World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, on July 3, 2020 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. (Fabrice COFFRINI / POOL / AFP)

RABAT / MEXICO CITY / MADRID / BELGRADE / KAMPALA / BERLIN / OTTAWA / MOSCOW - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that he will reconvene the Emergency Committee on Thursday to re-evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic, as global COVID-19 cases had doubled over the past six weeks.

Global cases of the coronavirus exceeded 16.2 million and deaths topped 648,000 on Monday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States is the worst-hit country, with more than 4.2 million cases and nearly 147,000 deaths, followed by Brazil, which has reported more than 2.4 million cases and over 87,000 deaths, according to the tally.

Countries with more than 300,000 cases also include India, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Britain, according to the tally. 

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent reached 846,311 on Monday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

UK

The British government is watching the situation in Germany and France closely and continuously reviewing the situation in popular holiday destinations, junior health minister Helen Whately said on Monday when asked about widening a quarantine for Spain.

"If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine, if we see the rates going up, we would have to take action because we cannot take the risk of coronavirus being spread again across the UK," she said.

Britain will drop its policy of requiring people returning from the Spanish Canary Islands or Balearics to quarantine for two weeks, the Sun newspaper said on Monday.

Meanwhile, according to the head of the UK's COVID-19 vaccine taskforce, Kate Bingham, a coronavirus vaccine may be needed every year, like the flu shot. An initial dose probably will reduce the severity of symptoms, and continued treatment will be needed to maintain immunity.

A sterilizing vaccine that would prevent infection completely is still being pursued. It’s unlikely any vaccine would be ready before the end of this year, she said.

In the meantime, the UK confirmed its first case of a pet cat testing positive for coronavirus, after the animal apparently caught the disease from its owners.

The UK said it will pause reporting on coronavirus deaths while it reviews how they are counted. Last week, the government said deaths in England were attributed to coronavirus if the deceased had had the disease at any time. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would only record deaths as virus-related if the patient had a positive test within the preceding 28 days.

The UK has reported the most COVID-19 deaths in Europe. The toll rose to 45,752 on Sunday.

ALSO READ: WHO: Over 10,000 African health workers have COVID-19

Algeria

The Algerian government said on Sunday the partial lockdown measures will be extended for 15 days in 29 provinces to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the official APS news agency reported.

The measures include the curfew from 8 pm to 5 am and the ban on road traffic from and to the 29 provinces in the country.

Algeria has so far reported 27,357 confirmed cases and 1,155 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

People walk next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, July 26, 2020. (CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP)

Armenia

Armenia on Monday reported 73 new COVID-19 cases in the past day, bringing its total to 37,390, according to the National Center for Disease Control.

Data from the center showed that 187 more patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 26,665.

Meanwhile, six people have died in the period, raising the death toll to 711.

Austria

Health officials are tackling an outbreak of the coronavirus in Austria’s Wolfgangsee lake resort, the favorite summer destination of the late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. 

The cases, which started among hotel interns and spread over after-work drinks, threaten the Austrian government’s hopes for a well-booked summer season to make up for the sudden end of the ski season in March following outbreaks in resorts.

A drive-through testing site took around 1,200 swipes from tourism staff, residents and guests over the weekend, regional health secretary Christine Haberlander said in an interview with public radio Oe1, with 53 positive and about 400 results outstanding on Monday.

Belarus

Belarus reported 119 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its tally to 67,251, according to the country's health ministry.

There have been 67 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 60,492, the ministry added.

So far, 538 people have died of the disease in the country, including four over the past 24 hours, it said.

Belgium 

Belgium announced measures on Monday including a sharp reduction in permitted social contact designed to prevent a return to a nationwide lockdown after a surge of coronavirus infections in the past three weeks.

Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes told a news conference that, from Wednesday, a Belgian family or those living together would only be able to meet five other people, sharply down from 15 now.

The numbers allowed to attend public events will be halved to 100 for inside and 200 for outside. Consumers will have to shop on their own and Wilmes also said people should work from home as much as possible.

