Coronavirus live updates: USNS Comfort arrives in NYC, new US cases outpace the world

This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
- Global cases: More than 732,153
- Global deaths: At least 34,686
- US cases: At least 143,055
- US deaths: At least 2,513
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
10:05 am: February pending home sales jump over 9% annually, ahead of major coronavirus impact
Homebuyer demand was strengthening markedly just before COVID-19 began its spread across the U.S.
Pending home sales, which measure signed contracts on existing homes, rose a stronger than expected 2.4% in February compared with January. Sales were up a steep 9.4% annually, according to the National Association of Realtors. That is the highest pace in exactly three years.
“February’s pending sales figures show the housing market had been very healthy prior to the coronavirus-induced …continued .
[Source: CNBC News]