Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus world-wide surpassed 1 million Thursday, a grim milestone for the pandemic as governments deploy increasingly stringent measures to battle its spread and a record 6.6 million U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week.

The U.S., Italy and Spain remain at the forefront of the pandemic, accounting for nearly half of all reported infections of the coronavirus, which has spread with ferocious speed across the world.

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