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The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,874,556  people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a reputable website World Meters (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/) on Tuesday.

At least 132,442,204 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The US government has hit the accelerator on its shipments of vaccines.

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that the virus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was "extremely unlikely" as a cause.

The head of the World Health Organization said the report would be released publicly on Tuesday, but that further study was required.

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India reports 96,982 new coronavirus cases

UK to announce new international travel rules

The US government has hit the accelerator on its shipments of vaccines, giving states the doses they say they need to finish vaccinating priority groups and open shots to all adults in the coming weeks.

India reported 96,982 new coronavirus infections overnight, taking the overall tally of cases to 12.7 million, data from health ministry showed on Tuesday.

The country reported 446 deaths, taking the total to 165,547, data showed.

India's caseload is the third-highest globally behind the United States and Brazil.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Brazil recorded 28,645 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 1,319 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

Brazil records 28,645 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. File photo

Brazil has registered more than 13 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 332,752, according to ministry data.

Mexico's government reported 1,247 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 252 more fatalities, according to data from the health ministry released on Monday, bringing the country's total to 2,251,705 infections and 204,399 deaths.

The government says the real case numbers are likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently by the health ministry suggested the actual coronavirus death toll may be at least 60% above the confirmed figure.

The new daily Covid-19 infections reach a four-month high in Iran as the capital Tehran is put on the highest virus risk level "red".

The Islamic republic is battling the Middle East's deadliest outbreak with case numbers rising after a surge in travel during the Iranian new year holidays at the end of March.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 6,885 to 2,900,768, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The reported death toll rose by 90 to 77,103, the tally showed.