As leaders around the world struggle with how and when to loosen — or even reimpose — pandemic restrictions, the novel coronavirus continues its deadly spread. The number of confirmed infections worldwide surpassed 5 million after the worst day yet for new cases. World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that more than 100,000 new infections were reported over the previous 24 hours, the highest one-day total since the outbreak began late last year.
