Medical workers cheer and acknowledge pedestrians and FDNY firefighters who gathered to applaud them at 7pm outside Brooklyn Hospital Center, Tuesday, April 14, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

By The Associated Press

President Donald Trump announced a halt to American payments to the World Health Organization, pending a review of its warnings about the coronavirus and China.

Nations around the world reacted with alarm to the news, and health experts warned the move could jeopardize global efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, the challenges of caring for the elderly and educating the young amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic were on full display Wednesday as Italian police investigated scores of deaths at the country’s biggest nursing home and Denmark began reopening schools for its youngest students.

Here are some of AP’s top stories Wednesday on the world’s coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day and APNews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak for stories explaining some of its complexities.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:

— An investigation by The Associated Press has found that six days of delays by China — from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 — in alerting the public to the growing dangers of the virus set the stage for a pandemic that has upended the lives of millions, sideswiped the global economy and cost nearly 127,000 lives.

— Trump has reversed previous assertions that he has the absolute authority to decide when it’s time to reopen the economy. He now says he will leave it to governors to determine the right time and way to revive activity in their states. Governors, meanwhile, are grappling with when and how to ease restrictions.

— The official death toll from the coronavirus soared in New York City on Tuesday after health authorities began including people who probably had COVID-19, but died without being tested.

— As countries around the world edge toward ending lockdowns and restarting their economies and societies, citizens are being more closely monitored. The challenge is achieving the tricky balance between limiting the spread of disease and allowing people freedom to move outside their homes.

— The U.S. military is bracing for a months-long struggle against the coronavirus, looking for ways to maintain a defensive crouch that sustains troops’ health without breaking their morale — while still protecting the nation. Defense Secretary Mark Esper acknowledged it’s tough to enforce social distancing and other standards with a force of 2.2 million spread out all over the world.

— Efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus may be choking Africa’s already-vulnerable food supply. Lockdowns in at least 33 of Africa’s 54 countries have blocked farmers from getting food to markets and threatened deliveries of food assistance to rural populations. Many informal markets where millions buy their food are shut.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.

One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.

You should wash your phone, too. Here’s how.

TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you’re worried about live.

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IN OTHER NEWS:

— HOME BAKERS: With millions of people across the globe stuck at home due to lockdown measures imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, many people are choosing to make their own bread, rather than venturing to the local store to buy their weekly fix.

— POST-PANDEMIC PTSD?: A Boston Marathon bombing survivor talks about his own journey back to mental health, the importance of self-care, and the anxiety, depression and trauma some may be struggling with as the pandemic wears people down.