COVID-19 Cases Cross 200 Million Worldwide: Report

As more of the world gets vaccinated -- particularly in wealthy countries -- deaths have risen at a slower rate, up 20 percent since July, the data show.

The number of COVID-19 infections recorded worldwide passed 200 million on Thursday, an AFP count showed, as China pledged to provide two billion vaccine doses this year to combat surging infections caused by the Delta variant. The more infectious strain is driving a resurgence in the pandemic, especially in the Asia-Pacific region where Thailand, Indonesia and Japan continued to see new records and the city of Melbourne entered yet another lockdown. The number of daily new cases globally has jumped 68 percent since mid-June, AFP's tally shows. But as more of the world gets vaccinated -- particularly in wealthy countries -- deaths have risen at a slower rate, up 20 percent since July, the data show.