U.S. has most coronavirus cases in world, next wave aimed at Louisiana

Houses south of downtown Seattle are seen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Seattle, Washington, U.S. March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of U.S. 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 hospitalizations and looming shortages of supplies, staff and sick beds.

With medical facilities running low on ventilators and protective masks and hampered by limited diagnostic testing capacity, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, rose beyond 1,200.