The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating, with Thursday's 150,000 new cases the highest in a single day and nearly half of them in the Americas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said, repor agencies.
"The world is in a new and dangerous phase," Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva. "The virus is still spreading fast, it is still deadly, and most people are still susceptible."
More than 8.53 million people have been reported infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 453,834 have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 1326 GMT on Friday.
Tedros, whose leadership of the WHO has been severely criticised by U.S. President Donald Trump, urged people to maintain social distancing and "extreme vigilance."
As well as the Americas, a large number of new cases were coming from South Asia and the Middle East, Tedros added.
The global death toll from coronavirus stood at 456,943 as of Friday, according to Worldometers tally.
Besides, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has gone up to 8,607,857.
Among the countries, the US has been the worst-hit with the highest recorded deaths of 120,688 patients and about 2,263,756 confirmed cases.
According to data, Brazil and Russia have come up to the second and the third positions after the US with 983,359 and 569,063 confirmed cases as of Friday.
Meanwhile, India has come up to the fourth position after Russia with 382,143 confirmed Covid-19 cases. The country has so far reported 12,610deaths.
Brazil counted the second highest deaths after the US as it reported 47,748 deaths from the virus till the date.
India reported a record daily jump in the number of novel coronavirus cases on Friday as Chennai locked down following fresh outbreaks there.
Given India's high population density, experts have long worried that a sustained COVID-19 outbreak would lead to pressure on its stretched healthcare system.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lifted most restrictions that were part of a nearly three-month nationwide lockdown on June 8, despite the continuing rise in cases.
Data from India's federal health ministry on Friday showed an additional 13,500 cases over the previous 24 hours, with over 300 deaths.
Another report adds: Divided EU leaders will meet in person next month to negotiate how to raise and then distribute a major recovery fund to revive a European economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
The 27 held a video summit Friday to discuss a proposal from European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen for a 750-billion-euro ($840-billion) rescue fund that, if accepted, would mark a historic milestone for EU unity.
The plan is to help EU countries fight the devastating recession caused by the virus outbreak whose effects are expected to grow worse and be felt for years to come.
"It's no exaggeration to say we are facing the biggest economic challenge in the history of the European Union," Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit.
Leaders agreed that a solution should be found by the end of July, with summit host Charles Michel, president of the European Council, wanting a face-to-face meeting around mid-month -- if coronavirus restrictions allow -- to push a deal over the finish line.
Meanwhile, Scientists in Italy have found traces of the coronavirus in wastewater collected from Milan and Turin in December 2019 - suggesting COVID-19 was already circulating in northern Italy before China reported the first cases.
The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia exceeded 150,000 on Friday following a rise in new infections over the past 10 days.
Hospitalised COVID-19 patients of South Asian ethnicity in Britain are 20% more likely to die from the disease than white people, a large-scale study showed on Friday, the latest evidence that minority groups are disproportionately hit by the virus.
China has released genome sequencing data for the coronavirus responsible for a recent outbreak in Beijing, with officials saying it identified a European strain based on preliminary studies.
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