UNB, Dhaka, 16 February 2022

The overall number of Covid cases has surpassed 372 million amid a surge in Omicron infections across the globe.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 372,116,742 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,656,941 Saturday morning.

The US has recorded 74,213,736 cases so far and 883,864 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.

Omicron, the highly contagious coronavirus variant sweeping across the country, is driving the daily American death toll higher than during last fall’s Delta wave, with deaths likely to keep rising for days or even weeks, reports AP.

Omicron is estimated to account for nearly all the virus circulating in the nation. And even though it causes less severe disease for most people, the fact that it is more transmissible means more people are falling ill and dying.

India's Covid-19 tally rose to 40,858,241 on Saturday with 235,532 new confirmed cases registered in 24 hours, as per the health ministry's latest data.

Besides, 871 deaths reported due to the pandemic since Thursday morning took the total death toll to 493,198.    

Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since last January, registered 25,256,198 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 626,870.