At least 20,975,031 people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 759,020 people have died, a Reuters tally showed. 

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

The World Health Organization referred to the outbreak as a pandemic on March 11. 

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS 

At least 5,270,269 cases of the highly contagious novel coronavirus have been reported in the United States and its territories while at least 167,248 people have died, according to a Reuters tally of state and local government sources as of August 14, 2020, 01:26 pm. The US diagnosed its first COVID-19 case in Washington state on January 20.  

Likewise, Brazil follows the US with a total of 3,224,876 coronavirus cases with 105,463 death, according to Reuters’ interactive graphic tracking the global spread.  

Likewise, India has the third-highest 2,461,190 coronavirus cases while 48,040 people have died. 

New Zealand on Friday reported 12 new COVID-19 cases ahead of a lockdown decision for Auckland, while Australia is set to receive details of a probe into a major outbreak triggered by cruise ship passengers in March.

ASIA-PACIFIC

— Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in cargoes of imported frozen food, although the World Health Organization downplayed the risk of the virus entering the food chain.

— About a quarter of South Korea's medical clinics closed on Friday for a one-day strike in protest at government plans to train new doctors.

— North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lifted a three-week lockdown in the city of Kaesong and nearby areas after test results on a suspected COVID-19 case turned out to be "inconclusive."

— Malaysia has decided to lift an earlier limit on the hiring of foreign workers, after having imposed the restrictions last month to increase employment opportunities for locals affected by the pandemic.

EUROPE

— Britain's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France will lead to a reciprocal measure, French junior minister for European affairs said.

— UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the reopening of the economy in England to resume, saying a rise in infections had now levelled off.

— The leader of the state of Bavaria, a possible successor to Angela Merkel as the conservative candidate for chancellor, apologised for a bungle that meant some 900 people who had tested COVID-19-positive were not told about it.

AMERICAS

— US President Donald Trump said he was blocking Democrats' effort to include funds for the US Postal Service and election infrastructure in a new coronavirus relief bill, a bid to block more Americans from voting by mail during the pandemic.

— Canada's Ontario will allow its school boards to dip into reserve funds to ensure physical distancing in classrooms and will also provide money for ventilation upgrades.

— Peru surpassed half a million coronavirus cases and has the highest fatality rate in Latin America, according to health ministry data.

— Bogota, the Colombian capital, will hold a strict two-week quarantine in seven neighbourhoods beginning Sunday.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

— The Kuwaiti cabinet said it would start implementing the fourth stage of the gradual go-to-normality plan on Aug. 18.

— Seven African countries will start administering coronavirus antibody tests from next week, a regional body said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

— Coronavirus vaccine developer CureVac BV raised $213 million in its initial public offering in New York.

— The Trump administration's vaccine project is recruiting scientists in South Africa and Latin America to help test possible vaccines in US- backed clinical trials, Reuters has learned.

— Production of 400 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for Latin America could begin early next year, an executive for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc said.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

— China's retail sales slipped in July, while the recovery in the factory sector struggled to gain momentum.

— Asian shares fell after lacklustre Chinese economic data and worries about a delay in US fiscal stimulus discouraged some investors from taking on risk.

— Malaysia's economy plunged into its first contraction since the 2009 global financial crisis in the second quarter.