Global COVID-19 deaths pass 1.5m mark

The world passed the grim milestone of 1.5 million coronavirus deaths on Thursday, as several nations planned to deliver much hoped-for vaccines early next year.

The United States, Brazil, India, and Mexico have each registered more than 100,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

US President-elect Joe Biden said that on his first day in office next month, he would ask the public to wear masks for 100 days to help reduce transmission of the virus that is again surging in the country with the world's highest number of deaths and infections.

The US posted an all-time high of 210,000 new cases in a 24-hour stretch to Thursday evening, meanwhile notching over 2,900 deaths.

And Italy registered 993 deaths, topping its previous record of 969 earlier in the year when it was the first European country to be affected by the pandemic.

The pandemic is showing little sign of slowing, with more than 10,000 new deaths recorded worldwide every day since Nov 24－a rate never reached before, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse.

Agencies Via Xinhua