The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 479 million as the pandemic enters into its third year. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 479,000,756 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,114,171 Saturday morning. The US has recorded 79,936,777 cases so far and 976,505 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 43,018,032 on Saturday, as 1,660 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry data. Read: India reports 1,660 new COVID-19 cases Besides, as many as 4,100 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Friday morning, taking the total death toll to 520,855. This sudden rise in the number of deaths in the country was because "4,005 deaths were reconciled by Maharashtra", said a senior official at the federal health ministry. Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,809,769 cases as of Saturday, while its Covid death toll rose to 658,855. Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh logged 102 fresh Covid cases in 24 hours till Friday morning, taking the total caseload to 19,51,174. As per the latest government data, the country’s total fatalities remained unchanged at 29,118 as no death was reported during the period. The daily positivity rate increased to 1.03 per cent from Wednesday’s 0.76 per cent after testing 9,832 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Besides, the mortality rate remained unchanged too at 1.49 per cent. The recovery rate rose to 96.15 per cent with the recovery of 1,268 more patients during the 24-hour period. Read: 57 Rohingyas rescued while being trafficked to Malaysia; 2 held The country reported its first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020. On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths. Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 42,993,494 on Monday, as 2,503 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data. Besides, as many as 27 deaths due to the pandemic since Sunday morning took the total death toll to 515,877. This is after nearly two years when the number of deaths due to the pandemic has fallen to below 50. Read: Global Covid cases near 457 million There are still 36,168 active COVID-19 cases in the country despite a fall of 1,901 active cases during the past 24 hours. This was the 49th consecutive day when the number of active cases declined in the country. So far 42,441,449 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals so far, out of which 4377 were discharged during the past 24 hours in the country.

Indian health officials said there were signs of COVID-19 infections plateauing in some parts of the country but cautioned that cases were still surging in other states, linked to a new, stealthier version of the omicron variant. Most of the cases were concentrated in 10 states, where over 90% of patients had mild symptoms and were being treated at home, Lav Agarwal, a federal health official, said at a media briefing. The rate of infection in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in the north, Maharashtra on the western coast, and West Bengal, Odisha in the east has begun dipping, he said. However, cases are still rising in the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu along with Gujarat and Rajasthan in the northwest. “Early indication of a plateau in cases are being reported in certain geographies,” Agarwal said Thursday. He said that the number of people who needed oxygen support or had to be hospitalized during the current surge was lower than in the one fueled by the delta variant last year, which capsized India’s public health system. There are only a few states in India where the delta variant is still circulating. Genetic sequencing indicates that the initial spike in cases in December was powered by an early version of the omicron variant. But most new cases are now linked to a different version called BA.2 — a stealthier version of the omicron, which some scientists worry may also be more transmissible. Read: Biden says Russian invasion in Feb. ‘distinct possibility’ The dip in cases has prompted some local authorities to relax restrictions. In New Delhi, restaurants, bars, and movie theaters can now run at half capacity. Health experts cautioned that with restrictions loosening, infections were likely to increase. “This is a balance that we always have to play with,” said Dr. Jacob John, who studies viruses at the Christian Medical College in southern Vellore city. Over half of India’s population is fully vaccinated. And around 20% are waiting for a second shot. India started giving a booster shot to some vulnerable groups earlier in January, but health officials said that there has been no discussion about whether booster shots were necessary for the wider population. The country detected over 250,000 new infections on Friday, but Dr. Vineeta Bal, who studies immune systems at the Indian Institute of Science Education Research in Pune city, warned that these were definitely an undercount. She said that India’s pandemic efforts were still being marred by chronic issues like under-reporting of infections and patchy data, but minimizing the number of people who needed to be hospitalized was key. “And fortunately, so far, even in the good, the bad and the ugly ... it hasn’t gone out of hand,” she said.

Believe it or not, he overall number of cases is approaching 252 million. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 251,885,689 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,079,013, as of Friday morning. The US has recorded 46,847,655 cases to date and more than 759,636 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data. Read: Bangladesh gets close to zero Covid-linked death In the US, winter is coming and diseases like Covid-19 often spread easier with people indoors and closer together. The worst surge in the nation happened last winter, before the vaccines were widely available, reports AP. Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 21,924,598 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 610,224. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,401,670 on Friday, as 13,091 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's data. Besides, 340 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday morning took the total death toll to 462,189. Read: Dengue outbreak in Bangladesh: 176 more hospitalised in 24 hrs Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh reported just one Covid-related death from Dhaka division and reported 237 fresh infections in 24 hours till Thursday morning. On November 6, the country saw another single death from Covid-19, which was the lowest in nearly 18 months along with 154 cases. With this, the daily case positivity rate slightly declined to 1.21 percent from Wednesday’s 1.31 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) The fresh numbers took the total fatalities to 27,907, while the country’s caseload mounted to 1,571,906, said DGHS. The one who died during the period was a man. Of the fresh cases, 188 were detected from Dhaka division while the other divisions logged 49 Covid-19 infections. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 percent. The fresh cases were detected after testing 19,544 samples, said the DGHS. Besides, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.71 percent, with the recovery of 231 more patients during the period. So far, 32,259,705 people have fully been vaccinated in the country while 50,151,447 received the first dose as of Wednesday, according to the directorate.