The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 490 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 489,488,932 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,147,938 Saturday morning.
The US has recorded 80,140,160 cases so far and 982,334 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Covid-19 hospitalisation numbers have plunged to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic, offering a much needed break to health care workers and patients alike following the Omicron surge, reports AP.
The number of patients hospitalised with the coronavirus has fallen more than 90% in more than two months, and some hospitals are going days without a single Covid-19 patient in the ICU for the first time since early 2020.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 43,025,775 on Friday, as 1,335 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, showed the health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 52 deaths due to the pandemic have been recorded since Thursday morning, pushing up the death toll to 521,181.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,951,670 infections as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 660,022.
