Prime Minister Modi is emerging as the frontline world leader in the fight against COVID-19

Far from leading from the front, the US has now become the biggest hotspot of COVID-19 infections in the world. As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, many have questioned the US' inability to rise to the occasion and command global response to the crisis

Far from leading from the front, the US has now become the biggest hotspot of COVID-19 infections in the world. The country has now crossed China, where the COVID-19 pandemic originated, in the number of cases and deaths.

The US has reported more than 240,000 COVID-19 cases, the highest in the world, and over 6,000 people have died due to the disease. The death toll from the novel coronavirus reached staggering new levels in the United States on Thursday, as officials reported more than 1,000 deaths from the pandemic in a single day.

American foreign affairs expert Fareed Zakaria told India Today TV that the US has abdicated its responsibility as a world leader in the face of coronavirus.

Zakaria said, "The US is abdicating its role as leader of the world. During previous pandemics such as Zika and Ebola, the US was at the forefront of organising international effort. President Obama stepped up as the president of the world."

"In this case, the US is absent. It has no interest in a global leadership role...it is acting childishly," he added.

Major economies face mounting pressure to bridge internal divisions and unite against the coronavirus. Current and former officials associated with the G20 say it has shirked its role as a global fire station.

Further clouding the outlook are duelling accusations by Washington and Beijing over the origin of the coronavirus. Ties were already long strained by disputes over trade, intellectual property, human rights and media freedom.

Donald Trump has said China should have warned the world sooner about the coronavirus, which a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman blamed on the US military.