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Reuters
Cases have increased particularly rapidly in Latin America
More than 500,000 people worldwide have lost their lives as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
Since the virus first emerged in China late last year, there have been more than 10 million cases, Johns Hopkins reports.
Half of the world’s cases have been in the United States and Europe, but Covid-19 is now growing rapidly in the Americas.
The virus is also affecting southern Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.
Outbreaks are still spreading in many parts of the world, with one million new cases recorded in the past six days.
The United States has reported a total of 2.5 million cases and 125,000 deaths with Covid-19 so far, more than any other country.
The US states that emerged from the closure in recent weeks, especially in the south, have been reporting record increases in new infections.
The increase has prompted officials in Texas, Florida and other states to tighten restrictions on business again.
Statistics from several countries have shown that people from black and Asian ethnic groups are more likely to be severely affected by the virus than white people.
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The country with the second highest number of registered cases is Brazil, with a total of 1.3 million, and deaths over 57,000.
Despite a wave of new infections, the state of Rio de Janeiro has said it will allow soccer stadiums to reopen to fans starting July 10, initially at one-third capacity.
On Sunday, China imposed a strict closure near Beijing to curb a new outbreak. Almost half a million people will be banned from traveling in and out of Anxin County in Hebei Province.
In the United Kingdom, the country with the highest number of deaths in Western Europe, the government has said it could impose its first local blockade after an increase in new cases in the English city of Leicester.
