New York: In a new grim milestone, the global number of COVID-19 cases has crossed the 7 million mark, while the deaths have surged to more than 402,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
As of Monday morning, the overall number of cases stood at 7,006,436, while the death toll increased to 402,699, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.
The US continues with the world’s highest number of confirmed cases and deaths at 1,940,468 and 110,503, respectively, according to the CSSE.
In terms of cases, Brazil comes in the second place with 691,758 infections. This was followed by Russia (467,073), the UK (287,621), India (257,486), Spain (241,550), Italy (234,998), Peru (196,515), France (191,102), Germany (185,750), Iran (171,789), Turkey (170,132), Chile (134,150), Mexico (117,103) and Saudi Arabia (101,914), the CSSE figures showed.
Regarding fatalities, the UK continues in the second position after the US with 40,625 COVID-19 deaths, which also accounts for the highest number of fatalities in Europe.
The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are Brazil (36,455), Italy (33,899), France (29,158), Spain (27,136) and Mexico (13,699).
Meanwhile, New Zealand said on Monday it had no active cases of COVID-19 for the first time since the novel coronavirus arrived in the country, setting it on course to eliminate the disease, lift social distancing restrictions and open up its economy.
The Pacific island nation is among only a handful of countries that have emerged from the pandemic, as big economies like the United States, Britain, India and Brazil continue to grapple with the spreading virus.
This was largely because of a strict lockdown enforced for nearly seven weeks, in which most businesses were shut and everyone except essential workers had to stay at home.
New Zealand’s Health Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the last person who was being monitored for coronavirus had recovered. It also said there were no new cases of COVID-19 for a 17th consecutive day.
Having no active cases for the first time since 28 February is certainly a significant mark in our journey but as we’ve previously said, ongoing vigilance against COVID-19 will continue to be essential, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said in the statement.