus, the commanding general of the Corps said on Friday.

A German town has turned a gymnastics hall into a facility to hold potential offenders against quarantine rules that stipulate a 14-day isolation period for those who test positive for the coronavirus and those who come into contact with them.

President Tayyip Erdogan called on Friday for a "voluntary quarantine" in which Turks stay at home except for shopping or basic needs to stem a surge of coronavirus cases, which jumped by a third in a day to 5,698 with 92 dead.

Turkey's coronavirus death toll rose by 17 on Friday to 92, while the total number of cases rose by 2,069 to 5,698, the country's health minister told a press conference.

Alphabet Inc will donate more than $800 million in funds towards producing medical supplies used to fight COVID-19, and in ad credits to government and health organizations and businesses, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said on Friday.

Some lower-paid U.S. workers could effectively get a short-term raise if they lose their jobs during the coronavirus crisis, thanks to government computer systems that rely on 1950s-era technology.

Apple Inc and the White House said on Friday that the iPhone maker worked with the Trump administration and federal agencies to release an app and website that will direct users to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control on the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Senior officials in the Trump administration agreed to new measures to restrict the global supply of chips to China's Huawei Technologies, sources familiar with the matter said, as the White House ramps up criticism of China over coronavirus.

Armed with hand sanitizer and discouraged from using elevators, members of the U.S. House of Representatives aimed to quickly pass a sweeping $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill on Friday, though it was unclear if they would be forced to delay a day.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 1,172, or 16%, to 8,603, health authorities said on Friday, with 112 new deaths.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating at his Downing Street residence but said he would still lead the government's response to the accelerating outbreak.

It's a bit like tag, except that you get tagged when someone coughs on you and that means you have the virus and have to go into isolation. If you come out and get tagged again, you die.