Coronavirus: Biggest daily rise in global cases reported by WHO

Total number of global infections stands at 8.7m

Sunbathers hit Ipanema beach despite the coronavirus outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (REUTERS)

More than 183,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported worldwide in the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, according to the World Health Organisation.

The UN health agency said on Sunday that 183,020 cases were recorded in the latest 24 hour period, bringing the global total to 8,708,008.

Brazil led the way with 54,771 of the daily total, followed by the US with 36,617. Over 15,400 came were in India.

A further 4,743 deaths were also reported worldwide on Sunday as the global death toll rose to 461,715.

More than two-thirds of those new deaths were reported in the Americas, the new epicentre of the pandemic.

The US has the world’s highest number of reported infections at over 2.2 million, and the highest death toll, at about 120,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

According to the latest updates, the virus appears to be spreading across the West and South. Arizona reported over 3,100 new infections, just short of Friday’s record, and 26 deaths. Nevada also reported a new high of 445 cases.

However Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he had told officials to “slow down” testing because it was finding more cases. One of his advisers claimed he was being “tongue in cheek”.

The worldwide acceleration of the Covid-19 outbreak comes as many countries seek to loosen their lockdowns in a bid to restart their depressed economies.

In South Africa, president Cyril Ramaphosa announced casinos, beauty salons and sit-down restaurant service will reopen, as health authorities reported a one-day high of almost 5,000 new cases and 46 deaths.

Meanwhile fears of a second wave rose in Germany as experts estimated the reproduction (R) number of the virus had more than doubled in two days to 2.88.

More than 1,000 workers at a meatpacking plant in the North Rhine Westphalia region tested positive and the regional government issued a quarantine for all 6,500 workers, managers and family members.

China has also tightened restrictions in Beijing after a cluster of new cases were reported, preventing anyone from leaving the city unless they have tested negative. A further 25 infections were confirmed on Sunday, including 22 in the capital.

In South Korea, nearly 200 infections have been traced to employees at a door-to-door sales company in Seoul, and at least 70 other infections are linked to a table tennis club.

Meanwhile in the UK, lockdown restrictions prevented druids, pagans and party-goers on Sunday from watching the sun rise at the ancient circle of Stonehenge to mark the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

“You can’t cancel the sunrise,” druid Arthur Pendragon told the BBC after watching from outside the fence.

Additional reporting by Associated Press