U.S. COVID-19 infections top five million

FILE PHOTO: Visitors wear face masks on the boardwalk in Huntington Beach, California, U.S., July 1, 2020. /VCG

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States has surpassed the five million mark as the country continues to see a steady rise in new infections.

According to figures from the Johns Hopkins University, the country had reported 5,017,150 infections by Sunday morning, with a death toll of 162,555.

The U.S. remains the world's worst-hit country by the pandemic, with its figures representing 25.4 percent of the global infections and 22.3 percent of the fatalities.

A Reuters analysis shows that one in every 66 U.S. residents is infected.

As the U.S. case load continues to surge upwards, New Zealand on Sunday marked 100 days since it last reported a case of local transmission.

The Oceania country is considered one of the safest globally, owing to its success in the fight against COVID-19.

Official figures show that New Zealand has reported 1,219 COVID-19 infections, but only 23 remain active.