As many as 85.5 million (85,591,032) people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,852,777 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 60,551,662 cases of global recoveries. Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world with over 85 million confirmed cases in 218 countries and more than 1.85 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 Sunday 299,087 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as the confirmed cases nation-wide crossed 20 million. It also recorded 2,398 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The tally showed that the confirmed cases nationwide reached 20,427,780 and at least 350,186 deaths across US, with the country remaining the world's worst hit by the pandemic. Furthermore there were a record 123,639 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. On the new coronavirus strain, first identified in the UK, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CNN, "It's hard to say if it's widespread or not, but it is here, We have the tools. regardless of the strain, to be able to defeat this virus, we just need the will to actually follow through and do the things that we know will help us." 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 Moscow, Russia reported 23,351 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 3,260,138 after it crossed the 3.26 million mark. Russia's coronavirus crisis center said 482 coronavirus patients had died in the last 24 hours and the overall national coronavirus death toll was at 58,988. They added 21,154 people recovered from the virus, raising the total number of recoveries to 2,640,036. 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 Monday 302 deaths and 9.847 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said the country's death toll increased to 34,574 cases and the total confirmed cases those to 1,775,513. 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 on Sunday recorded 12,489 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, up from the 3,466 reported a day earlier, Reuters cited the country's Health Ministry as saying in a daily update. The increase was higher than the government's target of 5,000 or less per day and brought the cumulative total to 2,665,728, the ministry's data showed. The COVID-19 death toll was up by 116 to 65,037, after rising by 157 on Saturday. In Rome, Italy's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak hit 75,332 on Sunday after 462 more people succumbed to the disease over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed. Some 14,245 new cases were logged in the same period to raise the total in one of the world's worst-affected countries to 2,155,446, according to government figures. It noted recoveries topped 1,500,000. In Brussels, total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Monday increased to 650,011 with 842 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. They reported 57 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 19,701. In Amsterdam, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Sunday reported that 7,438 new coronavirus cases were reported in the Netherlands raising the total number of infections to 821,408. Also around 47 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours raising the total deaths from COVID-19 to 11,581, said the institute. In Vienna, Austrian authorities announced Monday that they recorded 1,642 new coronavirus cases raising the total number of confirmed infections to 366,900. More than 338,000 cases have recovered since the start of the pandemic, deaths have reached 6,357, said the country's Health Ministry. In New Delhi, India said on Monday that 214 people died due to COVID-19 while 16,505 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 149,649 as the total number of positive cases mounted to 10,340,470. According to the ministry, 9,946,867 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 Monday 1,760 daily cases of novel coronavirus, raising the nation's total number 246,971, the Health Ministry and local authorities said. The country's cumulative death toll stood at 3,646. Tokyo added 884 new infections, topping 800 for the third straight day, which brought the total cases in the Japanese capital to 63,474. In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus variants, the government suspended new entries of non-resident foreign nationals from around the world to Japan through Jan. 31. In Seoul, South Korea reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases Monday, Yonhap reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload at 64,264, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Nineteen people died in the past 24 hours raising the death toll to 981. Of the newly identified local infections, 324 cases were reported in Seoul and 260 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. To cope with the pandemic, the health authorities on Saturday extended the current level 2.5 distancing measures in the Greater Seoul area and Level 2 restrictions in the rest of the country until Jan. 17. The country is also banning gatherings of five or more people. Meanwhile starting Friday, foreigners arriving in South Korea airports must present a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours before their departure to the nation. 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. In Mexico City, Mexico's Health Ministry reported 5,211 new coronavirus cases and 362 additional fatalities on Sunday, Reuters reported. The Health Ministry's report brings its totals to 1,448,755 infections and 127,213 deaths. 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 Sunday that 1,309 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 64 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country's tally to 142,187 infections and 7,805 deaths the ministry said. Another 418 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 113,898. In Rabat, Morocco on Sunday said confirmed coronavirus cases had risen by 1,005 over the past 24 hours, while 33 more people succumbed to the disease to up the country's death toll to 7,485. The North African nation's caseload has reached 443,146 since the contagion came to light, according to the Health Ministry's data, 1,225 infected people have recovered which showed the tally of people who have recovered from the virus till date as 413,393. In Tunis, Tunisia's Ministry of Health on Sunday announced 35 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 1,422 more infections in 24 hours. The tally of confirmed deaths and infections rose to 4,800 and 143,544 respectively since the outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile, overall recoveries went up to 107,049. Meanwhile, Mauritania's Ministry of Health said Sunday that 117 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the country's caseload to 14,794. Five more fatalities in the last 24 hours pushed the death toll from the viral illness to 358. The report said, 223 patients have been discharged from hospitals, raising the overall recoveries to 12,136 cases. — Agencies
