A senior U.S. scientist issued a cautious prediction Sunday that the novel coronavirus could claim 100,000 to 200,000 lives in the United States.

The British government admitted on Sunday that the coronavirus lockdown could last a "significant" time as a leading expert warned it could be in place until June.

Saudi authorities have seized more than five million medical masks that were illegally stockpiled amid the coronavirus outbreak, state media reported on Sunday.

President Hassan Rouhani warned Sunday that "the new way of life" in Iran was likely to be prolonged, as its declared death toll from the novel coronavirus rose to 2,640.

The United Arab Emirates has launched a drive-through coronavirus testing facility as part of the Gulf state's efforts to fight the disease, the Abu Dhabi government's media office announced.

France evacuated 36 more coronavirus patients from the  hard-hit east to western areas on Sunday, hoping to free up intensive care units as hospitals brace for even more serious cases in the coming days.

Spain reported a national daily record of 838 coronavirus deaths on Sunday in a fresh warning to the world that long-term lockdowns may be needed to halt the deadly march of a disease that has claimed more than 31,000 lives. 

The global coronavirus death toll surged past 30,000 over the weekend as Europe and the United States endured their darkest days of the crisis.

The ground-zero city of Wuhan is cautiously reopening after a two-month quarantine, but the birthplace of the global coronavirus pandemic is now on guard against a potential new threat: imported cases.

More than 600,000 coronavirus cases recorded globally: AFP tally