Coronavirus tally: Global cases of COVID-19 top 247.6 million and CDC approves Pfizer vaccine for kids 5-11

The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness climbed above 247.6 million on Wednesday, while the death toll edged above 5 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. continues to lead the world with a total of 46.2 million cases and 748,621 deaths. The U.S. is still averaging about 1,300 deaths a day, according to a New York Times tracker, although cases and hospitalizations are declining.U.S. health officials on Tuesday gave the final signoff to Pfizer's kid-size COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opens a major expansion of the nation's vaccination campaign to children as young as 5, the Associated Press reported. President Joe Biden called the decision "a turning point." "It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others," he said in a statement. "It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus." India is second by cases after the U.S. at 34.3 million and has suffered 459,191 deaths. Brazil has second highest death toll at 608,071 and 21.8 million cases. In Europe, Russia has the most fatalities at 237,619 deaths, followed by the U.K. at 141,390.