The number of global deaths associated with COVID-19 surpassed 500,000 on Sunday even as the number of confirmed cases reached 10 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. However, due to a lack of testing for the virus in many parts of the world, many health experts fear the actual number of coronavirus cases could be significantly higher.
The United States continued to lead the world in the number of confirmed cases, according to the university's tally. As of Monday morning, the U.S. has seen at least 2,549,629 cases with the death toll surpassing 125,808 as of Monday morning.
Brazil and Russia trail the U.S. in number of cases with the South American country reporting more than 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 and Russia reporting around 645,000.
As states reopen, the U.S. has seen a recent surge in the number of cases in several states, including Florida, Texas and California, which all reported a record number of cases over the weekend. The spike in cases provoked California Gov. Gavin Newsom to re-issue some health orders on Sunday, closing bars in seven counties across the state.
The governor's order closes any bar, brewery or pub that sells alcoholic drinks, without serving food at the same time. Restaurants will be allowed to remain open, but they are subject to strict dine-in rules or limited to takeout and delivery service.
“COVID-19 is still circulating in California, and in some parts of the state, growing stronger,” Newsom said in a written statement.“That’s why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases.”
The virus, which had ravaged several European countries, continues to spread even as a number of countries relax lockdown measures initially taken during the onset of the pandemic. Some countries, like Germany, have seen a resurgence in cases, forcing local governments to re-issue health orders and safer-at-home orders.
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