The pandemic has killed more than 800,000 people globally, and continues to unleash destruction with areas such as Western Europe detecting spikes in infections not seen for many months, while South Korea ramped up coronavirus restrictions on Sunday to try to contain a growing outbreak.
Infections have soared past 23 million globally, and some countries are still facing their first waves – such as India, which crossed three million cases on Sunday.
South Korea, which had largely brought its outbreak under control, tightened curbs to try to contain a new, growing cluster of cases.
"The situation is very grave and serious as we are on the brink of a nationwide pandemic," warned Jung Eun-kyeong, chief of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nightclubs, karaoke bars and beaches have been closed, with tight restrictions on large gatherings and religious services, after hundreds of infections were linked to Protestant churches.
Face masks will be mandatory in the capital Seoul's public areas from midnight.
3 million cases
India, which imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns, has relaxed it over recent weeks to help ease the pressure on its reeling economy.
But that has also led to a sharp rise in cases, taking its total past three million.
"We are seeing the virus spread across India," said K. Srinath Reddy from the NGO Public Health Foundation of India.
'Don't feel invincible'
Italy – once the European epicenter of the virus – said Saturday it had registered more than 1,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, the highest level since the end of a punishing lockdown in May.
Most of those infected are young people who are not showing symptoms, the Italian capital's health official Alessio D'Amato said, warning them to stay at home.
"Don't feel invincible," he urged them.
In Germany, a university has launched a series of pop concerts under coronavirus conditions, hoping the mass experiment with 2,000 people can determine whether large events can safely resume.
But with no vaccine yet, economies in hard-hit regions like Latin America are struggling to contain the staggering costs of the pandemic—with a rise not only in poverty but political turmoil and crime too.
US election crisis
The United States remains the worst-hit country in the world, with nearly 5.7 million infections and deaths approaching 180,000.
The run-up to the presidential election has been dominated by the coronavirus, with President Donald Trump facing intense criticism for his handling of the crisis.
The pandemic is set to impact the electoral exercise itself, with Americans expected to vote by mail in massive numbers instead of visiting polling centres.
But that has caused another political standoff, with the postal service warning most states it could not guarantee on-time delivery of mail-in ballots.
