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World sees biggest one-day rise in coronavirus cases to date, WHO reports

AP
AP

Global coronavirus cases have seen their biggest single-day increase to date, with a rise of more than 284,000 in just 24 hours.

Deaths from the disease also surged to their highest one-day level since April, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), after it warned the world would not return to the “old normal”.

Covid-19 cases rose by 284,196 on Friday, while fatalities jumped by 9,753 – the highest number since the record of 9,797 set on April 30.

The surge was driven by a spike in outbreaks across the US, Brazil, India and South Africa.

The rate of cases has also been increasing in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among other countries.

The latest figures come after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press briefing: “We will not be going back to the ‘old normal’.

“The pandemic has already changed the way we live our lives,” he said.

“We’re asking everyone to treat the decisions about where they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions – because they are.

The world has now seen more than 15.9 million confirmed cases of the virus, and more than 643,300 deaths, according to John Hopkins University’s Worldometer tally.

July has seen an average of 5,000 deaths a day in July, up from 4,600 a day last month, according to the WHO.

The previous record for Covid-19 cases was 259,848, which was set on July 18.

Visitors at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul: Cultural venues re-opened in the city following a slowdown in infections (AFP via Getty Images)
Visitors at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul: Cultural venues re-opened in the city following a slowdown in infections (AFP via Getty Images)

South Korea has reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four months, while South Africa also announced a surge in infections and some US states tightened anti-disease controls.

The new cases in South Korea include 36 workers returning from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russian freighter, the government said.

Authorities had previously warned to expect a spike in cases from abroad and appealed to the public not to be alarmed.

South Africa, Africa’s hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,104 new confirmed cases, raising its total to 408,052. The government has reported 6,093 deaths.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that schools will “take a break” for a month to protect children.

Restaurant workers hold placards during a protest against restrictions in Cape Town (REUTERS)
Restaurant workers hold placards during a protest against restrictions in Cape Town (REUTERS)

But despite rising infections, restaurant and hospitality workers have staged protested this week to demand a loosening of restrictions on their industries.

China, which has relaxed most of its anti-virus controls after case numbers dropped off, reported 34 new infections – including 29 that were contracted within the country.

India, the country with the third-highest infection total behind the US and Brazil, reported its death toll rose by 757 in the last 24 hours to take the total to 31,358.

The government also reported a surge of nearly 49,000 new cases, raising its total to over 1.3 million.

The US has now suffered 145,391 deaths and 4.1 million confirmed cases of the disease.

In Australia, premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced five deaths and 357 new cases.

Victoria, where the death toll has risen to 61, earlier closed its border with neighbouring New South Wales.

In Yemen, 97 medical workers have died of the virus, a serious blow to a country with few doctors that is in the midst of a five-year-old war.

Humanitarian group MedGlobal said in a report that the “overwhelming death toll” will have “immense short-term and long-term health effects”.

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