A nurse works at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward where patients infected with the novel coronavirus are being treated at the Doctor Ernesto Che Guevara Public Hospital in Marica city, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 5, 2020. (MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO / NEW YORK / MEXICO CITY / PARIS / HELSINKI / SAO PAULO / GUATEMALA CITY / BERLIN / ROME / MADRID / CAPE TOWN / ADDIS ABABA / CAIRO / MOSCOW / WARSAW / HARARE - After removing cumulative numbers for how many people have died in Brazil of coronavirus from a national website, the government sowed further confusion and controversy by releasing two contradictory sets of figures for the latest tally of infection cases and fatalities.

The divergence comes as the government over the weekend removed from public view months of national data on the epidemic, which critics said was another attempt at hiding the soaring death toll

Initially, data sent to journalists by the ministry on Sunday evening said Brazil now had a total death toll of 37,312 and total cases of 685,427. That meant, although the ministry did not break out these daily numbers, that in the previous 24 hours the country had registered 1,382 new deaths and 12,581 new cases.

But later on Sunday, the ministry updated its online data portal with completely different figures. The government website that publishes coronavirus data put the day’s dead at 525 and new cases at 18,912. It did not publish a cumulative total.

READ MORE: Brazil takes down COVID-19 data, hiding soaring death toll

The divergence comes as the government over the weekend removed from public view months of national data on the epidemic, which critics said was another attempt at hiding the soaring death toll.

That followed a move last week to push back the release of the daily tally from around 5 pm to near 10 pm, after the country’s main television news program has aired.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has come under growing criticism for the way his government has handled the data and his general approach to the pandemic, which he has regularly played down and called “a little flu.”

Brazil is now one of the main epicenters of the global pandemic, with the second highest number of confirmed cases only behind the United States, and a death toll that last week surpassed Italy’s.

People lining up along the Gate of Honor to visit the Chateau de Versailles, west Paris, June 7, 2020. (MICHEL EULER / AP)

Global tally

Worldwide deaths from the coronavirus pandemic topped 400,000, while infections crossed the 7 million mark, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. US cases rose at below the week’s average although deaths topped 110,000.

Global confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday reached 7,007,948 as of 0233 GMT on Monday, according to CSSE data.

A total of 402,709 people worldwide have died from the disease, the data showed.

The United States suffered the most from the pandemic, with 1,941,978 cases and a death toll of 110,513.

Countries with over 200,000 cases also include Brazil, Russia, Britain, India, Spain, and Italy. 

The number of confirmed cases across the African continent reached 183,474 while the death toll surged to 5,041 as of Sunday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

AstraZeneca Plc has approached rival drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc. about a potential merger, which would bring together two drugmakers behind the industry’s most prominent responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ALSO READ: New York starts to shake off virus; Europe recovering

Albania

The Albanian government has taken the decision to resume public transport services in the country from June 15, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy announced on Sunday.

Citizens who use public transport must wear protective masks and maintain physical distance, while buses carry passengers above 70 percent of their capacities.

Albania's public transport, suspended nationwide since March, is one of the hardest-hit sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the transport association have repeatedly called on the government to allow them to resume operation.

Fourteen new COVID-19 cases were reported by health authorities on Sunday, raising the total number of confirmed cases in Albania to 1,246, with 938 recoveries and 34 fatalities.  

Canada

The total number of Canadians killed by the coronavirus edged up by 0.9 percent to 7,773 from 7,703 on Saturday, the public health agency said Sunday. The total number of cases rose to 95,057 from 94,335.

Chief public health officer Theresa Tam expressed concern over  higher consumption of alcohol and junk food during the coronavirus epidemic, suggesting this could be a sign of worsening mental health.

Canada's 10 provinces are all gradually reopening their economies and relaxing restrictions on social gatherings. Unemployment though has soared to record levels amid widespread shutdowns and market analysts say it could take years for the economy to recover.

Tam, citing the results of a recent Statistics Canada survey about the effects of the pandemic, said Canadians needed to make mental health a priority.

Chile

Chile's health ministry on Sunday reported that a total of 134,150 people have been tested positive for COVID-19 and 2,190 people have died from the disease.

In the past 24 hours ending 9 pm Saturday (0100 GMT Sunday), 6,405 new cases were detected and 649 deaths were reported, its highest single-day fatality count since the start of the outbreak in the country.

Denmark

Denmark on Monday lifted the limit on public gatherings to 50 people from 10 as it relaxes measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health said.

The restrictions on public gatherings were put in place on March 17.

Also from Monday, Danes can once again visit gyms, public pools and amusement parks. 

