WHO Reports Record Daily Rise In Global Covid-19 Cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases, with the worldwide total rising by 292,527 on Friday.

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According to a daily report, the most significant increases were from the United States, Brazil, India, and South Africa. The four countries have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, while India recorded its highest daily infection rate, with more than 55,000 new cases confirmed.

Deaths rose by 6,812, as the U.S. state of Florida recorded its fourth straight day of record death tolls.

The previous WHO record for new cases was 284,196 on July 24, and deaths rose by 9,753 on the same day, the second-largest one-day increase ever. Deaths have been averaging 5,200 a day in July, up from an average of 4,600 a day in June.

Over the last week, nearly 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections, around double the number that did so the previous week.

Australia is one of these countries, with the outbreak in Victoria recording multiple daily case highs throughout the week. Also are Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan, and Israel, among others.

Latin America also raises concerns. For the first time last week, cases in the whole region surpassed the combined infections in the United States and Canada, while infections are surging in Brazil, the second country in the world behind the United States in cases and deaths toll.

Globally there are over 17.7 million infections and nearly 680,000 deaths by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier on Friday, WHO Director-General Dr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world might be feeling the effects of the pandemic for decades. "The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come," he told a meeting of the WHO's emergency committee.