The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world topped 70 million on Friday, just two weeks after reaching 60 million.
The once-unthinkable figure, reported by Johns Hopkins University, reflects an alarming resurgence and an accelerating pace of infections across the U.S., Europe and other parts of the globe.
The U.S. still has the highest number of confirmed cases, more than 15.7 million, followed by India, with about 9.8 million, and Brazil, which has confirmed nearly 6.8 million so far.
The global death toll is close to 1.6 million, with the U.S. accounting for nearly one-fifth of those lives. Europe is also struggling to contain a second wave there as daily COVID-19 deaths reach new highs and hospitals near capacity.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the a daily toll of 590 deaths earlier this week was “unacceptable.”
“We are in a decisive, perhaps the decisive, phase of fighting the pandemic,” she told lawmakers in a passionate speech Wednesday while calling for tougher restrictions.
In New York, meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that city restaurants would again have to close indoor dining because hospitals across the boroughs are overwhelming.
“We’re asking everyone to hold on,” he said in a briefing. “The end is in sight, but we still have to get there.”
