The overall number of coronavirus cases is fast approaching 273 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 272,860,151 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,335,758 on Friday morning.
The US has recorded 50,511,161 cases so far and more than 803,633 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows. The US is seeing a double coronavirus surge as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant adds with the ongoing Delta surge in the country, reports AP.
Globally, more than 75 countries have reported confirmed cases of Omicron. In the United States, 36 states have detected the variant. Meanwhile, Delta is surging in many places, with hot spots in New England and the upper Midwest. The five states with the highest two-week rolling average of cases per 100,000 people are New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,204,941 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 617,521.
India has registered 7,974 new cases of Covid-19 during a 24-hour period, bringing the total caseload to 34,721,174, as per the health ministry figures released Thursday.
The ministry also reported 343 more deaths during the same period, taking the total death toll to 476,478.
Besides, India's total tally of the Omicron variant reached 87 as of Friday morning.
In Britain, where Omicron cases are doubling every two to three days, the variant is expected to soon replace Delta as the dominant strain in the country.
The UK on Wednesday recorded the highest number of confirmed new Covid infections since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned that the situation is likely to get worse as Omicron drives a new wave of illness during the holidays.
The UK, as of Thursday morning, logged 11,161,236 Covid-19 cases, while the fatalities mounted to 147,391.
