Asian markets fell again on Thursday as coronavirus infections surged outside China with more new countries reporting cases and analysts warning of more pain ahead for investors.
Donald Trump looked to ease concerns about the crisis on Wednesday, telling reporters in a rare White House briefing he did not think it "inevitable" that COVID-19 would continue to spread throughout the US.
That came a day after the nation's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned: "It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen."
"There is still so much more uncertainty around how coronavirus is going to spread, particularly in the US."