Belgium, where the European Union and NATO have their headquarters, imposed a lockdown on March 18 due to COVID-19, which has claimed 9,821 lives in the country, one of the world’s highest fatality figures per capita.

Brazil

Brazil, which has the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak after the US, registered 24,578 new cases and 555 deaths, the health ministry said Sunday. That’s half of the 51,147 cases and 1,211 deaths reported the previous day.

Total cases are now at 2,419,091, with 87,004 deaths as the infection curve continues to show an increasing overall trend. Most cities are relaxing social isolation measures and reopening for business after the economy plunged in the beginning of the second quarter.

Servers wearing face masks take orders at an outdoor terrace in Montreal, Canada, July 26, 2020. (GRAHAM HUGHES / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP)

Canada

Young adults are driving new COVID-19 cases higher in Canada, health authorities said Sunday, warning of serious health consequences and urging the public to take precautions against the coronavirus. 

For the week ending July 22, "young adults aged 20-39 years of age account for the highest incidence rates across all ages in Canada," said Theresa Tam, chief public health officer of Canada, in a statement.

An average of over 485 cases were confirmed infected with the virus daily from across the country in the past week, Tam said, raising the country's caseload to 113,556, including 8,885 deaths, as of Sunday.

She urged all Canadians to continue to take steps to reduce their risk of exposure to the virus and spread of the infection to others, including practicing social distancing and wearing a mask.

Chile

Chile on Sunday reported that a total of 345,790 people in the country have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began, and 9,112 people have died from the disease.

According to the health ministry, in the previous 24 hours, tests detected 2,198 new cases of infection and another 92 people died.

Chile "continues to see a decline in cases," Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza said. adding that in the past week, "new cases have fallen by 5 percent and in the past 14 days, by 29 percent".

Egypt

Egypt reported on Sunday 479 new COVID-19 infections, taking the country's infection tally to 92,062, said the health ministry.

It was the lowest daily increase since May 16, when 491 new cases were confirmed.

Another 48 people died from the disease, raising the death toll to 4,606, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

Megahed said that 928 more patients were cured and discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 33,831.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 13,968 after 720 new cases were confirmed on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said.

According to a statement by the ministry, 250 new recoveries were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the number of recoveries to 6,216.

Another 14 people died, raising the death toll to 223, according to the ministry.

The ministry said 7,527 patients were still undergoing medical treatment, of which 65 are in severe condition.

EU

The European Union (EU) has allowed member countries to suspend import duties on medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus for three more months.

Tariffs on goods such as masks, testing kits and ventilators will be suspended until Oct 31 amid a resurgence in cases worldwide, according to the European Commission’s official journal. The move also maintains a suspension of value-added tax on the products.

Germany

Bavaria on Monday called on Germany's federal government to clarify how to quickly make coronavirus testing mandatory at airports to ensure returning holidaymakers do not further drive up case numbers in Europe's largest economy.

Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said concerns were growing that people returning from holiday could cause "lots of mini Ischgls", referring to the Austrian ski resort that was the source of some of Germany's first coronavirus cases.

Meanwhile, Bavaria will also set up voluntary test centres at three road border crossings as well as at Munich and Nuremberg train stations, Soeder said.

Following a coronavirus outbreak at a vegetable farm in Mamming, Bavaria, Soeder said the state planned to increase the frequency of inspections and would quintuple fines for violations of coronavirus-related hygiene rules to 25,000 euros (US$29,240).

Separately, the country’s public-health authority warned that Germany is facing “very concerning” trends of rising coronavirus infections.

Authorities in Mamming are stepping up testing after more than 170 out of about 500 workers at a local farm were found to be virus positive. Most of the people are migrants from Romania, local media reported. The facility, where the workers are housed, was put under mandatory quarantine behind a metal fence.

Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) showed on Monday the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 340 to 205,609 while reported deaths remained unchanged at 9,118. 

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, there were 389 new cases on Monday, bringing the tally to 206,667.

More than 60 percent of recent new cases are in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wuerttemberg, RKI said in its latest virus report published late Sunday. The virus reproduction rate was at 1.22 Sunday, down slightly from 1.24 the previous day. 

