Global Covid cases top 240 million

A member of the public receives a Pfizer vaccine at a drive-through coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination clinic in Otara during a single-day vaccination drive, aimed at significantly increasing the percentage of vaccinated people in the country, in Auckland, New Zealand, 16 October, 2021Reuters

The overall number of global Covid cases has now surged past 240 million, despite the ongoing mass inoculations in several countries, reports UNB.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total Covid case count and fatalities stand at 240,043,461 and 4,889,036, respectively, as of Saturday morning.

The US has recorded 44,884,474 cases and 723,747 fatalities to date, according to the university data.

India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,037,592 on Friday as 16,862 new confirmed cases were registered in the past 24 hours across the South Asian country, as per the federal health ministry data.

An additional 379 deaths from the pandemic were recorded during this period, taking the total death toll to 451,814.

Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.

Brazil has registered 21,627,476 cases so far. The country's Covid death toll has also risen to 602,669 as it has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January.

Covid-19 claimed nine more lives in Bangladesh and infected 396 others in 24 hours till Friday morning.

With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,746 in the country while the caseload rose to 15,64,881, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).