There have now been more than 50 million confirmed coronavirus infections around the world, according to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University in the US.
The number of deaths linked to Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic has meanwhile climbed to 1.25 million, according to data posted by the Baltimore university on Sunday.
On Saturday alone, the total number of infections rose by more than half a million, the university’s online tracker showed.
Health officials around the world have noted a rapid rise in infections as temperatures in many parts drop, especially in the northern hemisphere, notably Europe and North America.
In the US, almost 130,000 new infections were reported for Saturday, while much of Europe has responded to surging infection rates with renewed restrictions.
At least 50.1 million infections were reported around the world by Sunday, according to the university, while the World Health Organization counted 49.6 million infections and 1.25 million deaths.
The figures from Johns Hopkins University are often slightly higher than others as they are more frequently updated.
With 9.9 million cases, the US has the highest number of confirmed infections. With 237,000 deaths in a population of about 330 million, the US also has the highest number of fatalities.
India (8.5 million) and Brazil (5.6 million) follow in second and third place in terms of the most confirmed infections, while their death tolls are also correspondingly high – 162,000 in Brazil and 126,000 in India.
GNA