The US death toll from the novel coronavirus rose to more than 40,000 on Sunday, the highest in the world and almost double the number of deaths in the next highest country Italy, according to a Reuters tally.
It took the United States 38 days after recording its first fatality on 29 February to reach 10,000 deaths on 6 April 6, but only five more days to reach 20,000 dead.
The toll then increased to 40,000 from 30,000 in four days after including untested but probable Covid-19 deaths reported by New York City.
Meanwhile, governors in US states hardest hit by the coronavirus sparred with President Donald Trump over his claims they have enough tests and should quickly reopen their economies as more protests are planned over the extension of stay-at-home orders.
The region of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. is still seeing increasing cases. New Jersey reported on Sunday that its new cases rose by nearly 3,900, the most in more than two weeks. Boston and Chicago are also emerging hot spots with recent surges in cases and deaths.
Progress was marked in some places, with New York state reporting the lowest number of deaths in weeks, which Governor Andrew Cuomo attributed largely to social distancing.
But as Americans and others around the world chafe after weeks under stay-at-home orders, resentment is rising.
Anti-lockdown protests drew hundreds of people at the capitols of states including Texas, Maryland, New Hampshire and Ohio.
Many demonstrators waved American flags and some carried arms.
The small but spreading movement demanding a quick end to state-ordered confinement drew encouragement from Donald Trump, who tweeted that three states should be "liberated" from the stay-home orders.
The president has called for a rapid return to normality to limit damage to the US economy - while largely leaving the final decision on easing lockdowns to state officials.
At a White House briefing, Mr Trump also warned that China could face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus deaths surged past 100,000 in Europe as the world's top musicians joined forces for a virtual concert, hoping to spread cheer to billions stuck at home under lockdown.
A-listers including the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder and teen superstar Billie Eilish entertained fans with a six-hour online extravaganza celebrating healthcare workers.
The event, set up by advocacy group Global Citizen with the World Health Organization, aimed to cultivate a sense of community during the pandemic, which has ravaged the global economy with nearly 2.3 million confirmed infections in total.
At least 157,000 people have been killed by Covid-19 with two-thirds of the deaths in Europe, according to an AFP tally.
South Korea extended its social distancing policy for another 16 days but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures, as it reported just eight new coronavirus infections, the lowest in two months.
The latest figure on new infections was the first time since 18 February that South Korea reported a single- digit daily rise. The increase takes its total cases to 10,661.
Of the new cases, five were imported from overseas, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The death toll rose to 234.
The slightly relaxed guidelines mean high-risk facilities like churches will no longer have to close, while sports matches such as soccer can resume without an audience.
Mounting evidence suggests that social distancing slowed the pandemic after more than half of humanity - 4.5 billion people - were confined to their homes.
Indonesia reported 327 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 6,575.
The health ministry also reported 47 new deaths, taking the total to 582.
The figures come a day after the chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association said that the country's actual death toll could be nearly twice the official numbers.
In response, Yurianto told reporters in an online briefing on Sunday to "avoid the added psychological burden of untrue news.
As governments around the world grapple with when and how to ease lockdowns, Spain yesterday extended its nationwide shutdown to 9 May.
Malaysia has confirmed 84 new cases, bringing the country's total to 5,389. One additional fatality brought the death toll to 89.
France reported 395 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours as the number of new hospitalisations continued a slow decline.
The new deaths - 227 in hospitals and 168 in nursing homes - brought France's total epidemic death toll to 19,718, top health official Jerome Salomon told reporters.
Spain's death toll from Covid-19 rose by 410, down from 565 yesterday, the Health Ministry said, bringing the total to 20,453 deaths in one of the world's hardest hit countries.
The number of overall coronavirus cases rose to 195,944 from 191,726 yesterday, it added.
Italy debated their first cautious steps out of a coronavirus lockdown that has left an estimated half of the working population seeking government support.
Officially, Covid-19 has killed at least 23,227 in Italy and has been filled with rumours about when people will finally be allowed to walk the streets freely for the first time since early March.
Japan, Britain and Mexico have all expanded their movement restrictions.
Yet elsewhere, signs that the outbreak could be easing prompted Switzerland, Denmark and Finland to begin reopening shops and schools this week.
Germany has declared the virus "under control" after 3,400 deaths, and is beginning the delicate task of lifting some restrictions without triggering a secondary outbreak - with some shops allowed to reopen Monday, and some children returning to school within weeks.
Iran also allowed some Tehran businesses to reopen Saturday despite the Middle East's deadliest outbreak.
"How can I keep staying home? My family is hungry," said Hamdollah Mahmoudi, 45, a shopworker in Tehran's Grand Bazaar.
Meanwhile, many of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians are marking Easter without attending church services.
In Zimbabwe, mass rallies and military parades to mark the country's 40th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule were cancelled.
And Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II will not mark her birthday on Tuesday with a traditional gun salute.
Australia has called for an independent investigation into the global response to the pandemic, including the World Health Organization's handling of the crisis.
Its foreign minister said the country would "insist" on a review that would probe, in part, China's response to the outbreak.
