Shomporko Desk:-JOHANNESBURG – The number of people around the globe who’ve died because of the coronavirus has surpassed the 600,000 marks as nations from the U.S. to South Africa to India battle to contain infections. Hong Kong additionally cautioned of a resurgence in the infection as it issued tougher new rules on the wearing of face masks.
Concerns are rising that the pandemic has discovered new legs in the course of recent weeks, with Johns Hopkins University recording a one-day high of 252,500 on Thursday, and a marginally lower 233,400 on Saturday. The World Health Organization gave a figure of 259,848 on Saturday, it’s maximum yet.
While the U.S. leads global infections, South Africa now ranks as the fifth worst-hit country in the pandemic with more than 350,000 cases, or around half of all those confirmed on the continent. Its struggles are a sign of potential trouble to come for nations with even fewer health care resources.
India, which has now confirmed more than a million infections, on Sunday, reported a 24-hour record surge of 38,902 new cases.
In Europe, where infections are far from their peak in the spring but local outbreaks are causing concern, leaders of the 27-nation European Union haggled for the third day in Brussels over a proposed 1.85 trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund.
Confirmed global deaths from or with COVID-19 rose to more than 602,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins. The United States tops the list with over 140,000, followed by more than 78,000 in Brazil, 45,000 in the United Kingdom and 38,000 in Mexico.
The number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million, with 3.7 million accounted for by the United States alone. Brazil has witnessed more than 2 million while India has recorded over 1 million. Experts believe the true numbers around the world are higher because of testing shortages and data collection issues in some nations.
Following a recent surge in cases, Hong Kong made the wearing of masks mandatory in all public places and told non-essential civil servants to work from home. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the situation in the Asian financial hub is “really critical” and that she sees “no sign” that it’s under control.
Photo credit: Peter Zelei Images/Moment/Getty Images
News source: The Associated Press
