As many as 124 million (124,146,716) people have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 2,731,895 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 100,090,635 cases of global recoveries. Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world with over 100 million confirmed cases in 218 countries and more than 2.7 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 over 30 million cases and nearly 555,000 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 Sunday 30,531,885 total coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as the confirmed cases nation-wide crossed 30 million. It also recorded a slight rise in virus-related deaths with at least 555,416 deaths across US, with the country remaining the world's worst hit by the pandemic, while 22,773,081 people have recovered Brazil and India have the second and third highest case tallies, recording some 11.4 and 11.3 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 registered 9,284 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 9,299 the day before, taking the total tally to 4,466,153, the coronavirus response center said on Monday. "Over the past day, 9,284 coronavirus cases were confirmed across 83 Russian regions, including 1,015 cases (10.9 percent) without clinical symptoms," the center said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 4,466,153, with the rate of increase at 0.21 percent. The response center reported 361 COVID-19 fatalities, down from 371 the day before, raising the country's death toll to 95,391. Total recoveries increased by 7,790 over the given period, down from 8,743 the day before, and reached 4,077,185, said the Sputnik report. In Berlin, German health authorities reported on Monday 50 deaths and 7,709 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said the country's death toll increased to 74,714 cases and the total confirmed cases those to 2,667,225. 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 30,581 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours on Sunday. France's cumulative total of cases now stands at 4,282,603. The COVID-19 death toll was up by 138 to 92,305. 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 837,006 with 4,255 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. They reported 23 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 22,707. In Amsterdam, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Monday that 6,340 new coronavirus cases were reported in the Netherlands raising the total number of infections to 1,208,182. Also around 15 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours raising the total deaths from COVID-19 to 16,293, said the institute. Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that he will not lift the night curfew in the country before the end of March and also extended the ban on all foreign travel until April 15 to get the spread of coronavirus under control. In Beijing, China Monday reported 7 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 90,106 and fatalities remained at 4,636. It added 13 people have recovered from the virus and left hospitals in the past 24 hours to reach a total of 85,309. There are still 161 patients receiving treatment. In New Delhi, India said on Monday that 212 people died due to COVID-19 while 46,951 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 159,967 as the total number of positive cases mounted to 11,646,081. According to the ministry, 11,151,468 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 338 daily cases of novel coronavirus, raising the nation's total number 457,203, the Health Ministry and local authorities said. The country's cumulative death toll stood at 8,839. Tokyo added 187 new infections, falling below 200 for the first time in seven days, which brought the total cases in the Japanese capital to 117,704. On Sunday, the government lifted the COVID-19 state of emergency for the Tokyo metropolitan area emergency, which was introduced in January. But the government has asked that restaurants and some there establishments close early. In Seoul, South Korea reported 415 new coronavirus cases Monday, Yonhap reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 99,075, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). One person died in the past 24 hours raising the death toll to 1,697. Of the newly identified local infections, 108 cases were reported in Seoul and 143 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Authorities recently lowered the social distancing to level 2 — the third highest in the five-tier system — for the Greater Seoul metropolitan area and level 1.5 for the rest of the country, effective two weeks. A ban on private gatherings of five or more people remains in place, while re8unions of immediate family members are allowed. 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. 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 647 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 40 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country's tally to 195,416 infections and 11,598 deaths the ministry said. Another 431 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 149,934. In Tunis, Tunisia's Ministry of Health on Sunday announced 20 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 301 more infections in 24 hours. The tally of confirmed deaths and infections rose to 8,546 and 245,706 respectively since the outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile, overall recoveries went up to 212,304. — Agencies
