Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease.
According to World Health Organization data, there are 10,086,969 confirmed cases worldwide. COVID-19 has so far killed 501,393 people, while 5,464,271 have recovered from it.
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The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, WHO said.
The milestone comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available.
Some countries, including Israel, are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021.
As of Saturday night, Israel has recorded 23,421 cases of the coronavirus, with 317 deaths. Some 17,002 patients have recovered from the disease.
Over the weekend, a 19-year-old woman suffering from several severe medical conditions became Israel's youngest corona fatality.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene the coronavirus cabinet on Sunday to vote on reinstating some restrictions on public life in an effort to stem the second wave of the outbreak.
Among the restrictions under consideration are limiting public gatherings to 20 or 30 people, limiting events to up to 150, instating small study groups dubbed "capsules" at school-run summer camps, capping the number of people who can visit beaches and pools at one time, and calling on employers to encourage work from home.
Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch told Channel 12 News that "the steps we take now will stop tomorrow's lockdown. We need to take action now to stop the large spike in numbers [of new cases]. The number of people getting infected per day is around 400 to 500, and we know that in the next two weeks they will continue to rise – that is the nature of this virus. What we do today – what is decided tomorrow at the coronavirus cabinet meeting – should stop it there."
WHO noted that North America, Latin America, and Europe each account for around 25% of corona cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9%, respectively.
The UN agency said that the pandemic has now entered a new phase, with India and Brazil battling outbreaks of over 10,000 cases a day, putting a major strain on resources.
The two countries accounted for over a third of all new cases in the past week. Brazil reported a record 54,700 new cases on June 19. Some researchers said the death toll in Latin America could rise to over 380,000 by October, from around 100,000 this week.
The total number of cases continued to increase at a rate of between 1-2% a day in the past week, down from rates above 10% in March.
Countries including China, New Zealand, and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely quashing local transmission.
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In Beijing, where hundreds of new cases were linked to an agricultural market, testing capacity has been ramped up to 300,000 a day.
The United States, which has reported the most cases of any country at more than 2.5 million, managed to slow the spread of the virus in May, only to see it expand in recent weeks to rural areas and other places that were previously unaffected.
In some countries with limited testing capabilities, case numbers reflect a small proportion of total infections. Roughly half of the reported infections are known to have recovered.