Egypt

Egypt confirmed on Sunday 1,467 new COVID-19 cases, raising the country's tally to 34,079, said the Egyptian Health Ministry.

It was the eleventh straight day that Egypt's daily new COVID-19 infections surpassed 1,000.

Meanwhile, another 39 deaths were registered on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 1,237, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

He added that 423 more patients were completely cured and discharged from hospitals on the same day, increasing the total number of recoveries to 8,961.

"The coronavirus recovery rate in Egypt rose to 25 percent while the death rate declined from 7 percent to 3 percent," Mohamed Hassan, Egypt's assistant health minister for public health initiatives, told a parliamentary health committee on Sunday.

Women working at Medic Egypt for Medical Clothes company make protective face masks to be used to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. At a factory in Menoufiya, Egypt, June 6, 2020. (NARIMAN El-MOFTY / AP)

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 2,020 after 86 more cases were confirmed, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) said in a statement on Sunday.

TheFMoH said that 63 more patients have recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 344.

The ministry also said that seven more deaths were registered, bringing the number of COVID-19 related death toll to 27.

France

French Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud said Monday that the economy was running at 80 percent of normal. Speaking on France Info radio, Penicaud said that industrial sector was running at about 60 percent of normal and that the long-term furlough program being discussed by unions could last for as long as two years.

On Sunday, Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said that France will offer a plan worth “billions of euros” to rescue its beleaguered aerospace industry, as companies struggle with fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. The aid package to be presented Tuesday is aimed at European jet manufacturer Airbus SE, engine maker Safran SA, defense group Thales SA, and hundreds of suppliers that have lost business during the pandemic.

Separately, many European nations will probably agree to reopen air travel in the so-called Schengen area from June 15, assuming the crisis continues to abate, Djebbari added. Air France’s flights may rise from 5 percent of its usual level to 15 percent from June 15, and to 40 percent in mid-August, he said.

France's coronavirus death toll, the fifth-highest in the world, rose by 13 on Sunday to 29,155, the government said.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 343 to 153,997.

Finland

Anti-COVID-19 measures have largely reduced food and water-borne epidemics in Finland, said the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in a press release on Monday.

More than four times fewer suspected infections of food and water-borne epidemic were reported to THL between March and May this year than in the previous years. Only four suspected cases of food-borne epidemic infection were found this spring, compared with an average of 18 in the previous spring, said the health authority.

The reason for the reduced epidemics can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions, said Ruska Rimhanen-Finne, an epidemiologist at THL.

"When hands are washed hard and food is prepared for smaller groups, there are fewer epidemics," said Rimhanen-Finne in the press release.

According to THL, suspected pathogens in this spring's epidemics have included campylobacter, yersinia and norovirus. Campylobacter is a major cause of waterborne epidemics, especially in natural waters. Campylobacter can contaminate drinking water if surface water or wastewater is contaminated by the bacteria as a result of flooding or pipe ruptures.

Yersinias cause epidemics that often come from vegetables. Vegetables can be contaminated directly from animal feces or through irrigation water. Poorly cooked or raw foods such as raw meat and unpasteurized milk can also contain yersinia and campylobacter.

Norovirus is the most common cause of food poisoning. It is easily spread by contact or aerosol infection, but can also be spread through food or water. As summer comes, cooking and eating out will increase, the most important way to avoid food poisoning also applies in summer, reminded Rimhanen-Finne.

"Always wash your hands thoroughly before cooking and eating. Also remember to wash vegetables, cook meat and take care of good food handling and storage methods," suggested the epidemiologist.

Germany

The industrial production of Germany, Europe's largest economy, plummeted by 17.9 percent in April from the previous month and even 25.3 percent compared with the same month last year, according to provisional figures published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday.

The German industrial production continued its downward trend after decreasing by 8.9 percent month-on-month in March, according to Destatis. In February, production had grown slightly by 0.3 percent.

READ MORE: WHO recommends wider use of face masks to curb COVID-19

Ghana

Ghana has confirmed 176 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total caseload to 9,638 as of Sunday, said the Ghana Health Service(GHS).

At least 89 more patients have recovered, bringing the number of recoveries to 3,636, while the number of deaths from the pandemic remains at 44.

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in the West African country has increased to 5,958, the GHS added.

Guatemala

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Sunday that 18 employees at his office and on his security detail have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, so he will work remotely and the presidential offices will be disinfected.

"I and the vice-president will carry out our activities remotely. We're healthy. We've been tested. We don't have coronavirus," Giammattei said in a televised address.

The Central American country has registered 7,055 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 252 fatalities from the pandemic.

Honduras

Honduras has extended a curfew by one week through June 14 in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, security ministry spokesman Jair Meza said on Sunday.

