As many as 85.04 million (85,040,066) people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,844,920 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 60,166,133 cases of global recoveries. Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world with over 85 million confirmed cases in 218 countries and more than 1.84 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 Saturday 160,606 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as the confirmed cases nation-wide crossed 20 million. It also recorded 2,051 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The tally showed that the confirmed cases nationwide reached 20,128,693 and at least 347,788 deaths across US, with the country remaining the world's worst hit by the pandemic. Furthermore there were a record 125,057 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 10.3 and 7.7 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 445 to 74,570, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Saturday. As many as 57,725 more lab-confirmed cases raised the country's overall count to nearly 2,599,000, according to the department's daily update. Meanwhile, British Education Minister Gavin Williamson announced that most primary schools in England would reopen to receive students next Monday. In Moscow, Russia reported 24,150 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 3,236,787 after it crossed the 3.23 million mark. Russia's coronavirus crisis center said 504 coronavirus patients had died in the last 24 hours and the overall national coronavirus death toll was at 58,506. 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 Saturday 336 deaths and 12,690 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said the country's death toll increased to 33,960 cases and the total confirmed cases those to 1,755,351. 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, the French Health Ministry reported 3,466 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours on Saturday, slightly less than Friday's 19,348 and well below Wednesday's more than one-month high of 26,457, Reuters reported. The increase was within the government's target of 5,000 or less per day. France's cumulative total of cases now stands at 2,643,239, the fifth highest in the world. The COVID-19 death toll was up by 157 at 64,921. France will impose an earlier curfew in 15 northeastern and southeastern departments from Saturday to combat the spread of the coronavirus, starting at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., the government said on Friday. President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that everyone in France should be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine if they want it, amidst broad criticism over the slowness of the vaccination program. In Rome, Italy's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak hit 74,985 on Saturday after 364 more people succumbed to the disease over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed. Some 11,831 new cases were logged in the same period to raise the total in one of the world's worst-affected countries to 2,141,201, according to government figures. It noted 9,166 people recovered from the virus in the past day, taking the tally to more than 2,490,000 recoveries since the outbreak of the pandemic. In Brussels, total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Sunday increased to 649,169 with 880 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. They reported 63 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 19,644. In Amsterdam, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Saturday reported that 8,630 new coronavirus cases were reported in the Netherlands raising the total number of infections to 813,970. Also around three more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours raising the total deaths from COVID-19 to 11,534, said the institute. In Vienna, Austrian authorities announced Saturday that they recorded 1,391 new coronavirus cases raising the total number of confirmed infections to 364,302. More than 336,000 cases have recovered since the start of the pandemic, deaths have reached 6,275, said the country's Health Ministry. In New Delhi, India said on Sunday that 217 people died due to COVID-19 while 18,177 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 149,435 as the total number of positive cases mounted to 10,323,965. According to the ministry, 9,927,310 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 Seoul, South Korea reported 824 new coronavirus cases Saturday, Yonhap reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload at 62,593, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Twenty-one people died in the past 24 hours raising the death toll to 900. On Sunday last, the government extended the current level 2.5 distancing measures in the capital area and Level 2 restrictions in the rest of the country until Jan. 3. South Korea is grappling to contain yet another wave of virus infections with the toughest social distancing rules banning gatherings of five or more people. The government has urged citizens to strictly comply with the distancing rules, warning that any violations will face a fine of up to 3 million won ($2,700). In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil recorded 15,827 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours and 314 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. Brazil has registered more than 7.7 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 195,725, according to ministry data. 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. Africa has recorded more than two and half million cases, but the true extent of the pandemic there is not known as testing rates are low. 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 Saturday that 1,407 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 54 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country's tally to 140,878 infections and 7,741 deaths the ministry said. Another 654 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 113,480. In Rabat, Morocco on Saturday said confirmed coronavirus cases had risen by 1,171 over the past 24 hours, while 27 more people succumbed to the disease to up the country's death toll to 7,452. The North African nation's caseload has reached 442,141 since the contagion came to light, according to the Health Ministry's data, 2,520 infected people have recovered which showed the tally of people who have recovered from the virus till date as 412,168. In Tunis, Tunisia's Ministry of Health on Saturday announced 35 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 1,422 more infections in 24 hours. The tally of confirmed deaths and infections rose to 4,765 and 141,979 respectively since the outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile, overall recoveries went up to 106,050. Meanwhile, Mauritania's Ministry of Health said Saturday that 96 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the country's caseload to 14,677. Four more fatalities in the last 24 hours pushed the death toll from the viral illness to 353. The report said, 261 patients have been discharged from hospitals, raising the overall recoveries to 11,913 cases. — Agencies
