COVID-19 updates: Global death toll approaches 1m, cases top 33m

The number of lives lost to the new coronavirus across the globe has now approached one million, less than nine months after the first COVID-19 case was officially recorded.

The United States, Brazil, India and Mexico account for more than half of the total fatalities.

More than seventy countries are currently seeing accelerating case rates, compared to just over 50 where daily cases are falling.

The remainder are either seeing no significant change in daily numbers, or the data is insufficient.

New hotspots are constantly emerging across the world, with India becoming the second country after the United States to surpass six million cases.

In Europe, where several countries were badly hit in March and April, they are now reporting a distinct second wave.

Experts say, for countries like France and Spain, the second wave of the outbreak is proving even worse.

As of Monday morning, the global total cases of infection stood at 33,125,652 and the death toll reached 998,074 according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The following is the latest on the coronavirus pandemic:

India's COVID-19 cases pass 6 million

India reported 82,170 new infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 6,074,702 on Monday.

Deaths attributed to the virus also rose by 1,039 during the same time to 95,542, the Health Ministry said, which is 1.6% of total cases.

‘First refugee dies of COVID-19 in Greece’

A Greek government official says a man lost his life to coronavirus on Sunday, becoming the first asylum seeker, who died since the pandemic broke out in the country in late February.

The 61-year-old Afghan victim, who lived at the migrant camp of Malakasa, was treated and died at a hospital in Athens, the official said, adding that authorities were tracing his contacts.

The camp, which hosts about 3,000 refugees, has been quarantined since September 7 after positive tests for the new coronavirus.

Many other refugee facilities in Greece have been sealed off or movement has been restricted to stem the spread of the virus.

At least 110,000 people currently live in the facilities — 40,000 of them in overcrowded camps on five islands.

Greece reported 218 cases of infection on Sunday and three deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 17,444.

Merkel deeply concerned over rise in COVID-19 cases

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over sharply rising new coronavirus cases in her country, according to her spokesman, who called on people to keep to strict hygiene measures including masks.

"The development of infection numbers is of great concern to us," Steffen Seibert said. "We can see from some of our European friends where that could lead."

Merkel warned that new COVID-19 cases, which are currently at around 2,000 a day, could leap to 19,200 daily by Christmas if the trend "continues in this way, sources from her party, CDU told AFP.

The chancellor's is due to hold a video conference with the premiers of Germany's 16 states on the next measures to take to keep infections down, on Tuesday.

Germany has so far reported a total number of 287,074 cases of the viral infection and 9,465 deaths.

COVID-19 cases fall to single digit in Australia’s Victoria

Australia says daily rise in new coronavirus infections fell to single digits for the first time in more than three months, in its second-most populous state of Victoria, whose capital, Melbourne had been under a hard lockdown since early August.

Melbourne lifted a night curfew on Sunday, as heath authorities reported just five new cases and three deaths in the last 24 hours.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that Victoria should do more “in the weeks ahead to safely ease more restrictions

The state officials promised an accelerated timetable for returning to normal life. They said 127,000 workers would be allowed to go back to work on Monday.

Australia has so far reported over 27,000 cases and 875 deaths, with Victoria accounting for about 75% of infections and nearly 90% of all deaths.

UK considers tougher social restrictions

Britain, on Sunday, reported 5,693 new cases, down from the 6,042 reported a day earlier, according to government data.

In the meantime, a Health Ministry official said that the government is mulling tougher restrictions to tackle a swiftly accelerating second wave of the pandemic in the country.

“We don’t want to bring on new restrictions but of course we keep a constant eye on what is going on with the COVID rate,” said Junior Health Minister Helen Whately.

Whately said Britain was at a really serious point and so COVID-19 had to be brought under control.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk