LONDON — More than 32.34 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 983,486 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
According to the census, the United States topped the list with 7,002,288 cases and 202,911 deaths; followed by India with 5,818,570 cases and 92,290 deaths; then Brazil with 4,657,702 cases and 139,808 deaths; and Russia with 1,136,048 cases and 20,056 deaths.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
India Saturday announced 1,089 deaths and 85,362 new infections of the new coronavirus during the past 24 hours. According to the Indian Ministry of Health, the total number of deaths from the virus rose to 93,379, while the number of confirmed infections exceeded the barrier of 9.5 million.
Meanwhile, Mexico's confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 720,858 on Friday, according to updated data from the Health Ministry, along with a reported death toll of 75,844, Reuters said.
Authorities reported 5,401 new cases along with 405 deaths today, on Friday, but the true figures are likely significantly higher due to little testing.
In Paris, France reported that its total number of coronavirus cases jumped over 500,000 for the first time, as it registered 15,797 new confirmed cases on Friday, just shy of a daily record of 16,096 set on Thursday.
The total number of cases now stands at 513,034, health ministry data showed, according to Reuters. The number of people who have died from the infection increased by 150 - triple the daily levels of the past week — to 31,661.
And, South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 100 for the third straight day Friday due to continued rises in sporadic cluster infections, putting the South Korea's virus fight to the test ahead of a major holiday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
South Korea added 114 more COVID-19 cases, including 95 local infections, raising the total caseload to 23,455, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Confirmed coronavirus infections in the Philippines have soared past 300,000, the latest bleak milestone in a country which has gradually reopened its battered economy despite having the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia.
The Department of Health on Saturday reported a daily tally of 2,747 new and recent infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 301,256, with 5,284 deaths.
Officials have tried to ease alarm by highlighting the massive number of COVID-19 recoveries, but critics say the outbreaks remain uncontrolled and coronavirus cases may be undercounted despite an increase in testing capacity in recent months.
President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration have walked a tightrope in reviving the battered economy and containing infections. The government said the central city of Iloilo was placed under a mild lockdown Friday for two weeks due to infection spikes but at the same time announced that the popular Boracay island beach resort in a nearby region would be opened to more local tourists.— Agencies
