The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Following a series of missteps, the nation is now the epicenter of the pandemic.

(The New York Times)

A line for coronavirus testing outside of Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens on Wednesday.
A line for coronavirus testing outside of Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens on Wednesday.Credit…Dave Sanders for The New York Times
Donald G. McNeil Jr.
By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
March 26, 2020
Updated 6:14 p.m. ET

Scientists warned that the United States someday would become the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. That moment arrived on Thursday.