This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
On Saturday, July 18, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a record single-day global increase in coronavirus cases, with nearly 260,000 new cases reported in 24 hours.
This marks the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, surpassing a quarter of a million new daily infections for the first time.
The biggest increases were seen in the US, Brazil, India, and South Africa, with Kenya also recording its highest number of positive cases yet, with 688 testings positive in a 24-hour period.
The global death toll from coronavirus also rose by 7,360, the largest daily increase since May 10.
As of Saturday, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus had passed 14 million, with over 600,000 recorded deaths, according to the tally kept by US-based Johns Hopkins University.
Several US states, particularly in the south, are experiencing surges in cases, with Florida, Texas, and Arizona seeing particularly high increases.
Florida is currently the epicentre of the US epidemic, with over 10,000 new infections and 90 more deaths reported on Saturday, bringing its total number of cases to over 337,000 and its death toll to over 5,000.
