Online Desk :
The overall number of coronavirus cases has surged past 272 million as scientists around the world race to learn about the Omicron variant’s transmissibility and severity.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 272,197,443 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,329,536 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 50,374,543 cases so far and more than 802,510 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,201,221 cases as of Thursday, while its Covid death toll rose to 617,271.
India has registered 6,784 new cases of Covid-19 during a 24-hour period, bringing the total caseload to 34,710,628, as per the health ministry figures released Monday.
The ministry also reported 247 more deaths during the same period, taking the total death toll to 476,135.
Besides, India’s total tally of the Omicron variant has surpassed 60 as the virus has spread to nearly 80 countries and regions, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Meanwhile, the UK reported the first death of a patient infected with Omicron on Monday. Long lines formed Monday at vaccination centres across England as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to protect themselves against the variant.
The UK, as of Thursday morning, logged 11,073,455 Covid-19 cases, while the fatalities mounted to 147,249.
