Worldwide coronavirus cases surpass ten million

Global infections from the novel coronavirus have topped 10 million as the rate of new cases surges , particularly in the United States and Latin America , according to a tally on Sunday.

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One million new infections

were recorded in only six days, according to the count based on official sources, just as countries start to unwind punishing lockdowns that have devastated their economies and thrown millions out of work .

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The worldwide death toll from the disease that first emerged in China six months ago surpassed 500,000 as fears grow of a full-blown second wave , with the rate of contagion doubling since May 21.

The United States , the hardest hit country , has surpassed 2.5 million cases alone, as efforts to reopen the world's economic powerhouse were set back by a jump in new infections in big states such as Florida .

President Donald Trump

was under mounting pressure to set an example by wearing a facemask as his health secretary warned the "window is closing" for the country to gain control of the pandemic .

The disease is also rampaging through Latin America , where Brazil has over 1.3 million cases alone.

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Infections are up too in other parts of the world that have reopened, with Europe still registering the biggest caseload at over 2.6 million, although daily rates have stabilized.

Many global events have had to be curtailed because of the pandemic , with the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Pride march marked mostly online.

The virus has also thrown world sports into turmoil, although South Korea said it will begin allowing limited numbers of spectators at sports events and the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro said it will allow some football fans into stadiums from July 10.

sg