ALSO READ: EU raises its guard against pandemic

A face mask is seen left behind on the square in front of the Old Opera in Frankfurt, Germany, July 26, 2020. (MICHAEL PROBST / AP)

Georgia

Georgia confirmed six new COVID-19 cases on Monday, of which four were imported, raising its overall infection tally to 1,137.

As of Monday, 922 people have recovered while 16 have died, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health said.

Ghana

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on late Sunday announced a further easing of coronavirus restrictions in the country.

Restrictions on the number of worshippers allowed in churches and mosques will be lifted on Aug 1, and worship time will be extended to two hours, Akufo-Addo said in a televised address.

Akufo-Addo also said that restrictions on the number of passengers on public transport and domestic flights will be lifted, as well as a ban on tourist centers and open-air drinking spots.

"Our borders, by air, land and sea, remain closed until further notice," the president said.

Ghana's COVID-19 caseload reached 32,437, with 161 deaths on Sunday.

Kenya

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Monday he had extended a nationwide curfew for another 30 days and banned alcohol sales in restaurants to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Kenya's Ministry of Health on Sunday said the country's COVID-19 cases passed the 17,000 mark after 960 people tested positive in the last 24 hours.

Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement that the new additional cases brought the nation's tally to 17,603.

According to the statement, 169 more patients were discharged, bringing the total number of recoveries to 7,743.

Two more people died, taking the death toll to 280. 

A patient looks on as medical workers put nasal and throat swab samples into a test tube at a mobile diagnostic tent in San Gregorio Atlapulco in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City, July 24, 2020. (REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP)

Mexico

Mexico is raising its estimate for the death toll for about two-thirds of the country by 55 percent between mid-March and late June, according to health officials.

The Latin American nation said in 20 out of 32 states alone, fatalities from COVID-19 and other causes increased by 71,315 to a total of 202,077 from March 15 to June 27. That compares with the 130,763 earlier expected, according to a report by the health ministry on Saturday.

The ministry on Sunday reported 5,480 new confirmed cases and 306 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 390,516 cases and 43,680 deaths.

Also on Sunday, the governor of the Mexican state of Chihuahua said the state's health minister, Dr. Jesus Grajeda, has died, nearly two weeks after Grajeda was hospitalized with COVID-19.

Chihuahua Governor Javier Corral made the announcement on Facebook on Sunday morning, saying Grajeda had died of heart failure.

Morocco

Morocco will stop people entering and leaving some of its biggest cities from midnight to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, the interior and health Ministries said on Sunday.

The cities to be locked down include the economic powerhouse of Casablanca as well as Tangier, Marrakech, Fez and Meknes.

On Sunday, the health ministry said 633 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, one of the biggest daily rises so far, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 20,278, with 313 deaths and 16,438 recoveries.

Poland

Poland’s health ministry expects a resurgence in the number of new coronavirus infections to end after it tests and isolates suspected cases in the southern mining region of Silesia, officials said.

On Saturday the number of new infections rose by 584, its second-highest daily tally since the beginning of the pandemic, followed by another 780 on Sunday and Monday combined, bringing the total number to 43,402.

Portugal

Portugal on Sunday reported 209 new COVID-19 infections, raising the tally to 50,164, according to the Portuguese Director-General of Health.

One death from COVID-19 was reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,717.

The region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, where there have been several active outbreaks, reported 155 infections in the last 24 hours, representing 74 percent of the national count. The region has so far registered a total of 25,448 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

Nationwide, 207 more people recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of recoveriers to 35,217. 

Russia

Russia reported 5,635 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, its lowest daily rise since April 23, pushing its national tally to 818,120, the fourth largest in the world.

In a daily readout, the official coronavirus taskforce said 85 people had died over the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 13,354.

Serbia

Serbian health authorities confirmed on Sunday another 467 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily tally since the beginning of the outbreak in March.

Eight more people died in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.

The new figures pushed Serbia's infection and death toll to 23,730 and 534, respectively.

Currently, there are 4,568 people hospitalized across Serbia, of whom 169 are on respiratory ventilators.

