Mexicans are seen out and about after the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions, near the Bellas Artes Palace in downtown Mexico City, July 3, 2020. (FERNANDO LLANO / AP)

SANTIAGO / EGYPT / ACCRA / ROME / NAIROBI / LONDON / BRASILIA / MADRID / KIGALI / CAPE TOWN / MOSCOW / LAGOS - The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Saturday, with the total rising by 212,326 in 24 hours.

The Americas region - mainly the US and Brazil - account for 61 percent of all new cases, followed by Southeast Asia, which made up 12 percent of the daily infections. Europe, once an epicenter for the outbreak, represented 9.3 percent, the WHO daily report showed. Cases in the US and Brazil were 48 percent of the global total.

The previous WHO record for new cases was 189,077 on June 28.

The Americas make up 51 percent of all cases, or 5.58 million of 10.92 million, followed by Europe with 25 percent and the Eastern Mediterranean, including the Middle East, with 10 percent. The WHO tally often lags behind tallies from John Hopkins University, which showed 11.13 million cases as of midday Saturday.

Deaths remained steady at about 5,000 a day.

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Brazil

Brazil recorded 37,923 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as another 1,091 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Brazil has registered more than 1.5 million cases since the pandemic began, while cumulative deaths total 64,265, according to the ministry.

Chile

The Chilean Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 291,847, with 6,192 deaths.

In the past 24 hours, 3,758 new cases and 141 more deaths were reported. According to the ministry, there are currently 28,210 active cases across the country.

Egypt

Egypt reported on Saturday 1,324 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the tally in the country to 74,035, said the Health Ministry.

Another 79 deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 3,280, according to the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed.

Some 413 patients were completely cured and discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of recoveries to 20,103, the spokesman said.

Germany

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 239 to 196,335, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.

The reported death toll rose by 2 to 9,012, the tally showed.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University,  there were 418 new cases reported in Germany in the 24 hours through Sunday morning, bringing the total to 197,198.

The reproduction factor — or R-value — rose to 0.93 on Saturday, from 0.84 the day before, according to the latest estimate from RKI. That’s the 11th straight day below the key threshold of 1.0. 

Ghana

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo will self-isolate for 14 days on the advice of doctors after a person in his close circle tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the government said in a statement late on Saturday.

"He has, as at today, tested negative, but has elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution," the statement reads, adding that the president will continue to work during the period, in compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols. It was not mentioned in the statement if the close person was a staff or family member.

Ghana has recorded 19,388 coronavirus cases, one of the highest number of cases in sub-Saharan Africa, with 117 deaths.

The West African nation's deputy trade and industry minister Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah resigned on Friday for violating coronavirus self-isolation measures after he tested positive for the virus.

Italy

Italy's COVID-19 numbers continued a downward trend Saturday, but health officials warned that more lockdowns to seal off small areas could be forthcoming as infections in some hotspots flared up.

A total of 235 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, compared with 223 the day before, the Ministry of Health said. Another 21 deaths were reported, bringing the overall death toll to 34,854, while 477 more patients have recovered, raising the number of recoveries to 191,944, according to the ministry.

Total active cases decreased to 14,621, down from 14,884 on Friday, according to the ministry. The overall number of COVID-19 cases, including infections, fatalities, and recoveries rose to 241,419.

In an interview with Sky TG24 private broadcaster on Saturday, Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri said the virus was still circulating in Italy and warned that some hotspots may require lockdowns to ensure they don't spread.

Kenya

Kenya on Saturday recorded 389 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number of infections ever recorded since the virus was reported in the country on March 13.

Cyrus Oguna, a spokesperson for the government, said in a statement that the additional new cases brought the country's tally to 7,577.

Oguna also said the country recorded the highest daily number of deaths with five more deaths being reported, raising the death toll to 159.

Libya

Libya's National Center for Disease Control on Sunday reported a record daily increase of 71 COVID-19 cases, taking the nationwide tally to 989.

The center said in a statement that 258 more patients have recovered from the disease while 27 more have died.

Mexico

Mexico reported a daily rise of 523 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 30,366 and making it the world’s fifth-deadliest country for COVID-19.

Total cases rose by a record 6,914 to 252,165, according to data released by the Health Ministry Saturday night. 

Mexico overtook Spain and France this week as the pandemic’s toll on the country continued to mount. 

Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell reiterated that the actual number of infections was probably significantly higher.  

