Global deaths from virus soar past 100,000, but spread in U.S. may be slowing

The global death toll of the novel coronavirus surged past 100,000 on Friday, though leaders in the United States, facing the world’s largest outbreak of the virus, said they saw new signs that social distancing measures were slowing its spread.

The American death toll is already daunting: more than 18,000 people, seemingly poised to pass Italy’s total and become the highest official toll in the world. And it is growing rapidly. More than 1,900 new U.S. deaths were announced Friday, the highest daily total so far. That number included a record-high 205 deaths in Michigan, where the coronavirus has been advancing even as it fades in the first American epicenters.