People wearing face masks wait at a bus stop during morning rush hour in Beijing, China July 13, 2020. (Reuters)

Coronavirus Global Updates: Over 12.94 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide and 5,67,357 people have died, Reuters reported on Monday. Since its identification in China in late December last year, coronavirus cases have been reported in more than 210 countries across the world.

The United States has the maximum number of cases at over 3.37 million, followed by 1.87 million in Brazil, 8,78,000 cases in India, 7,27,000 confirmed cases in Russia and 3,26,000 cases in Peru.

A two-member advance team of World Health Organisation (WHO) experts is in China to help pinpoint the origins of the virus, Reuters reported. The team will work with Chinese scientists to determine the scope and itinerary of the investigation, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said.

1,282 Covid-19 cases in Indonesia

Indonesia reported 1,282 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the country’s total tally to 76,981, Reuters quoted Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto as saying.

The minister said deaths rose by 50, bringing the total death toll to 3,656, the highest in East Asia outside China.

India reports 500 Covid-19 deaths in a day

Patients at the CWG Village Covid-19 care center in New Delhi on Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

India reported around 28,701 cases of coronavirus on Monday, yet another record single-day jump, bringing its total tally to 8,78,254, while another 500 people died due to the disease in the past 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to 23,174, data from the Health Ministry showed.

As many as 5,53,470 people have recovered while there are 3,01,609 active cases. Monday marks the fourth straight day where new cases have increased by over 26,000.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said nearly 1,18,06,256 samples have been tested so far.

South Africa extends state of national disaster amid rise in coronavirus cases

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an extension of the country’s national state of disaster till August 15 as the number of coronavirus cases increased exponentially, PTI reported.

Ramaphosa also announced an immediate curfew from 9 pm to 4 am daily and reintroduced a ban on sale and distribution of alcohol to reduce strain on medical facilities.

The president said there were as many as 2,76,242 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 4,079 deaths.

Victoria records 177 new Covid-19 cases

A volunteer is seen during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine development announcement, made by the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia, July 13, 2020. (AAP Image/University of Queensland Pool, Glenn Hunt via Reuters)

Australia’s worst-hit Victoria state Monday recorded around 177 new cases of coronavirus, the Associated Press reported.

New cases came down from 273 the previous day and a record 288 cases on Friday. Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it was too early to say whether the lower count meant the spread was being contained.

Australia’s second most popular city Melbourne and a part of its surrounding in Victoria returned to lockdown last week to contain an increase in coronavirus cases.

Australia has so far reported around 10,000 Covid-19 cases, with 108 deaths.

Remdesivir helps improve condition of 1 in 3 severely ill Covid-19 patients in South Korea

People stand outside of Seoul City Hall where official funeral of late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is held in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 13, 2020. (AP Photo)

One in three South Korean patients seriously ill with Covid-19 showed an improvement in their condition after being administered the antiviral drug Remdesivir, Reuters quoted health authorities as saying. Remdesivir has been at the forefront of the global battle against the coronavirus pandemic after the drug helped reduce hospital recovery times in a US clinical trial.

The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported results from a first group of 27 patients given remdesivir in different hospitals. While 9 of them showed an improvement, 15 showed no change and three worsened, KCDC deputy director Kwon Jun-wook told a briefing. 62 new cases were confirmed in the country on Sunday, pushing its total tally to 13,479 with 289 fatalities.

Pakistan coronavirus cases cross 2,50,000

Pakistan on Monday reported 2,769 new cases of coronavirus, taking its total tally to over 2,50,000, PTI quoted the health ministry as saying.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 69 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 5,226. Around 1,837 patients were in critical condition.

A total of 1,585,170 tests have been conducted, including 22,532 in the last 24 hours.

159 new Covid-19 cases in Germany

Germany on Monday added 159 new cases to its coronavirus tally, taking the total number of infections in the country to 198,963, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed, Reuters reported.

One death was reported, pushing the total number of deaths to 9,064.

In this May 6, 2020 photo a man walks across Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest in Washington. (AP Photo/File)

New York City reaches milestone with no reported virus deaths

New York City, once the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, has just reported its first day with zero confirmed or probable virus deaths since the pandemic hit New York State.

The milestone came Sunday in initial data from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. It marked the end of a four-month stretch since the city reported its first Covid-19 fatality on March 11.

New York State reported five deaths statewide on Sunday but didn’t specify where those fatalities occurred. The highest number of deaths statewide was reported on April 9, at 799.

New York City has reported a total of 18,670 confirmed Covid-19 deaths and 4,613 probable ones.

Florida reported a record increase of over 15,000 new virus cases in the last 24 hours. The Trump administration, meanwhile, renewed its push to reopen schools and anti-mask protests were held in Michigan and Missouri. Florida reported the fourth highest increase in new cases worldwide.

Mexico surpasses Italy to post world’s fourth-highest coronavirus death toll

Workers wearing protective face masks and face shields wait for customers at a restaurant in Mexico City. (File photo)

Deaths in Mexico from the coronavirus pandemic rose above 35,000 on Sunday, with the Latin American country overtaking Italy for the world’s fourth-highest death total, according to Reuters data.

But leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday that the pandemic was “losing intensity” in Mexico, and blamed what he called “conservative media” for causing alarm.

Mexico on Sunday recorded 276 additional fatalities and 4,482 new infections to bring its coronavirus death toll to 35,006, with 299,750 confirmed cases. Italy has recorded 34,954 deaths and 243,061 cases. Mexico trails the United States, Brazil and the UK in total deaths.

While Italy appears to have tamed the virus, the pandemic is showing few signs of easing in Mexico, where the government has faced criticism for reopening its economy too soon.

The coronavirus death toll per million residents in Mexico, whose population numbers about 120 million, is the 16th highest in the world, according to data by research firm Statista.

Local infections in China fall to near zero

China reported eight new cases, all from outside the country, as domestic community infections fell to near zero, the Associated Press reported.

No more deaths were reported and 320 patients were being treated, while another 117 people were under isolation while being monitored for being suspected of having the virus or having tested positive for it without showing symptoms.

China has so far reported 4,634 deaths and 83,602 cases of coronavirus.