Coronavirus cases worldwide pass 18 million as hard-hit US enters ‘new phase’
- Fresh clusters reported in countries that previously brought their outbreaks under control
- The coronavirus pandemic’s rate of infection continues to accelerate
Global coronavirus cases topped 18 million on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University, with the pandemic adding a million reported infections about every four days.
Fresh clusters have been reported in countries – such as Australia – that had previously brought their outbreaks under control, forcing governments to reimpose lockdown measures to curb the spread despite worries over more economic fallout.
Six months after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global emergency, the virus has killed more than 687,000 people since it was first detected in China late last year.
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Global coronavirus case total ‘roughly doubled’ in the past six weeks, says WHO chief
More than half of the world’s cases have been recorded in the United States and in Latin America and the Caribbean region.