Coronavirus killed 657 people in a single day on Monday in US as death toll jumped to 3,157, having the country poised to surpass China's grim toll of 3,300 deaths.

Earlier on the same day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said up to 1 million more healthcare workers were needed. "Please come help us," he urged.

Hard-hit Italy and Spain have already overtaken China and now account for more than half of the nearly 38,000 COVID-19 deaths worldwide, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that while attention has shifted to epicenters in Western Europe and North America, the coronavirus pandemic was far from over in Asia.

"This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard," said Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. "We need every country to keep responding according to their local situation."

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows over 777,000 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll over 37,000 and over 164,000 recoveries.