By Adam Martin

Newly reported Covid-19 cases in the U.S. hit a record high, as did deaths reported in a day, as the global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passed 1.5 million.

Hospitalizations also hit a record, with 100,667 people in the U.S. admitted as of Thursday, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Of those, a record 19,442 people were in intensive care.

The country reported 217,664 new cases on Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, up from 200,055 on Wednesday, and surpassing the previous record of 205,557 set Friday last week.

Newly reported deaths also surged Thursday, to 2,879, according to Johns Hopkins data, the second daily record in a row. The U.S. reported 2,804 deaths on Wednesday.

Nationally, more than 14 million have been infected and more than 276,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. World-wide, more than 65.2 million people have been

Here’s what you need to know:

Here’s what you need to know:

Federal health officials are likely to shorten their recommendation for how long people should quarantine to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus from the current 14 days to as few as seven.

Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations call for two weeks of isolation from the last contact with a person known to have COVID-19. However, Adm. Brett Giroir, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said Tuesday that health officials were rethinking that recommendation, citing “a preponderance of evidence that a shorter

Here’s what you need to know:

Toronto, the largest city in Canada, is moving into lockdown — its highest alert, what it calls grey status — as it tries to mitigate an increasing coronavirus emergency.

The Peel Region, just west of Toronto and including Mississauga, will also be placed in the grey status.

As part of the designation, public or social indoor gatherings are not allowed. Weddings, funerals or religious services may have up to 10 people indoors. All outdoor gatherings cannot include more than 10 people.

Also, restaurants and bars may have no indoor or outdoor service though takeout is permitted. Essential retail, like pharmacies and

Coronavirus cases are surging in Japan and South Korea, reaching levels not seen in months, as the weather turns colder and people gather indoors.

Japan on Friday reported 1,649 new cases, an all-time high, surpassing the previous daily record set on Aug. 7.

Clusters of infections have been linked to a wide range of places, including restaurants, offices, nursing homes and hospitals across Japan. The hardest hit areas in the latest wave of infections are Tokyo and Osaka, as well as Aichi prefecture—which includes the city of Nagoya—and the northern island of Hokkaido.

On Friday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged people to take preventive measures against the virus, warning that the upward trend in new cases was intensifying. Despite the rising caseloads, Mr. Suga said there wasn’t yet a need to issue a new state of emergency.

South Korea has also kept its current social-distancing measures in place, despite a