As many as 106.7 million (106,752,707) people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 2,328,807 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 78,450,304 cases of global recoveries. Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world with over 100 million confirmed cases in 218 countries and more than 2.32 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. In the past one week, the US witnessed a significant drop in the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases, deaths, as well as hospitalizations, according to The Covid Tracking Project. In its latest update, the Tracking Project said on Sunday that fresh cases were down more than 16 percent in the above mentioned period, and dropped below one million for the first time since the week of Nov. 5, 2020. The country had 84,223 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Feb. 6, down about more than 40,000 from the country's peak in early January, but still three times as many as before the fall and winter case surge, according to the Tracking Project. Deaths due to the disease also declined in the past week, the first weekly drop since October 2020. Despite the decline however, deaths remained incredibly high — more than 21,000 were reported over the past week. According to data published by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU), more than 100,000 people in the US have died of COVID-19 since Jan. 1. Currently, the seven-day averages for reported cases and deaths are about 120,000 and 3,200 per day, respectively, according to data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The US still accounts for the highest number of cases and deaths in the world, making it the hardest-hit country globally. In its latest update on Monday morning, the JHU revealed that the country's overall caseload and death toll stood at 27,004,529 and 463,433, respectively. India and Brazil have the second and third highest case tallies, recording some 10.8 and 9.4 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 15,916 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 3,983,197 after it crossed the 3.9 million mark. Russia's coronavirus crisis center said 407 coronavirus patients had died in the last 24 hours and the overall national coronavirus death toll was at 77,068. They added 15,881 people recovered from the virus, raising the total number of recoveries to 3,472,091. 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 158 deaths and 4,535 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said the country's death toll increased to 61,675 cases and the total confirmed cases those to 2,288,545. 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, the French Health Ministry reported 19,715 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours on Monday. France's cumulative total of cases now stands at 3,337,048. The COVID-19 death toll was up by 171 at 78,965. France announced its approval of the use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and to include it in its vaccine program. In Brussels, total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Monday increased to 725,610 with 1,740 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. They reported 37 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 21,389. In Beijing, China Monday reported 14 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, and no virus-related deaths in the past 24 hours. The National Health Commission said total registered infections rose to 89,706 and fatalities remained at 4,636. It added 72 people have recovered from the virus and left hospitals in the past 24 hours to reach a total of 83,952. There are still 1,118 patients receiving treatment. In New Delhi, India said on Monday that 84 people died due to COVID-19 while 11,831 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 155,080 as the total number of positive cases mounted to 10,838,194. According to the ministry, 10,534,505 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 576 daily cases of novel coronavirus, raising the nation's total number 406,138, the Health Ministry and local authorities said. The country's cumulative death toll stood at 6,453. Tokyo added 276 new infections, falling below 300 for the first time since Dec. 7, which brought the total cases in the Japanese capital to 104,121. In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus variants, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures. It had suspended new entries of non-resident foreign nationals from around the world to Japan through Jan. 31. In Seoul, South Korea reported 289 new coronavirus cases Monday, Yonhap reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 81,185, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the lowest daily infections since Nov. 23 last year. Three people died in the past 24 hours raising the death toll to 1,474. Of the newly identified local infections, 111 cases were reported in Seoul and 79 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. The government extended the current level 2.5 distancing measures in the capital area and Level 2 restrictions in the rest of the country until Jan. 17. South Korea is grappling to contain yet another wave of virus infections with the toughest social distancing rules banning gatherings of five or more people. In Latin America, Brazil has more than nine million confirmed cases (9,447,165) and the world's second highest death toll (230,034). The country is currently seeing a second surge in infections. 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. Africa has recorded more than 3.5 million cases, but the true extent of the pandemic there is not known as testing rates are low. Concern is growing about a South African variant of the disease, which is thought to share some similarities with the new UK strain, including being more easily transmissible. South Africa, with more than 1.2 million cases and more than 30,000 deaths, is the worst affected country on the continent. Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Nigeria are the other African countries to officially record more than 100,000 cases. Kenya is the only other country with close to 100,000 cases. In Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population said on Sunday that 534 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 47 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country's tally to 169,640 infections and 9,651 deaths the ministry said. Another 321 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 132,375. In Tunis, Tunisia's Ministry of Health on Sunday announced 52 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 910 more infections in 24 hours. The tally of confirmed deaths and infections rose to 7,214 and 217,086 respectively since the outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile, overall recoveries went up to 173,862. — Agencies
