India has reported nearly 55,000 new coronavirus cases, Japan has recorded more than 1,500 for a second day and Florida is bracing for a hurricane threatening to hamper anti-disease efforts.
India's 54,735 cases announced on Sunday were down from the previous day's record 57,118 but raised the country's total to 1.75 million, with July accounting for more than 1.1 million of those cases.
Major cities New Delhi and Mumbai might have passed their peaks, government expert Randeep Guleria said. Subways, cinemas and other public facilities are closed until 31 August.
Japan's government said all but five of its 1,540 new cases were transmitted domestically. The daily total was close to Friday's record of 1,579.
A health worker takes a mouth swab from a woman during community swab testing in Kolkata, India. Source: Sipa USA Sumit Sanyal / SOPA Images/Sipa
With the spike most afflicting people in their 20s and 30s, it's feared young people are letting their guard down.
The governor of Tokyo, which has about one-third of the new infections, is considering an emergency declaration.
Also on Sunday, China and South Korea reported more infections but spikes in both appeared to be tailing off.
People wearing face masks walk in Tokyo's Ikebukuro area. Source: Kydpl Kyodo
China had 49 new confirmed cases, up from the previous day's 45 and 30 of them in northwestern Xinjiang where authorities are trying to contain an outbreak focused on regional capital, Urumqi.
South Korea reported 30 new cases but said only eight were acquired in the country.
The government warned earlier case numbers would rise as residents returned from the Middle East and other places with outbreaks.
Governments worldwide have reported 685,000 deaths and 17.85 million cases, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has the world's biggest number of cases at 4.6 million, or one-quarter of the total, and 154,361 deaths.
Florida reported 179 deaths, raising the state's total to more than 7,000, as Hurricane Isaias headed for its heavily-populated coast.
Beaches, parks and virus testing sites were closed.
The governor warned residents to expect power outages and said they should have a week's supply of water and food as officials wrestled with how to prepare storm shelters while enforcing social distancing.
Florida readies for Hurricane Isaias. Source: The Palm Beach Post
The storm was expected to be near the Florida coast early Sunday.
The death toll in Latin America passed 200,000 on Saturday night, underlining the region's status as one of the global epicentres, with Brazil and Mexico accounting for around 70 per cent of its death toll.
Brazil reported a daily record 1,595 deaths earlier in the week and registered another 1088 on Saturday.
Mexico recorded 784 fatalities and for the first time logged more than 9,000 new infections.
Other countries in Latin America are also battling to hold the virus at bay, and the region breached the 200,000 mark after Peru registered another 191 fatalities.
On Saturday, South Africa reported 10,107 new cases, raising its total to 503,290.
Cases in Africa as a whole are approaching one million.
That put the country fifth behind the US, Brazil, Russia and India in total cases, though its population of 58 million is much smaller than theirs.
Family members wearing full PPE suits carry the remains of their elderly family member who died of COVID-19 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Source: EPA
In Europe, the number of new cases reported in Italy dipped below 300 for the first time.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
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