As the world is facing unprecedented challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic, the global death toll from the virus is approaching 2.8 million. The total death toll from the virus reached 2,791,072 while the total case count stood at 127,581,652 as of Tuesday morning, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The US has recorded 30,330,688 cases with 550,003 fatalities. It has surpassed 30 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 on March 25. The new milestone comes as public health experts show cautious optimism three months into the US vaccination rollout. It is believed that 70% of Americans 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and Covid-19 deaths are below 1,000 a day on average for the first time since November, reports AP. Also read: WHO report says animals likely source of COVID Brazil reported 1,660 new Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the country to 313,866, the country’s Health Ministry said on Monday. The ministry also reported that there were 38,927 new infections during the same period of time, bringing the national caseload to 12,573,615. Brazil is currently one of the global epicenters of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the world's second-worst outbreak in terms of both deaths and infections, only after the United States. The South American country has been facing a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak since January, which has overwhelmed its health system in most of the country's 27 federative units. India’s total tally reached 12,039,644 as of Tuesday while the country’s death toll mounted to 161,843. Covid situation in Bangladesh The country’s coronavirus caseload swelled to 600,895 on Monday after the health authorities recorded 5,181 new cases in 24 hours until the morning. Along with the high number of cases, 45 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded, pushing the death tally to 8,949, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout. The latest cases were reported after testing 28,195 samples. The infection rate jumped to 18.38 percent on Monday from 17.65 percent on Sunday. However, the death rate stands at 1.49 percent. During this 24-hour period, 2,077 coronavirus patients recovered. So far, 538,018 patients have made recoveries. Twenty-eight people died in Dhaka Division, six in Chattogram, five in Rajshahi, three in Khulna and one each in Barishal, Mymensingh and Rangpur. So far, 5,081 people died in Dhaka division, 1,628 in Chattogram, 499 in Rajshahi, 577 in Khulna, 273 in Barishal, 317 in Sylhet, 373 in Rangpur and 201 in Mymensingh. Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8, 2020 and the first death on March 18 the same year. Also read: Bangladesh’s Covid-19 tally crosses 6 lakh Amid the spike in infections, the government has taken a tougher stance to fight Covid-19 transmission. The Health Ministry sent letters to districts, directing the officials concerned to impose fines on people flouting Covid protocols. The country launched a countrywide vaccination drive on Feb 7. As the daily infection rate keeps rising, the government extended the closure of schools and colleges until May 23. The DGHS has identified 29 districts, including Dhaka and Chattogram, with higher rates of Coronavirus transmission. The areas have been dubbed ‘risky places’ considering the high number of Covid-19 cases. Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Govt not considering general holidays Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued an 18-point directive on Monday for the next two weeks in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus. Besides, the Health Ministry has proposed partial lockdowns for some places with higher Coronavirus transmission rates.