Pope Francis on Sunday gave special prayers for those sickened and killed by the coronavirus, praising the “great commitment” to contain the outbreak that is sparking global panic.

“I would like also to be close to and pray for the people who are sick because of the virus that has spread through China,” Francis told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly blessing.

“May the Lord welcome the dead into his peace, comfort families and sustain the great commitment by the Chinese community that has already been put in place to combat the epidemic,” he said.

The coronavirus has infected nearly 2,000 people and killed at least 56, all in China, officials there have said.

Early Sunday a third US case was also confirmed, with an Orange County patient who had just returned from the outbreak’s epicenter, Wuhan in China, joining cases in Chicago and the Seattle, Wash., area.

With Post wires