As of Sunday morning, the number of coronavirus cases worldwide reached 10.08 million, with the deaths amounting to 501,309 and recoveries approaching 5.46.
The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021.
North America, Latin America, and Europe each account for around 25% of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9% respectively, according to the Reuters tally, which uses government reports.
More than 128,000 people in the US have been killed by COVID-19 since the outbreak began, and close to 2.6 million cases have been confirmed.
Brazil has registered over 1.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 57,103 people have died.
There are now more than 627,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Russia while the death toll has been nearing 9,000.
India (529,577), the UK (310,250), Spain (295,549), Peru (275,989), Chile (267,766), and Italy (240,136) are the next countries with the highest number of infections.
Following that is Iran, with the total infection cases at 220,180, of whom 10,364 have died and 180,661recovered so far.
The first cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed on Jan. 10 in Wuhan in China before infections and fatalities surged in Europe, then the United States, and later Russia.
The pandemic has now entered a new phase, with India and Brazil battling outbreaks of over 10,000 cases a day, putting a major strain on resources.
MR