Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 9 million, death toll at 471,519

Confirmed COVID-19 cases have exceeded 9 million globally, with over 470,000 fatalities and more than 4.8 million recoveries, according to the latest tally.

Country-wise, the United States continues to remain the worst-hit with 2,356,657 cases and 122,247 deaths, followed by Brazil (1,086,990 cases, 50,659 deaths), Russia (584,680 cases, 8,111 deaths), and India (426,910 cases, 13,703 deaths).

Worldwide, at least 9,099,021 people have been confirmed to have the coronavirus, more than 4,873,128 have recovered, and more than 471,519 people have died.

More than half of the 9,099,021 cases are in Europe and the United States: Europe having recorded 2,537,451 and the United States 2,281,903.

The number of cases worldwide has doubled since May 16 and more than a million new cases have been recorded in the past seven days. The official figures nevertheless reflect only a fraction of the true number, as many countries only test serious cases.

Infections related to this deadly virus have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an online conference that the COVID-19 pandemic is still accelerating and it is more than a health crises.

"The pandemic is still accelerating...we know that the pandemic is much more than a health crisis, it's an economic crisis, a social crisis and in many countries a political crisis. Its effects will be felt for decades to come," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)