Meza made the announcement on national television even as the Central American country is about to begin the gradual reopening of its economy on Monday.

Italy

Italy recorded another 53 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 33,899, the Civil Protection Department said on Sunday.

Total active infections stood at 35,262, a decrease of 615 from Saturday. Meanwhile, another 759 COVID-19 patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 165,837 on Sunday.

The overall number of COVID-19 cases including active infections, fatalities, and recoveries rose by 197 to 234,998 over the past 24 hours.

READ MORE: Italy reopens to tourists despite persisting cases

Kenya

Kenya's Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed 167 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's tally to 2,767.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary at the Ministry of Health, said that another 46 patients have been discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 752.

Kagwe said that one more death was reported, bringing the death toll to 84.

Mexico

Mexico remains at the highest level of contagion alert going into the second week of its phased return to normal after seven days that saw the death toll from the coronavirus and new infections hit new highs, the health ministry said on Sunday.

On Monday, Mexico began transitioning towards a gradual reopening of the economy and society, which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dubbed the "new normal."

In effect, however, little changed, with all 31 states and the capital staying in the highest "red" level of alert as the government grapples to get the pandemic under control. Mexico is using a four-stage (red-orange-yellow-green) model to lift restrictions on public life, and the ministry's latest update on the contagion risk on Sunday evening showed all of the states and Mexico City remained in the most acute level.

The ministry on Sunday reported 3,484 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 188 more fatalities, bringing the total in Mexico to 117,103 cases and 13,699 deaths.

The head of Mexico's Social Security Institute (IMSS), Zoe Robledo, a close aide to Lopez Obrador, said on Sunday he had tested positive for the coronavirus and would continue to work remotely.

A woman wearing a face mask walks on an empty pedestrian walkway in downtown Rabat, Morocco, on June 7, 2020. (MOSA'AB ELSHAMY / AP)

Morocco

Morocco on Sunday announced 73 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the North African country to 8,224.

Another 49 more patients have recovered from the disease, taking the tally of recoveries to 7,364, Mouad Mrabet, coordinator of the Moroccan Center for Public Health, said at a press briefing.

The death toll remained at 208, as no additional fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours, the official said.

Mozambique

Mozambique registered on Sunday another 15 positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's tally to 424.

Out of the new infections, two are under 14 years old and four are employees in the health sector, said National Director of Public Health Rosa Marlene.

Marlene said that a total of 50 cases of COVID-19 infections had been found in children.

So far, Mozambique has reported a total of 127 recoveries. 

Netherlands

The number of reported deaths from the novel coronavirus in the Netherlands rose by 2 to 6,013, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced on Sunday.

The daily death toll was down from Saturday's six, continuing a trend of low daily toll in the past weeks. 

The number of newly reported confirmed infections since Saturday was 239, bringing the total tally to 47,574. The number of people who are or were admitted to hospitals grew by 4 to 11,789.

Panama

Confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Panama reached 16,425 on Sunday, up 421 from the previous day, and deaths climbed by seven to 393, the health ministry said.

Poland

The European Union's (EU) biggest coking coal producer JSW will close two mines while the EU’s largest thermal coal miner PGG will close 10 for three weeks as Poland’s government steps up efforts to contain COVID-19 in the Silesian region, Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin said at news conference in Warsaw.

Poland has reported rapid growth in the number of coronavirus cases among miners, with the coal region in the south of the country recording the highest number of infections. Currently, coal miners account for almost 20 percent of all coronavirus cases in Poland, the state-run news agency PAP said.

"Such action is needed to eventually quell these epidemic outbreaks," Sasin said..

Russia

The number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in Russia has risen to 5,971, the country's coronavirus response centre said on Monday, after it reported 112 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

It reported 8,985 new infections of the virus, taking the nationwide case tally to 476,658.

A grade 7 pupil gets his temperature checked as he returns to Meldene Primary School in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 8, 2020. (DENIS FARRELL / AP)

South Africa

As schools reopened in South Africa on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was worried about the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the country.

More than a half of all cases since the start of the outbreak were recorded in the last two weeks, Ramaphosa noted in his weekly presidential address.

"During the course of this coming week, we can expect that the total number of cases will pass the 50,000 mark and the number of related deaths will reach 1,000, Ramaphosa said.

As of Sunday, South Africa reported 48,285 confirmed cases and 998 deaths, up by 2,312 and 45 respectively from the previous day.

Children began returning to classrooms on Monday as part of a gradual loosening of restrictions imposed under a months-long COVID-19 lockdown in the continent's most industrialised nation.

