Global Covid cases surpass 449 million

The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 449 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 449,516,623 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,013,873 Wednesday morning.

Despite vaccine availability, the United States is nearing one million reported deaths on its own, the biggest official death toll in the world, reports AP.

The US has recorded 79,369,007 cases so far and 961,843 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.

India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,971,308 on Tuesday, as 3,993 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.

Besides, 108 deaths from the pandemic since Monday morning took the total death toll to 515,210.

Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,152,318 cases as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 653,134.

Global vaccine disparity continues, with only 6.95% of people in low-income countries fully vaccinated, compared to more than 73% in high-income nations, according to Our World in Data.