Washington, March 17: Cases of novel coronavirus are rising exponentially in the United States, with the countrywide tally crossing 5,000-mark on Tuesday. The number of COVID-19 positive cases rose fivefold in the US compared to last week, when around 1,000 cases were reported in the nation. The number of deaths due to coronavirus has surged to 91 in the nation, making it the worst affected among the group of nations in South America and North America combined.

Considering the crisis due to coronavirus pandemic, the Donald Trump administration is considering to rollout a spree of prohibitory measures to prevent the disease from further spreading in the US. Schools, colleges and other institutes have been closed down in several provinces to contain the spread of virus. The government has also warned against all forms of mass gatherings for the next few days. Coronavirus Outbreak in US: Ohio Governor Announces Polls Will Be Closed on Tuesday Over COVID-19 Pandemic.

Globally, the number of coronavirus cases has crossed the 1,89,000-mark. The number of deaths surged to over 6,600, with maximum among the death reported in China. Italy, with over 2,100 fatalities, has reported the second highest number of deaths, followed by Iran where nearly 1,000 have succumbed to COVID-19.

US President Donald Trump lashed out at China for the spread of coronavirus pandemic, accusing the nation of suppressing information related to the disease despite being its epicentre. After his "Chinese virus" remarks drew flak from Beijing, Trump reiterated the same on Tuesday.

"It did come from China, so I think it's very accurate," Trump told a news conference, defending an earlier tweet in which he had used the controversial description - tying China with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China was putting out information which was false. I didn't appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them. Our military did not give it to anybody," he was further reported as saying.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 17, 2020 11:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).