GLOBAL VIRUS CASES NEAR 12.9 MN
Latin America deaths due to Coronavirus pass US as Spain lockdown blocked
WASHINGTON DC: The overall number of global COVID-19 cases was nearing 12.9 million, while the deaths have increased to more than 568,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
As of Monday morning, the total number of cases stood at 12,872,434, while the fatalities rose to 568,296, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.
The US accounted for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities at 3,302,665 and 135,176, respectively, according to the CSSE. Brazil came in the second place with 1,864,681 infections and 72,100 deaths.
In terms of cases, India ranks third (849,553), and is followed by Russia (726,036), Peru (326,326), Chile (315,041), Mexico (299,750), the UK (291,154), South Africa (276,242), Iran (257,303), Spain (253,908), Pakistan (248,872), Italy (243,061), Saudi Arabia (232,259), Turkey (212,993), France (208,015), Germany (199,919), Bangladesh (183,795), Colombia (145,362), Canada (109,348), Qatar (103,598) and Argentina (100,166), the CSSE figures showed.
The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are the UK (44,904), Mexico (35,006), Italy (34,954), France (30,007), Spain (28,403), India (22,674), Iran (12,829), Peru (11,870) and
Russia (11,318).
The World Health Organization has reported another record in the increase in the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases over a 24-hour period, at over 230,000.
The UN health agency said Sunday the United States again topped the list among countries, with more than 66,000 cases recorded.
The figures don't necessarily account for delays in reporting of cases, and are believed to far underestimate actual case totals.
Still, the trend line of confirmed cases continues to increase — with three largest counts coming in over the last three days.
The previous record was Friday, with more than 228,000 newly recorded cases worldwide in a 24-hour span.
Latin America surged past the US and Canada to become the world's second worst-hit region for virus deaths on Monday as a Spanish court blocked a move to lock down some 200,000 people.
South Africa meanwhile reimposed a nationwide curfew to prevent a “Coronavirus storm” from ravaging the continent's hardest-hit nation.
Since the start of July, nearly 2.5 million new infections have been detected across the globe, with the number of cases doubling over the past six weeks, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
And with cases surging in Latin America, the continent on Monday had officially declared a total of 144,758 deaths, passing the 144,023 recorded in the United States and Canada. It now stands second only to Europe, where 202,505 people have died.
Although life in parts of Europe has been returning to some semblance of normality, authorities across the continent are worriedly watching dozens of areas where cases have resurged.
Concerned by a spike in the town of Lerida in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, officials on Sunday ordered nearly 200,000 residents to stay home in the first such order since the country's lockdown ended on June 21.
But early Monday, a local court suspended the measure as “contrary to law” despite concerns over the scale of the outbreak -- one of scores being monitored across badlyhit Spain, where the virus has killed more than 28,400 people. Fears of a second wave also forced South Africa to reimpose a nationwide curfew on Sunday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa warning the country faced a “Coronavirus storm” that was “far fiercer and more destructive” than any before. With new infections topping 12,000 per day -- or 500 per hour -- South Africa has reimposed a night curfew as well as a ban on alcohol sales that was lifted barely six weeks ago.
The Philippines also moved to reimpose a two-week lockdown on some 250,000 people in Manila as new infections soared just six weeks after the capital emerged from one of the world's longest lockdowns. Meanwhile in Japan, two US Marine bases on Okinawa island have been locked down after a spike in cases with dozens infected and local officials expressing “serious doubts” about the US military's containment efforts.
Other restrictions were imposed on seven other Marine bases on the southern Japanese island where tens of thousands of US servicemen are stationed and where nearly 100 new cases have been detected in recent days. The worst-hit country in the world, the US has suffered 135,171 deaths and 3,301,820 cases, with surveys showing Americans are unhappy with how Trump has handled the crisis.
Across the planet, the pandemic has infected nearly 13 million people, killed over 566,000 and triggered massive economic damage in the seven months since it was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In Latin America, Brazil accounts for almost half of the continent's recorded fatalities. Mexico has become the country with the fourth-highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in the world, climbing to a total of 35,006 deaths and surpassing Italy.
And Sri Lanka ordered government schools across the nation to shut Monday -- just a week after they reopened -following a surge in new cases. The latest high-profile personality to test positive for COVID-19 was Bollywood superstar and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Meanwhile, New York City has reported zero new Coronavirus deaths for the first time since early March, a milestone that comes as the number of COVID-19 cases have spiked in some other parts of the US, it was reported.
On Sunday, preliminary health data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene showed that no one died from the Coronavirus in New York City on Saturday, the first time zero new deaths have been reported there since March 13, reports The Hill news website.
Officials recorded no confirmed death the day before, too, but did report two probable deaths, according to NBC4. The city, which was once the epicentre of the pandemic in the US, has reported a total of 215,924 cases and 18,670 confirmed deaths, according to the latest city data.
It hit its peak in terms of confirmed daily deaths from the virus on April 7, with 597 deaths.
The development comes as the US currently accounted for the world's highest number of COVID-19 infections and fatalities at 3,302,665 and 135,176, respectively.