Coronavirus cases, deaths surge worldwide

The number of coronavirus cases across the globe has reached 142,059,494 with 3,034,222 deaths, while the United States still leads in this regard despite its pushing for nation-wide vaccinations.

Global trackers of the COVID-19 pandemic reported on Monday that the US had the highest COVID-19 death toll, followed by Brazil and India. The number of coronavirus cases in India, however, was higher than that of Brazil.

India's capital Delhi on Monday imposed a week-long lockdown after a record spike -- 24, 462 cases -- overwhelmed the city's healthcare system.

The country has been reeling from a deadly second wave since the start of April due to the emergence of the so-called double mutation virus.

"I have always been against lockdowns, but this one will help us amplify the number of hospital beds in Delhi," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a press conference on Monday.

He also appealed to the city's migrant workers not to leave. Last year's national lockdown saw millions of them heading back to their villages after they found themselves unemployed and running out of money.

In Brazil, 42,980 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus were reported in the past 24 hours, along with 1,657 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Brazil has registered more than 13.9 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 373,335, according to ministry data.

The US is the only country that has more COVID deaths than Brazil with a death toll of more than 567,000.

In the meantime, the US reported on Sunday that just over half of its adult population had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

To further push the vaccination campaign, former US President Barack Obama, Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, and a number of American celebrities are expected to appear on Sunday night on “Roll Up Your Sleeves,” a nationally televised special aimed at decreasing vaccine hesitancy in the United States.

Not getting vaccinated poses a “critical threat to our national security and public health,” a group of lawmakers led by California Rep. Jimmy Panetta said earlier.

Around 25 percent of the US population are opposed to being vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, according to a poll by Monmouth University.

In Iran, the daily death toll from the coronavirus has risen and hospitals in the capital and elsewhere are getting filled up.

The Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed more than 21,000 new infections, reporting 405 deaths from the coronavirus. The country reported 398 new COVID-19 deaths on Monday, raising the death toll to over 67,000.

Iran’s vaccination efforts are dependent on a range of domestically-made and foreign vaccines. Despite the challenges due to the harsh sanctions imposed on the nation, many members of the medical staff and special groups in high-risk situations have been vaccinated so far.

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