WHO: Global COVID-19 Cases Top 181.52 Mln, Death Toll Exceeds 3.93 Mln

By Staff, Agencies

The cumulative total of global COVID-19 cases surpassed 181.5 million, with the death toll exceeding 3.93 million as of Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization [WHO].

Globally, as of 18:09 Central European Summer Time [CEST] on Wednesday, there had been 181,521,067 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 3,937,437 deaths, WHO's COVID-19 dashboard showed.

As of Tuesday, there have been a total number of 2,915,585,482 vaccine doses administered around the world.

The US has reported the most confirmed cases and deaths in the world.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States reached 33,664,949, with the national death toll reaching 604,714 as of 02:21 Eastern Standard Time [EST] on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

At present, one out of every five confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States is infected with the Delta variant, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC].

Currently, more than half of the population in the US is still not fully vaccinated. Health experts and officials are concerned that areas with low vaccination rates could see a surge in cases infected with the Delta variant in the coming fall and winter.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 30,411,634 on Thursday, with 48,786 new cases registered during the past 24 hours.

The death toll amounted to 399,459 as 1,005 deaths were recorded since Wednesday morning.

After seeing less than 1,000 deaths for three consecutive days, the death toll once again surpassed four figures on Thursday.

South Korea reported 794 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Tuesday compared to the previous day, raising the total number of infections to 156,961.

The daily caseload was sharply up from 595 in the previous day, marking the highest in over two months since April 23.

The continued triple-digit growth was attributable to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

Japan reported 1,821 new COVID-19 cases and 41 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total counts to 799,801 and 14,784, respectively, according to the report of NHK.

Tokyo has decided to make changes to the Olympic torch relay during the first eight days of its planned run next week, the metropolitan government said on Tuesday, citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

During the first eight days of the 15-day relay, which begins on July 9, torch-lighting ceremonies will be held without spectators and the relay will not be held on public roads, the metropolitan government said. Relays on the island areas will be kept on public roads.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has reported another 26,068 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, the highest since January 29, health authorities announced on Wednesday. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,800,907.

The country also recorded another 14 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number in Britain to 128,140. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Russia logged 21,042 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 5,514,599, the official monitoring and response center said Wednesday.

The center reported a new record of 669 coronavirus-related fatalities in the past day, raising the national death toll to 135,214. Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 5,823 new cases, taking the city's total to 1,358,215.

Bangladesh reported 8,822 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, the country's highest single-day count so far, bringing the tally to 913,258, the country's Directorate General of Health Services [DGHS] said. Meanwhile, 115 more deaths were recorded, raising the death toll to 14,503.

The country entered a strict one-week lockdown from Thursday as the authorities strive to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The lockdown demands the closure of markets and shopping malls while allowing restaurants to operate takeaway services only.

No one will be allowed outside expect for trips deemed absolutely necessary such as medical emergencies, obtaining daily life necessities, or for burials or funerals.