The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has broken the 8.5 million mark. Confirmed COVID-19 cases have exceeded 8.6 million globally, with over 458,000 fatalities and more than 4.2 million recoveries and and 456,881 deaths, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University.

Brazil has passed the bleak milestone of one million coronavirus cases and approached 50,000 deaths on Friday, making the Latin American country the second worst-hit country in the world following the U.S

The United States has recorded 2,205,307 cases--the most of any country. It is followed by Brazil with 978,142, Russia with 568,292, India with 380,532, and Britain with 303,281.

The US also has the highest death toll in the world at 118,758. Brazil has had 47,748 fatalities, followed by Britain with 42,546, Italy with 34,561, and France with 29,606.

The Chinese mainland has recorded 83,352 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,868 are imported cases. A total of 108 asymptomatic patients are under medical observation. China's death toll stands at 4,645.

UK's COVID-19 alert level has been lowered from level 4 (A COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially) to level 3 (A COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation).

Source: CGTN