Workers move the coffin of a COVID-19 victim to be cremated at Serafin cemetery in Bogota, Colombia, on July 4, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the number of new coronavirus infections reached a record high - at 212,326 cases - in the past 24 hours for the first time since a global pandemic was declared early this year.

The WHO said on Saturday that the largest number of daily cases were recorded in the United States, Brazil, and India.

The US now has 2,839,436 confirmed cases, and a death toll of nearly 130,000.

Brazil�s cases have surpassed 1.5 million, and the country now has almost 65,000 fatalities.

India has recorded over 673,000 known cases and more than 19,000 deaths.

WHO stops trials of 2 drugs

The WHO also said it was discontinuing large multi-country trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and HIV combination drug lopinavir/ritonavir.

These interim trial results show that hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients when compared to standard of care, the WHO said in a statement.

Meanwhile, another WHO-led trial is looking at the potential effects of remdesivir on patients ill with the viral infection.

On Friday, the European Commission gave the drug conditional approval after it was shown to shorten hospital recovery times for the patients.

The virus has now infected some 11,267,309 people and killed 530,858 around the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Some 6,044,585 patients have also recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Below is the latest on the coronavirus pandemic from around the world:

Brazil

Brazil reported 37,923 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, along with 1,091 deaths, according to the country�s Health Ministry.

Brazil has now registered a total of 1,577,004 cases and 64,265 deaths.

Mexico

Mexico on Saturday reported 523 new deaths, taking the country�s overall tally to 30,366, the Mexican Health Ministry said.

Mexico has now overtaken France to become the fifth-worst-affected nation in the world.

The ministry also reported 6,914 new cases of the infection on Saturday. Cases now total at 252,165.

Germany

Germany�s reported cases of the disease increased by 239 to 196,335, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.

The reported death toll also rose by 2 to 9,012.

India

India reported its highest single-day spike in new cases on Saturday, with over 22,000 positive cases of COVID-19 and 442 deaths.

India, the world�s second-most populous country, after China, now ranks fourth in terms of caseload, with over 673,165 cases.

India�s death toll stands at 19,268.

SOURCE: PRESS TV