At least 29,516,203 people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 931,954 people have died, a Reuters tally showed.

The coronavirus tally passed the 8 million mark in Latin America, the region with the most infections in the world, while India reported another record daily jump of 96,551 cases.

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.

The top FDA official on Tuesday confirmed AstraZeneca's US COVID-19 vaccine trial is on hold, saying the agency is planning to do "very significant work" with the company as it conducts its investigation after an illness in a participant in Britain.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

At least 6,609,377 cases of the highly contagious novel coronavirus have been reported in the United States and its territories while at least 195,718 people have died, according to a Reuters tally of state and local government sources as of September 16, 2020, 7:27 am. The US diagnosed its first COVID-19 case in Washington state on January 20.  

Likewise, India follows the US with a total of 4,930,236 coronavirus cases with 80,776 death, according to Reuters’ interactive graphic tracking the global spread.  

Likewise, Brazil has the third-highest 4,382,263 coronavirus cases while 133,119 people have died. 

ASIA-PACIFIC

— At least 17 Indian MPs have tested positive as cases in the country near five million.

EUROPE

— Britain's testing system for COVID-19 was creaking as a bottleneck prevented people including medics from getting a test, with the government saying it may take weeks to resolve the problem.

— Ireland delayed the planned reopening of all pubs in Dublin following a surge in cases in the capital, but bars across the rest of the country will be allowed to open next Monday.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

— Zimbabwe lifted a ban on inter-city travel and extended working hours as the government gradually re-opens the economy by easing COVID-19 restrictions.

AMERICAS

— US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats were open to delaying an October recess to get a deal with Republicans on a new coronavirus aid bill.

— A disproportionate percentage of US COVID-19 deaths have been recorded among Black and Hispanic people younger than 21, according to a study, a reflection of the racial and ethnic make-up of essential workers who have more exposure to COVID-19.

— Canada's health minister said she could not rule out another full lockdown if needed amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases, but added Ottawa was significantly more prepared to manage the virus than during the first wave.

— Brazil's health regulator Anvisa authorized AstraZeneca to test its COVID-19 vaccine on an additional 5,000 volunteers in the country for clinical Phase III trials.

— Argentina's "positive rate", the number of daily infections to the number of tests carried out, has topped 50%, one of the highest in the world.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

— Pfizer said participants were showing mild-to-moderate side effects when given either the company's experimental coronavirus vaccine or a placebo in an ongoing late-stage study.

— Some volunteers have quit Johnson & Johnson's vaccine trial in Spain after news of side effects in a participant in AstraZeneca's trial.

— Germany awarded $745 million in funding to biotech firms BioNTech and CureVac to speed up work on COVID-19 vaccines and expand German production capacity.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

— London judges have ruled that some of the world's biggest insurers were wrong to reject tens of thousands of claims from small firms battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said.

— Britain's unemployment rate rose for the first time since lockdown began in March, a warning signal ahead of an expected surge in job losses when a huge government job subsidy programme expires next month.