As many as 80.2 million (80,274,745) people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,758,984 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 56,540,560 cases of global recoveries. Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world with over 76 million confirmed cases in 190 countries and more than 1.7 million deaths. The virus is surging in many regions and countries that had apparent success in suppressing initial outbreaks are also seeing infections rise again. The US recorded 203,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and 2,938 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The tally showed that the confirmed cases nationwide reached 18,680,653 cases and at least 329,355 deaths, the highest figures in the world. Furthermore there are a record 120,151 people currently hospitalized for coronavirus in the US, according to COVID Tracking Project. The US ranks first globally in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. India and Brazil have the second and third highest case tallies, recording some 10 and 7 million cases respectively. Infections have been reported in more than 218 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. Daily cases have now fallen in many European countries after steep rises in October. Lockdowns and other restrictions were reintroduced in some of the worst-affected regions to help bring numbers down. In London, Britain said that the death toll from coronavirus has risen by 570 to 69,720, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Friday. As many as 32,725 more lab-confirmed cases raised the country's overall count to nearly 2,221,000, according to the department's daily update. Russia on Saturday confirmed 29,258 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours pushing the national tally to 3,021,964. Authorities said 567 people had died overnight, taking the official death toll to 54,226. The coronavirus operations center said 28,185 people recovered in the past 24 hours to reach 2,426,439. The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Russia on Jan. 31, 2020 when two Chinese citizens in Tyumen (Siberia) and Chita (Russia Far east) tested positive for the virus. In Berlin, German health authorities reported on Friday 412 deaths and 25,533 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said the country's death toll increased to 29,182 cases and the total confirmed cases those to 1,612,648. Germany responded to the second wave of the deadly pandemic by shutting hospitality businesses as well as leisure and sports facilities. Schools and non-essential shops have, however, remained open. In Paris, France registered 20,262 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases and 159 more related deaths in hospitals in the last 24 hours, Reuters cited the French Health Ministry data as showing. This came as fears of a new wave of the virus mount in the euro zone's second-biggest economy. France's number of confirmed COVID-19 cases now stands at 2,547,771 while its COVID-19 death toll stands at 62,427 — the seventh-highest in the world. In Rome, Italy's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak hit 71,359 on Friday after 459 more people succumbed to the disease over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed. Some 18,037 new cases were logged in the same period to raise the total in one of the world's worst-affected countries to 2,028,813, according to government figures. It noted 32,324 people recovered from the virus in the past day, taking the tally to more than 1,377,000 recoveries since the outbreak of the pandemic. In Brussels, total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Saturday increased to 637,246 with 2,342 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. They reported 51 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 19,089. In Madrid, the Spanish Health Ministry on Thursday reported new 126 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 12,662 more infections in the last 24 hours. The caseload has now surged to 1,854,951 and the death toll to 49,824 since the outbreak of the pandemic. In Amsterdam, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the environment Friday reported that 11,550 new coronavirus cases were reported in the Netherlands raising the total number of infections to 744,235. Also around 97 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours raising the total deaths from COVID-19 to 10,925, said the institute. In Vienna, Austrian authorities announced Friday that they recorded 1,851 new coronavirus cases raising the total number of confirmed infections to 349,055. More that 315,000 cases have recovered since the start of the pandemic, deaths have reached 5,783, said the country's Health Ministry. In New Delhi, India said on Saturday that 251 people died due to COVID-19 while 22,273 new cases of the coronavirus were registered in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that fatalities due to COVID-19 rose to 147,343 as the total number of positive cases mounted to 10,169,108. According to the ministry, 9,740,834 people recuperated from the pandemic as it spread to 35 states. India has the world's second-highest caseload, but daily infections have dipped steadily since hitting a peak in September. In Tokyo, Japan reported on Friday 3,828 daily cases of novel coronavirus, raising the nation's total number 213,012, the Health Ministry and local authorities said. The country's cumulative death toll rose by 69 and stood at 3,153. The Tokyo metropolitan government raised its alert for medical preparedness to the highest level on its four-tier scheme, saying the healthcare system in Tokyo is on the verge of a crisis. It also urged residents to refrain from non-essential outings during the yearend and the New Year holiday period. In Seoul, South Korea added 1,241 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the country's total caseload to 54,770, according to Yonhap news agency. It was a new record high of confirmed cases since the pandemic began, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The daily death toll hit 17, raising the total to 773, it said. Of the newly identified local infections, 550 cases were reported in Seoul and 257 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. The government has banned private gatherings of five or more people nationwide during the upcoming holiday season to curb the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, Some 7.2 million people have been infected with the coronavirus in Brazil the country's Health Ministry said. Brazil registered 22,967 additional cases of the new coronavirus and 482 related deaths in the prior 24 hours, Reuters cited data from the country's Health Ministry as showing on Friday. The South American country has now registered 7,448,560 total confirmed coronavirus cases and 190,488 deaths from COVID-19. Brazil ranks third in terms of infection numbers globally, behind the United States and India. On fatalities, Brazil ranks second behind the US. Argentina, Colombia and Mexico have also recorded more than one million cases and all three countries are still seeing very high numbers of daily confirmed cases. Peru is also approaching the milestone of one million cases, although daily cases are falling. The country has one of the highest deaths rates in the world. The African Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the number of cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus recorded a new high in Africa. The center stated, in a statement Friday, that the total number of infections has reached 2,597,090, while the total deaths have reached 61,423 cases so far. South Africa, with more than 800,000 cases and nearly 23,000 deaths, is the worst affected country on the continent. Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and Tunisia are the only other African countries to officially record more than 100,000 cases. In Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population said on Friday that 1,133 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 49 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country's tally to 130,126 infections and 7,309 deaths the ministry said. Another 511 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 108,985. In Tunis, Tunisia's Ministry of Health on Friday announced 61 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 1,826 more infections in 24 hours. The tally confirmed deaths and infections rose to 4,385 and 128,578 respectively since the outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile overall recoveries went up to 98,426. The Tunisian Ministry of Transport and Logistics announced the suspension of all arrival, departure and transit flights between Tunisian and Denmark airports until further notice. The Tunisian ministry said that it decided that arrivals to Tunisia, who stayed or transited through Denmark, will not be allowed to enter Tunisia. Meanwhile, Mauritania's Ministry of Health said Friday that 246 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the country's caseload to 13,364. Thirteen more fatalities in the last 24 hours pushed the death toll from the viral illness to 314. The report said, 297 patients have been discharged from hospitals, raising the overall recoveries to 9,787 cases. — Agencies
