Global coronavirus deaths exceed 700,000, one person dies every 15 seconds on average

FILE PHOTO: A gravedigger wearing protective suit digs a grave to bury the coffin of a person who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Vila Formosa cemetery, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

The global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 700,000 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, with the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico leading the rise in fatalities.

Nearly 5,900 people are dying every 24 hours from COVID-19 on average, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the past two weeks.

FILE PHOTO: Healthcare workers carry the body of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) member who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), for his cremation at a crematorium in Srinagar July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

That equates to 247 people per hour, or one person every 15 seconds.

President Donald Trump said the coronavirus outbreak is as under control as it can get in the United States, where more than 155,000 people have died amid a patchy response to the public health crisis that has failed to stem a rise in cases.

"They are dying, that's true," Trump said in an interview with the Axios news website. "It is what it is. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it. This is a horrible plague."

FILE PHOTO: A priest is seen near the coffin of a man, who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during his funeral at the San Nicolas Tolentino cemetery, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in the Iztapalapa neighbourhood in Mexico City, Mexico, August 4, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Romero

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has minimized the gravity of the pandemic and opposed lockdown measures, even as he and several of his cabinet tested positive for the virus.

The pandemic was initially slower to reach Latin America, which is home to about 640 million people, than much of the world. But officials have since struggled to control its spread because of the region's poverty and densely packed cities.

More than 100 million people across Latin America and the Caribbean live in slums, according to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Many have jobs in the informal sector with little in the way of a social safety net and have continued to work throughout the pandemic.

FILE PHOTO: A funeral home worker waits for the funeral of a person who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as the outbreak continues, at La Bermeja cemetery in San Salvador, El Salvador August 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Even in parts of the world that had appeared to have curbed the spread of the virus, countries have recently seen single-day records in new cases, signaling the battle is far from over.

Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel all recently had record increases in cases.

Australia also reported a record number of new deaths on Wednesday, taking the country's total to 247.

FILE PHOTO: Mourners attend a funeral at The Green-Wood Cemetery, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the Brooklyn, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

(Open https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/COUNTRIES/oakveqlyvrd/index.html?id=united-kingdom for a Reuters interactive graphic)

(Reporting by Lisa Shumaker; editing by Jane Wardell)