Global COVID-19 Cases Exceed 82 Million

The global COVID-19 caseload crossed 82 million on Thursday amid reports of a new, more contagious coronavirus variant affecting a number of countries.

Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) put the caseload at 82,667,945 with 1,804,138 fatalities.

In the US, the worst-hit country, the infection tally topped 19.7 million, while the death toll climbed to 342,312.

AP reported that California on Wednesday announced the nation’s second confirmed case of the new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus, offering a strong indication that the infection is spreading more widely in the United States.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the infection found in Southern California during an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The announcement came 24 hours after word of the first reported U.S. variant infection, which emerged in Colorado. That person was identified Wednesday as a Colorado National Guardsman who had been sent to help out at a nursing home struggling with an outbreak. Health officials said a second Guard member may have it too.

The cases triggered a host of questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.

Brazil registered 193,875 deaths from COVID-19 with total caseload of 7,619,200.

The South American country has the third-largest COVID-19 outbreak in the world.

Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 tally reached 10,244,852 while the death toll mounted to 148,439 as of Thursday morning