Global coronavirus cases have passed 20 million, just six weeks after the 10m milestone was reached.
The latest landmark comes as several of the worst-affected countries continue to see new daily cases surge, with new cases consistently topping 250,000 globally every 24 hours since late July.
More than half of all Covid-19 cases come from just three countries – Brazil, India and the United States – though a levelling off over the last week has given hope that the pandemic’s spread is beginning to slow.
Nearly every country on Earth continues to see new cases, even those that have previously eliminated the virus.
On Tuesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed four new Covid-19 cases in Auckland – the first in the country in more than 100 days.
Other countries that saw new daily cases drop to single figures are now experiencing surges in cases of the virus.
In Australia, new lockdown measures have been introduced after a second wave proved even more deadly than the first outbreak.
Another milestone is expected to be reached in the coming days, as the global death toll approaches 750,000.
The World Health Organisation warned people against despairing at the latest statistics.
“There are green shoots of hope, and no matter where a country, a region, a city or a town is, it’s never too late to turn the outbreak around,” said WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“There are two essential elements to addressing the pandemic effectively: Leaders must step up to take action and citizens need to embrace new measures... If we suppress the virus effectively, we can safely open up societies.”
