WHO reports record daily increase in global coronavirus cases

WASHINGTON: The World Health Organisation reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 230,370 in 24 hours.

The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa. The previous WHO record for new cases was 228,102 on 10th July, while deaths remained steady at about 5,000 a day.

Global coronavirus cases are approaching 13 million, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed more than 565,000 people in seven months.

South Africa re-imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday while Spain’s Catalonia region forced residents back into lockdown as coronavirus cases accelerated in many parts of the world.

Since the start of July, nearly 2.5 million new infections have been reported, a record level since the first outbreak of the disease. During the last month-and-a-half, the number of cases worldwide has doubled

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country faced a “coronavirus storm” that was “far fiercer and more destructive than any we have known before” as he re-imposed a night-time curfew.

New coronavirus infections have topped 12,000 per day – or 500 per hour – in South Africa in recent days, making it the fourth-biggest contributor to new worldwide cases after the United States, Brazil and India.

US President Donald Trump wore a face mask in public for the first time, during a Saturday visit to wounded veterans in a hospital outside Washington. The United States is the world’s worst-hit country with 135,171 deaths from 3,301,820 cases.

Mexico became the country with the fourth-highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in the world on Sunday, climbing to a total of 35,006 deaths and surpassing Italy.

Despite Sunday’s lockdown move in Spain, life in parts of Europe has been returning to some semblance of normality, although the continent remains the worst affected with more than 202,000 deaths from over 2.8 million cases.

Elections were held in Spain and Poland on Sunday after being postponed because of the virus, with strict hygiene measures in place.

The tourism industry across Europe has been battered, with many businesses forced to shut because of the impact of punishing lockdowns.

In France, officials have warned of rising cases as the death toll topped 30,000. Across the border in Germany, Berlin offered financial help for the city’s famous nightclubs which have remained shut for four months.