Coronavirus tracked: UK cases pass 300,000 as world sees record surge in new infections

Major outbreaks across Asia and South America contributed to a record high number of global cases

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has passed 300,000 amid a surge in new infections globally.

Data from John Hopkins University revealed that there have been 301,935 cases of Covid-19 in the UK, though the number of new daily cases has fallen significantly in recent weeks.

By contrast, major outbreaks across Asia and South America contributed to a record high number of new cases around the world on Thursday.

Figures compiled by Oxford-based research group OurWorldinData revealed 176,426 new cases globally, taking the total number of cases to 8.46 million.

The actual figure is likely to be significantly higher due to limited testing.

The UK’s falling infection rate prompted the government to lower the virus alert level from four to three.

This means that Covid-19 is now considered to be in “general circulation” but transmission is no longer “high or rising exponentially”.

The number of new deaths from the virus has also levelled off in recent weeks, in tandem with the number of new cases.

The UK has the fifth highest number of coronavirus cases globally, behind the US, Brazil, Russia and India.

When measured in terms of new daily cases, however, the UK ranks 18th in the world.

The spike in new infections comes mostly from Brazil, the US, India, Russia, Pakistan, Chile and Mexico, which account for more than half of all new infections.

Other countries to experience an upswing in new cases include Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, following a resurgence of the virus in the Middle East.

After initially containing the virus in early May, Iran now appears to be experiencing a second wave of infections.

Many of the countries that were badly hit during the beginning of the pandemic now appear to have the spread largely under control.

These include China, France, Italy and Spain, where containment measures have begun to be lifted.