As many as 116.7 million (116,795,137) people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 2,594,040 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 92,382,760 cases of global recoveries. Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world with over 100 million confirmed cases in 218 countries and more than 2.59 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. The US has recorded nearly 30 million cases and more than 535,566 deaths, the highest figures in the world. Daily cases were at record levels in early January but they have fallen substantially in the last few weeks. Canada, which has a far lower death rate than the US, also experienced a winter surge but daily cases have also been falling recently. The US recorded Friday 29,594,742 total coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as the confirmed cases nation-wide crossed 29 million. The tally according to Johns Hopkins University showed at least 535,566 deaths across US, with the country remaining the world's worst hit by the pandemic. Furthermore, 20,183,483 people have recovered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, preliminary data show that rates of COVID-19 associated hospitalizations continue to decline after peaking in early January. This decline is promising, but we should all do our part to slow the spread: Wear a mask. Stay 6 feet apart. Counties in states with statewide mask mandates were 43% less likely to have rapid increases in COVID-19 cases during the summer of 2020. Nonmetropolitan counties were 67% less likely. India and Brazil have the second and third highest case tallies, recording some 11 and 10.6 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 11,022 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 4,312,181 after it crossed the 4 million mark. Russia's coronavirus crisis center said 441 coronavirus patients had died in the last 24 hours and the overall national coronavirus death toll was at 88,726. They added 15,027 people recovered from the virus, raising the total number of recoveries to 3,900,348. 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 Saturday 300 deaths and 9,557 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said the country's death toll increased to 71,804 cases and the total confirmed cases those to 2,492,079. 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 Brussels, total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Saturday increased to 783,010 with 2,759 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. They reported 19 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 22,215. In Vienna, Austrian authorities announced Saturday that they recorded 2,557 new coronavirus cases raising the total number of confirmed infections to 472,591. More than 441,000 cases have recovered Since the start of the pandemic, deaths have reached 8,694, said the country's Health Ministry. In Beijing, China Saturday reported 10 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 89,962 and fatalities remained at 4,636. It added 15 people have recovered from the virus and left hospitals in the past 24 hours to reach a total of 85,153. There are still 173 patients receiving treatment. In New Delhi, India said on Saturday that 108 people died due to COVID-19 while 18,327 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 157,656 as the total number of positive cases mounted to 11,192,088. According to the ministry, 10,854,128 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 Latin America, Brazil has more than nine million confirmed cases (9,800,000) and the world's second highest death toll (257,000). 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 3.8 million cases, but the true extent of the pandemic there is not known as testing rates are low. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and prevention in Africa announced Sunday that the tally of cases surpassed 3,809,172 throughout Africa. Moreover the COVID-19 death toll reached about 100,674 cases, said Africa CDC. 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 Friday that 579 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 45 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country's tally to 185,334 infections and 10,916 deaths the ministry said. Another 533 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 143,143. In Rabat, Morocco on Friday said confirmed coronavirus cases had risen by 420 over the past 24 hours, while 4 more people succumbed to the disease to up the country's death toll to 8,673. The North African nation's caseload has reached 485,567 since the contagion came to light, according to the Health Ministry's data, 477 infected people have recovered which showed the tally of people who have recovered from the virus till date as 471,410. — Agencies
