Virus deaths top 600,000 as cases rise in SAfrica, Australia

Countries from U.S. to South Africa to Australia were struggling to hold down rising rates of coronavirus, as global deaths from COVID-19 surged past 600,000 in a sign of how far off world remains from a return to rmalcy.

While U.S. leads global infections, South Africa w ranks as fifth worst-hit country in pandemic with 350,879 cases — roughly half of all those confirmed on African continent. Its struggles are a sign of trouble to come for nations with even fewer health care resources.

China confirmed 13 new cases in rthwestern city of Urumqi on Sunday, while South Korea reported less than 40 additional cases for a second straight day.

Urumqi outbreak is latest to pop up since China largely contained domestic spread of virus in March. At least 30 people have been infected and authorities are conducting universal testing in communities where cases were discovered, later to be expanded to or parts of city and major businesses.

South Korean authorities are also struggling to suppress an uptick in local infections, with 34 additional cases, 21 of m domestic and 13 from overseas, raising country’s total to 13,745 with 295 deaths.

Both countries are mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all overseas arrivals.

After a one-day respite, COVID-19 cases in Australian state of Victoria rose again, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and nearby shire of Mitchell. Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new cases in past 24 hours. Two men and a woman in ir 90s died, taking national death toll from COVID-19 to 122.

World Health Organization on Saturday again reported a single-day record of new infections with 259,848.

South Africa w trails U.S., Brazil, India — all far more populous countries — in number of infections, surpassing Peru, after health authorities anunced 13,285 new cases.

South Africa’s new coronavirus epicenter, Gauteng province, hosts cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and one-quarter of country’s population of 57 million, with many poor people living in crowded conditions in middle of a frosty Sourn Hemisphere winter.

“ simple fact is that many South Africans are sitting ducks because y cant comply with World Health Organization protocols on improved hygiene and social distancing,” foundation of former South African archbishop and bel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and his wife, Leah, warned in a statement.

Global COVID-19 deaths have hit 601,549, according to Johns Hopkins University data. United States tops list with 140,119 deaths, followed by 78,772 in Brazil and 45,358 in United Kingdom and 38,888 in Mexico, where a surge in cases have frustrated plans to reopen ecomy.

number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million, out of which 3.7 million are in United States. re are over 2 million in Brazil and more than 1 million in India. Experts believe true numbers around world are higher because of testing shorts and data collection issues in some nations.

Infections are soaring in U.S. states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, fueled by haphazard lifting of lockdowns and resistance of some Americans to wearing masks.

Teams of military medics have been deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deal with a deluge of patients who are flooding emergency rooms in parts of U.S. Some patients are being moved into hallways to make room for most seriously ill and nurses are working extra shifts to keep up with surge.

Patients struggling to brea are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full, officials say.

Patients are waiting “hours and hours” to get admitted, said Dr. Alison Haddock of Baylor College of Medicine in state of Texas, which reported a new daily record for virus deaths Friday and more than 10,000 confirmed cases for fourth consecutive day. More than 80 infants have tested positive for virus in state.

“I’ve never seen anything like this COVID surge,” said Haddock, who has worked in emergency rooms since 2007. “We’re doing our best, but we’re t an ICU.”

surge of infections means that millions of American children are unlikely to return to classrooms full time in fall.

Police in Barcelona are limiting access to some of city’s beaches because sunbars are igring regulations amid a resurgence of coronavirus. Authorities in Amsterdam are urging people t to visit city’s famous red light district and have closed off some of historic district’s narrow streets because y are too busy.

Local governments in India continued to reimpose focused lockdowns in several parts of country following a surge in cases. And in Iran, president made startling anuncement that as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected, state-run IRNA news ncy reported. Hassan Rouhani cited a new Health Ministry study that has t been made public. Iran has Middle East’s worst outbreak with more than 270,000 confirmed cases.

In Bangladesh, confirmed cases surpassed 200,000 but experts say number is much higher as country lacks adequate labs for testing. Most people in rural areas have stopped wearing masks and are thronging shopping centers ahead of Islamic festival Eid al-Adha this month.

Scientists, meanwhile, poured cold water on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s hope that country may return to rmal by Christmas, saying that, without a vaccine, rmal life was a long way off.