Passengers wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus check in prior to departure to London, at a British Airways check-in desk at Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport, in the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, July 26, 2020. (MANU FERNANDEZ / AP)

Spain

Spain’s CEHAT tourism association on Monday offered to pay for foreign tourists to take coronavirus tests in an effort to encourage visitors to come after Britain imposed a quarantine on the country.

Spain's Catalonia may take stricter measures to limit coronavirus contagion if situation does not improve in the next 10 days, regional leader Quim Torra said on Monday.

Torra warned that in many parts of Catalonia the data was similar to the situation before Spain declared a national lockdown in March. He added his administration's goal was to avoid taking as strict measures as the ones that were taken back then.

Meanwhile, Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said Monday that she hoped Britain could lift the quarantine imposed on people returning from the Balearic and Canary Islands very quickly, "today rather than tomorrow".

Maroto's remarks came a day after the government insisted that Spain is safe for tourists and Spaniards, after Britain abruptly imposed a two-week coronavirus quarantine on travelers returning from there, a decision that filled holidaymakers with dismay.

READ MORE: UK defends Spanish quarantine move as travelers react with anger

Hospitals are coping well with the increase in infections and more than half of new cases are asymptomatic, the foreign ministry said, adding that outbreaks in Catalonia and Aragon should soon be brought under control.

Figures published by the Spanish Ministry of Health on Friday showed the previous week had seen 10,990 confirmed cases of COVID-19, almost twice as many as the 5,595 cases reported in the previous week, fueling worries of a "second wave" of the virus hitting Spain.

Spain's COVID-19 death toll could be nearly 60 percent higher than the official figure of 28,432, according to an investigation by El Pais newspaper published on Sunday. 

RTVE reported that the Ministry of Defense was preparing a plan that would allow military personnel to be trained to carry out the task of "tracking and tracing" contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 in case of a further growth in the number of new cases.

Uganda

Uganda has recorded its second COVID-19 death, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

According to a statement by the ministry, the victim was an 80-year-old female who was first admitted at a private hospital in the capital Kampala on Friday and was later referred to a bigger hospital.

Meanwhile, the ministry said 12 new cases were reported on Sunday, bringing the nation's tally to 1,115, with two deaths and 975 recoveries.

US

President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien has tested positive for COVID-19, according to people familiar with his situation.

O’Brien has been out of the office since late last week, one of the people said.

O’Brien came down with the coronavirus after a family event and has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, doing most of his work by phone, according to one of the people.

US confirmed cases rose by 65,965 in the latest daily count, a 1.6 percent increase that’s less than the 1.8 percent average over the previous seven days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Johns Hopkins University. 

Deaths rose by 921, breaking a four-day streak of more than 1,000 deaths per day.

Florida reported 9,344 new virus cases, a drop from the previous day when it overtook New York to have the second-most infections after California. Deaths among residents slowed again, to 77 from 124 the day before.

California reported 8,259 positive cases, below both the 14-day average of 9,421 and the 10,666 reported the day before. The number of fatalities increased by 79, lower than the 14-day daily average of 98. 

New York reported 536 new cases and three deaths, whereas in Arizona, the state reported 19 more deaths and new cases slowed to 1,973.

Meanwhile, Moderna Inc said on Sunday it has received an additional US$472 million from the US government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support development of its coronavirus vaccine.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has suspended most parliamentary business after two lawmakers and two other people tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Two members of parliament had been confirmed positive,” parliamentary Clerk Kenneth Chokuda said in an emailed statement. The two were in a team conducting field visits around the country. A driver and a journalist also contracted the virus, he said.

Meanwhile, 70 medical workers have tested positive for COVID-19 at Zimbabwe's largest referral hospital since July 9, bringing the number of infected health workers since the outbreak began in March to 323.

"Nurses are the most affected, constituting 168, and doctors 16. Other affected health workers include people working in pharmacies, accounts, general hands working in the cleaning services as well as drivers ferrying patients," Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Gibson Mhlanga said.

Zimbabwe has reported 2,512 confirmed cases and 34 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.