The human and economic toll of the lockdowns against the coronavirus mounted Thursday as India struggled to feed the multitudes, Italy shut down most of its industry, and a record-shattering 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in a single week.

While world leaders held a virtual summit to grapple with how long to keep the global economy at a standstill to help flatten the rising curve of COVID-19 cases, the damage so far was coming into acute focus.