The U.S. is now the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. The total number of American coronavirus cases is up about 17,000 over the past 30 hours to almost 86,000

The U.S. is now the epicenter of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. is now the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The total number of American coronavirus cases is up about 17,000 over the past 30 hours to almost 86,000 as of 6:49 a.m. ET, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Science and Engineering. That’s more cases than China (81,894) and Italy (80,589)—the other two countries most affected by the outbreak.

In the U.S., New York City and the surrounding counties remain the hardest hit region of the country, dealing with about 36,000 cases. On the west coast, Los Angeles and Seattle have reported about 1,200 and 1,500 cases, respectively.

Globally, Hopkins reports more than 542,000 cases, an increase of about 70,000 cases over the past 30 hours. The World Health Organization tallies 462,000 cases, up almost 50,000 cases over the past 24 hours. The daily increase is the largest reported in a WHO situation report.

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WHO numbers consistently lag behind the Hopkins database, which is updated more frequently. Both data sets, however, track one another closely. The most recent data for the WHO is as of 10 a.m. Central European time on March 26.

Seven countries still have more than 20,000 cases. Five have almost 50,000 cases, including the U.S., China, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Six countries have reported more than 1,000 deaths. Italy has the highest number of fatalities at more than 8,200. The mortality rate in Italy is still running at more than 10% of confirmed cases early Friday morning.

Hopkins, overall, reports more than 24,000 deaths from Covid-19. The World Health Organization reported more than 20,000 deaths for the first time on a daily situation report.

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Hopkins database also reports recoveries. Almost 124,000 people have recovered, up another 9,000 over the past 30 hours.

Covid-19 continues to unnerve investors., but government stimulus has boosted the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 20% from March 23 lows. The speed and magnitude of the stock market swings are breathtaking. The Dow remains down 21% year to date. The S&P 500 has fallen almost 19%.

Friday morning, U.S. stock futures are down after three straight days of gains.

Investors interested in tracking developments on the outbreak in the U.S. can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.