More than 300,000 people around the world have died from the coronavirus.
That's according to the latest global stats that puts the number of infections at more than 4.5 million.
The US has accounted for more than 85,000 deaths, while the UK and Italy have reported more than 30,000 fatalities each. Meanwhile, France and Spain have reported more than 27,000 each.
Health experts, however, warned that the true number of infections and fatalities could be far higher.
It comes as an American government whistleblower said the US could face "the darkest winter" if it does not improve its COVID-19 response.
"Our window of opportunity is closing," Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. "If we fail to improve our response now, based on science, I fear the pandemic will get worse and be prolonged."
Israeli forces killed 35 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas media said.
Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi is set to be buried in the holy city of Mashhad on Thursday evening, four days after he was killed in a helicopter crash along with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other people.
A Russian missile attack on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv killed at least six people and wounded at least 11 on Thursday, local authorities said.
A furious China launched "punishment" drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to "separatist acts", sending up heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te.
Nine people have died and around 50 were injured after a structure collapsed at a campaign event for the Citizens' Movement party in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.
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