(VOVWORLD) - As of Tuesday afternoon, the world had recorded more than 18.4 million COVID-19 infections and more than 696,000 deaths, according to worldometers.info.
The US is the current epicenter, with nearly 4.8 million cases, followed by Brazil with 2.7 million cases, and India with 1.8 cases. Besides India, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan are 3 other COVID-19 hot spots in Asia, which reported from 1,500 to 3,000 cases within the past 24 hours.
Russia is the worst-hit country in Europe and the fourth in the world with more than 5,000 cases in a single day. The country has reported 856,000 infections, including 14,000 deaths.
South Africa reported 5,300 new infections on Monday, raising its tallly to 516,000, including 8,500 deaths.