Coronavirus cases exceed 8 million worldwide, jump by a million in 1 week

The total number of coronavirus cases in the world has crossed 80 lakh-mark while the virus-related death toll has now risen to nearly 4.4 lakh, confirmed Johns Hopkins University. 

Exactly one week after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide hit seven million, that number surpassed the eight-million mark Tuesday.

The University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) said in its latest bulletin that the total number of cases stood at 8,058,427 while the fatalities have risen to 437,473.

Meanwhile, Brazil is fast emerging as the new epicentre of coronavirus outbreak having recorded over 8.8 lakh confirmed cases so far.

While European borders reopened, China is scrambling to control the spread of a fresh outbreak of coronavirus in Beijing, amid fears of a second wave of the infection in the country. 

Reopening continued in Mexico and Brazil despite cases climbing in the two largest nations in Latin America. And New Zealand, which had eased the curbs, reported its first new cases since May 22.

Covid-19 vaccine at least a year away, say scientists

Vaccine design is still an empirical, trial and error process and a preventive against COVID-19 could be at least a year away, say scientists as information on developments in therapeutics to combat the infection flows in a steady trickle from across the world.

(With inputs from agencies)