Morocco

Morocco registered 534 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the tally of infections in the North African country to 13,822, the Ministry of Health said.

The death toll rose by two to 232, according to Hind Ezzine, head of the department of epidemic diseases of the Ministry of Health.

The number of recoveries increased by 169 to 9,329, according to Ezzine.

Nigeria

The governor of Nigeria's Ebonyi state David Umahi has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Some close aides of the governor also tested positive for the virus, said Francis Nwaze, Umahi's special assistant on media, while confirming the development to Xinhua on Sunday. Nwaze said the governor is not currently showing any symptoms of the disease, adding that he would continue to work from his official residence following medical recommendations and restrictions.

With the addition of Umahi's infection, Nigeria has seen at least three state governors testing positive for the virus in the past week after the governors of Ondo and Delta being confirmed earlier.

Nigeria recorded 603 new cases on Saturday, pushing the tally to 28,167. 

Peru

Peru reported 3,481 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 299,080, said the Health Ministry on Saturday.

The death toll climbed to 10,412, said the ministry, adding that a total of 11,273 hospital admissions were recorded.

Russia

Russia on Sunday reported 6,736 new cases of the novel coronavirus, raising the nationwide tally to 681,251.

The authorities said that 134 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 10,161.

Rwanda

Rwanda on Saturday announced that the country will resume commercial flights on Aug 1.

All passengers, including those in transit, will be required to show proof of a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before arrival from a certified laboratory, it said.

Passengers entering Rwanda will have to receive a second test and stay in designated hotels at their own cost before the result is delivered, it added.

As of Saturday, Rwanda has registered 1,092 COVID-19 cases in total, including 523 recoveries and three deaths.

South Africa

South Africa on Saturday marked 100 days since the country went into a COVID-19 lockdown as the country reported another daily increase in COVID-19 cases.

A total of 10,853 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 187,977, according to a COVID-19 update report released Saturday by the South African Health Department.

The death toll rose by 74 to 3,026.

In his remarks to mark the 100 days in lockdown, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde warned that South Africans would have to live with the virus for quite some time to come.

Spain

Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia enforced a new lockdown on more than 200,000 people on Saturday, after several new outbreaks of the coronavirus were detected.

Residents in Segria, which includes the city of Lleida, will not be able to leave the area from 12 noon (1000 GMT) on Saturday, but will not be confined to their homes as was the case in Spain's original strict lockdown in March. Movement for work will be permitted, but from Tuesday workers entering or leaving the area will have to present a certificate from their employer.

Regional health ministry data showed there were 3,706 cases in the Lleida region on Friday, up from 3,551 the previous day.

Spain has registered 205,545 coronavirus cases and 28,385 deaths, making it one of the worst affected countries in Europe.

UK

People in England appear to have broadly behaved themselves as pubs reopened this weekend, Britain's Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday after the latest step towards a return to normality from the coronavirus lockdown.

Millions of people in England emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown on the so-called "Super Saturday" as coffee shops, bars, restaurants and hair salons reopened in over three months.

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Hancock said he was satsified with how the latest step to ease the lockdown had gone and played down individual cases where social distancing guidelines were not respected.

Another 67 COVID-19 deaths were registered as of Friday afternoon, bringing the death toll in the country to 44,198, the British Department of Health and Social Care said Saturday.

As of Saturday morning, 284,900 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, a daily increase of 624, according to the department.

US

Florida and Texas, two states that have emerged as the latest hot spots of the US coronavirus outbreak, both reported record daily increases in confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday - with nearly 20,000 additional infections combined.

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Florida's confirmed coronavirus cases rose by a record 11,458 on Saturday, the state's health department said, marking the second time in three days that its caseload jumped by more than 10,000 in 24 hours.

In Texas, the number of new cases rose by a record 8,258 on Saturday. North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska, Missouri, Idaho and Alabama all registered new daily highs on Friday.

For a sixth straight day, Texas also registered an all-time high in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 - 7,890 patients after 238 new admissions over the past 24 hours.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States on Saturday topped 2.8 million while the death toll surpassed 129,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to minimize the jump in confirmed cases as a function of greater testing. In a July Fourth speech at the White House, Trump claimed without evidence that 99 percent of cases in the United States were "totally harmless." He also said a “therapeutic or vaccine solution” for the coronavirus will be ready before the end of the year, without offering any details.