On Monday, China announced 76 new COVID-19 infections, marking the highest daily count since January, including 40 locally transmitted cases linked to an outbreak in Jiangsu province (eastern China). The National Health Commission stated, "39 of the 40 local infections were from Jiangsu Province and one from Liaoning," adding that no new deaths had been reported. It noted that the number of new asymptomatic cases rose to 24 from 17 the previous day. China does not classify these asymptomatic infections as confirmed cases.
Currently, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China stands at 92,605, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,636. The coronavirus has caused 4,156,164 deaths globally since the World Health Organization's office in China reported the emergence of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a tally by AFP based on official sources as of Sunday at 10:00 GMT. The United States remains the country most affected by deaths, followed by Brazil, India, Mexico, and Peru. The World Health Organization estimates that the actual death toll of the pandemic may be two to three times higher than the officially reported figures, considering excess mortality rates directly or indirectly related to COVID-19.
