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Global Covid cases top 25.1 mn

Washington DC: The overall number of global Coronavirus cases has topped 25.1 million, while the deaths have increased to over 845,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Monday morning, the total number of cases stood at 25,133,368 and the fatalities rose to 845,073, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

The US has reached another grim milestone with the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus passing six million.

Across the country there were more than 47,000 new cases and almost 1,000 additional deaths reported on Sunday.

The World Health Organisation warns that more than eight months into the pandemic the seemingly unending onslaught is taking its toll on healthcare workers and first responders.

"Talk to your colleagues or supervisor if you think you may be experiencing burnout."

The US also has the most deaths in the world at over 183,000 and ranks 11th for deaths per capita, exceeded by Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Spain, the UK, Belgium and Peru.

Brazil came in the second place with 3,862,311 infections and 120,828 deaths.

Hong Kong authorities say nearly half a million people have registered for a free universal Coronavirus testing programme that is due to begin on Tuesday.

Residents registering online have already booked out 80 testing sites located in gymnasiums and community centres for the initial day of the programme, according to the government's website.

It said other centres still have places if the number of those signing on rises above the 420,000 registered as of late Sunday.

Hong Kong launched the programme in an effort to track down paths of infection that have consistently added to case numbers despite strict social distancing and other measures imposed on the densely populated semi-autonomous Chinese city of 7.5 million. All who wish to be tested can do so at no cost.

Hong Kong on Sunday reported another 15 cases of Coronavirus and one additional COVID-19 fatality, bringing its totals to 4,801 cases and 88 deaths.

Mainland China on Monday reported 17 new cases found over the previous 24 hours, all of them brought from outside the country.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has lifted a lockdown imposed on the city of Auckland and also made it mandatory to wear masks on public transportation.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins on Monday said it was safe to reopen Auckland because all the recent infections have been linked to the same cluster through contact tracing.

New Zealand reported nine new virus infections Monday, including four among recently returned travellers who are in quarantine.

Singapore's largest Indian origin hypermarket, Mustafa Centre, on Monday said it will send home its foreign workers, mostly Indian nationals, whose work passes have expired, as its business has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company will also stop paying employees who have not been called to work a "sustenance allowance" - believed to be SGD300 per month - and it urged this group of staff to take on a second job to earn an income, according to media reports on Monday.

In a letter addressed to all employees of Mustafa group and its related companies, managing director and founder Mustaq Ahmad said the company is unable to renew the work passes of its foreign workers and will pay for their return ticket

home.

It will give these foreign workers a month's basic salary as a token, said Mustaq in the letter dated Aug 27 which was circulating on the social media on Sunday.

Australia recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic on Monday as the government urged hot spot Victoria state to announce its plans to lift a lockdown on the country's second-largest city.

Victoria's health department reported 41 deaths from COVID-19 and 73 new infections in the latest 24-hour period.

While the deaths were a state and national high, the tally of new infections was Victoria's lowest since 67 new cases were recorded on June 30 in the early weeks of the second wave of the pandemic, which has primarily been concentrated in the state capital, Melbourne.

South Korea has counted its 18th straight day of triple-digit daily jumps in Coronavirus cases as its health minister warned about an increase in transmissions gone untraced, and infections among senior citizens.

The 248 new cases reported by the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Monday brought the national caseload to 19,947, including 324 deaths.

KCDC said 187 of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which have been at the centre of the viral resurgence this month.

Singapore has reported seven imported COVID-19 cases, including from India, the health ministry said on Monday, as the country's total number of infections reached 56,812.

The country reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, including three from community who are foreigners on work passes, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

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