US now has most coronavirus cases in the world after overtaking China

The number of US coronavirus infections climbed above 82,000 on Thursday, surpassing the national tallies of China and Italy, as New York, New Orleans and other hot spots faced a surge in hospitalisations amid looming shortages of supplies, staff and sick beds.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump during a phone call on Friday that he would have China's support in fighting the virus.

Mr Xi's offer of assistance came amid a long-running war of words between Beijing and Washington over various issues including the coronavirus epidemic.

Mr Trump and some US officials have accused China of a lack of transparency on the virus, and Mr Trump has at times called the coronavirus a "China virus" as it originated there, angering Beijing.

In the call, Mr Xi reiterated to Mr Trump that China had been open and transparent about the epidemic, according to an account of the conversation published by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Mr Trump said on Twitter that he discussed the coronavirus outbreak "in great detail" with Mr Xi.

With medical facilities running low on ventilators and protective masks, and hampered by limited diagnostic testing capacity, the US death toll has risen beyond 1,200.

"Any scenario that is realistic will overwhelm the capacity of the healthcare system,"said Andrew Cuomo, New York governor.

Mr Cuomo described the state's projected shortfall in ventilators - machines that support the respiration of people who cannot breathe on their own - as "astronomical".

"It's not like they have them sitting in the warehouse," Mr Cuomo added. "There is no stockpile available."

At least one New York City hospital, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan, has begun a trial of sharing single ventilators between two patients.

While New York was the coronavirus epicentre in the United States this week, the next big wave of infections appeared to be headed for Louisiana, where demand for ventilators has already doubled. In New Orleans, the state's biggest city, Mardi Gras celebrations late last month are believed to have fueled the outbreak.