Shawdesh Desk:

The overall number of global Covid cases is fast approaching 275 million amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in several western countries.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 274,692,249 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,354,148 as of Monday morning.

The US has recorded 50,846,828 cases so far and more than 806,439 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.

In Britain, another 12,133 Omicron cases have been recorded, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 37,101, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Britain reported 82,886 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,361,387, according to official figures released Sunday. The country registered a further 45 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 147,218, with 7,611 Covid-19 patients still in hospital.

Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,213,762 cases as of Monday, while its Covid death toll rose to 617,803.

India’s Covid-19 tally rose to 34,740,275 on Sunday, as 7,081 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data.

Besides, as many as 264 deaths due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 477,422.

Moreover, 10 new cases of the Omicron variant were logged in India’s capital on Friday, taking the country’s case tally of the new variant to 98.