Global Covid-19 Cases Top 97.4 Million, Deaths Exceed 2.08 Million

Washington: The total number of global Covid-19 cases has topped 97.4 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.08 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) in its latest update on Friday morning revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 97,460,188 and 2,088,392, respectively.

The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 24,619,597 and 409,877, respectively, according to the CSSE.

India comes in second place in terms of cases at 10,610,883, while the country's death toll soared to 152,869.

The other countries with more than a million confirmed cases are Brazil (8,697,368), Russia (3,616,680), the UK (3,553,773), France (3,046,371), Spain (2,456,675), Italy (2,428,221), Turkey (2,412,505), Germany (2,108,895), Colombia (1,972,345), Argentina (1,843,077), Mexico (1,688,944), Poland (1,457,755), South Africa (1,380,807), Iran (1,354,520), Ukraine (1,216,780) and Peru (1,073,214), the CSSE figures showed.

Brazil currently accounts for the second highest number of fatalities at 214,147.

The countries with a death toll above 20,000 are Mexico (144,371), the UK (94,765), Italy (84,202), France (72,139), Russia (66,810), Iran (57,150), Spain (55,041), Germany (50,381), Colombia (50,187), Argentina (46,355), South Africa (39,501), Peru (39,044), Poland (34,561), Indonesia (27,203), Turkey (27,203), Ukraine (22,521) and Belgium (20,572).

US sees record-high daily Covid-19 deaths

The US has registered a record high of over 4,300 daily Covid-19 deaths as the new administration took office.

A total of 188,156 new cases and 4,383 deaths were reported across the country on Wednesday, according to the data updated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently, the country averages about 194,000 daily increase of cases and 3,000 deaths, CDC data show.

More than 122,000 people were being hospitalized as of Wednesday, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Spain's daily coronavirus cases hit all-time high

The Spanish Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed another 44,357 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic.

The one-day spike pushed the cumulative coronavirus cases in Spain to 2,456,675. Meanwhile, a further 404 deaths brought the national death toll to 55,041, Xinhua news agency reported.

The incidence of coronavirus cases over the past 14 days climbed to 795 cases per 100,000 inhabitants -- over triple the level of 250 which the Ministry of Health considers "extreme risk."

In several Autonomous Communities, the incidence is even much higher: 1,467.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the southwestern community of Extremadura, and 1,286.9 and 1,166.1 in the southeastern communities of Murcia and Valencia, respectively.

(With IANS Inputs)