Coronavirus cases across the globe jumped on Thursday as G20 leaders said they were committed to presenting a united front against the pandemic, the International Labour Organization warned of far more than 25 million job losses, and the U.S. Senate unanimously backed a $2-trillion aid package.

The pandemic has seen almost 489,000 people infected globally and over 22,000 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

The number of jobs lost around the world due to the coronavirus crisis could be "far higher" than the 25 million the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated just a week ago, a senior ILO official said.

European Union leaders will back plans to defend healthcare, infrastructure and other firms considered strategic from hostile foreign takeovers, draft EU summit conclusions show.

The Group of 20 major economies said, will do "whatever it takes" to overcome the coronavirus crisis and are injecting $5 trillion into the global economy though national measures as part of their efforts to lessen its impact.

In Europe and specifically in Italy the number of cases in the northern region of Lombardy increased by some 2,500, a steeper increase than in previous days. Spain extended its lockdown to at least April 12.Switzerland's infections topped 10,000 as the government pumped money into the economy and army medical units helped hospitals handle the spreading epidemic.

President Vladimir Putin said he hoped Russia would defeat the virus in 2-3 months, as authorities suspended international flights, ordered most shops in the capital to shut and halted some church services. 

Britain has placed an emergency order of 10,000 ventilators from Dyson, while Slovakia aims to sharply increase daily testing in the next few weeks.

In the Americas, the U.S. death toll topped 1,000 as government data showed a record number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits and hospitals struggled to treat a surge of patients.

Americans should receive cash payments within three weeks, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said.New York, experiencing more deaths and infections than any other U.S. state, is showing tentative signs of slowing the spread of the virus, while New Orleans is on track to become the country's next epicenter.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro faced a political backlash for calling the coronavirus lockdown a crime.

About half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa still have a "narrowing”opportunity to curb the spread of the virus, the regional head of the World Health Organisation said.

And in the Middle East, Turkey could order the public to stay at home if infections continue to spread, the government said as it clamped down further on medical equipment leaving the country.

Iran started an intercity travel ban, a day after Tehran warned the country might face a second outbreak. Iran has reported 2,234 deaths and 29,406 infections so far. Lebanon will begin an overnight shutdown from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., as it steps up measures to combat the virus.

The United Arab Emirates will impose overnight curfews as a temporary measure this weekend, when it will carry out a nationwide disinfection campaign.

Qatar signed agreements to increase its strategic food stuff reserves while Saudi Arabia has released 250 foreign detainees held on non-violent immigration and residency offenses.