More than 51.23 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,269,346 have died, according to a Reuters tally published on Wednesday. With 238,427 deaths and over 10 million confirmed cases, the United States tops the list of 20 countries with the highest recorded infections and deaths in the world. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. India, meanwhile, scaled several unprecedented peaks in the last 24 hours. Its active caseload of COVID-19 fell below 5,00,000 to 4,94,657. In all, 27 states/UTs have less than 20,000 active cases. Just 8 states/UTs have more than 20,000 cases. Also total recoveries also crossed 80 lakhs widening the gap between recovered and active cases. The number of total recoveries as on date is 80,13,783. The gap between recovered cases and active cases has widened 75,19,126. In all, India has seen its cumulative tests cross 12 crores, with 11,53,294 tests having been conducted in the last 24 hours in the country. High testing has aided in early identification of the infected population. New daily cases continue to be less than 50,000. Russia said Wednesday that 432 persons died of the coronavirus while, 19,851 people tested positive for the contagious disease in the past 24 hours. The COVID-19 emergency center said total deaths reached 31,593 people and registered infection topped 1,836,960. It added 18,616 people recovered from the virus to reach 1,369,357. In Berlin, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 18,487 to 705,687, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday. The reported death toll rose by 261 to 11,767, the tally showed. In Brussels, Total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Wednesday stood at 507,475 with 4,293 new infections reported by the health authorities. They said 345 more deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 13,561. In Tokyo, Japan reported 1,411 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, raising the total number to 111,430, the health ministry and local authorities said. The country's cumulative death toll rose by 15 to 1,856. In Mexico City, Mexico's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 5,746 more coronavirus cases and 617 more deaths, bringing the official toll to 978,531 cases and 95,842 deaths, Reuters reported. — Agencies