The Department of Education had originally planned to reopen schools on June 1, but postponed the reopening to June 8 after finding out that most schools required more time to be prepared for the resumption of classes.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Sunday that ramped up efforts to equip schools over the past week meant that 95 percent of South Africa's primary and secondary schools were now able to host classes. The government will find alternative arrangements for pupils at schools unable to open on Monday, she said.

Initially, only pupils in grades 7 and 12 will return to class, with other years phased in gradually.

Somalia

Somalia's health ministry on Sunday confirmed 45 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 2,334.

Health Minister Fawziya Abikar said that  ten patients recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 441.

The minister said one more death was registered, bringing the death toll to 83.

Spain

The Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare confirmed just one additional death from COVID-19 on Sunday while the number of new cases fell once again.

According to the ministry, 27,136 people have died from COVID-19, of which 72 deaths were recorded in the past seven days.

Sunday saw a further fall in the number of new cases with 102 new infections reported, down from 164 a day earlier, bringing the country's tally to 241,550.  

ALSO READ: Pandemic: WHO warns of higher rates of antimicrobial resistance

Sweden

Sweden’s prime minister was forced to defend his COVID-19 strategy after opposition parties mounted a scathing attack amid signs the government’s handling of the pandemic was badly flawed.

With more than 4,500 deaths, and Sweden’s chief epidemiologist - who advised keeping most of society open - admitting mistakes, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven became the target during a broadcast debate of party leaders Sunday night. Ulf Kristersson, leader of the main opposition party, said “there have been obvious, fundamental failures.”

Lofven said there’s no reason to abandon the approach but acknowledged room for improvement. “We have far too many fatalities in elderly care.” He also said the government “should have tested more people.” Swedes now face travel restrictions in the European Union due to the country’s high infection rate.

Uganda

Uganda's Ministry of Health on Sunday reported 23 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 616.

Out of the 2,494 samples collected from cross-border cargo truck drivers and communities over the last 24 hours, 23 Ugandans tested positive for the virus, according to the statement.

According to the ministry, 47 foreign truck drivers who tested positive for COVID-19 were handed over to their countries of origin.

Out of the 616 COVID-19 cases, 96 have recovered and no one has died from the disease in the country, according to the ministry.  

UK

Another 55 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain as of Sunday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 40,597, the British Department of Health and Social Care said Monday.

The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community. 

Scotland has recorded no additional deaths in the past 24 hours, Scottish health minister Jeane Freeman said on Sunday. Northern Ireland's health department also said it had no reports of additional COVID-19 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 0900 GMT on Sunday.

The United Kingdom is pressing ahead with a two-week quarantine on international arrivals, a move British Airways (BA) and other carriers say will devastate tourism and wreck any chance the summer holiday season could spark a recovery from a virus-induced slump.

BA, along with EasyJet Plc and Ryanair Holdings Plc have threatened to sue the government over the policy, which takes effect Monday, saying the restrictions will be ineffective at curtailing COVID-19 while threatening to destroy thousands of jobs. The airlines fear the move will make lockdown-weary customers put off bookings just as carriers add capacity.

Passengers wearing face masks arrive at Heathrow Airport in London, June 8, 2020, the first day of the implementation of a two-week quarantine on international arrivals in the United Kingdom. (MATT DUNHAM / AP)

US

US coronavirus cases rose 1 pecent from the same time Saturday to 1.93 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase was below the average daily increase of 1.2 percent over the past week.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States topped 110,000 on Sunday, reaching 110,028 as of 1:33 pm (1733 GMT), according to the CSSE at Johns Hopkins University.

New York state, which reported 378,097 cases, has seen a total of 30,324 deaths. New Jersey reported 12,176 fatalities and Massachusetts reported 7,289 fatalities. Other states with over 5,000 COVID-19 deaths included Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan, according to the CSSE data. 

New York will open 15 coronavirus tests sites for people in the city who joined protests against the death in police custody of George Floyd, and Governor Andrew Cuomo urged demonstrators to get tested. The goal is to do 35,000 tests a day, he said.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to lower expectations for a swift return to business-as-usual after the first phase of reopening starts on Monday. The second phase could begin in two weeks, if all the state-mandated health and safety metrics remain on track.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 282 after three returning residents tested positive on Sunday.

One more patient recovered from the disease, bringing the number of recoveries to 34. The death toll remains at four.

At least 197 health workers at one of Zimbabwe's top referral centers - Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo - have been placed in self-quarantine after a nurse tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital.

Two of the patients tested positive after they were admitted at the hospital recently, while the third was an outpatient, the Herald newspaper reported Monday.

It was suspected that the nurse contracted the virus through interactions with one of the patients.