The

number of people infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) will likely hit the

15 million mark today, July 22.

Cases continue to increase worldwide as the numbers in the United States and Brazil, the worst-hit nations, continue unabated.

The

global tally for the virus stands at 14,982,950 as at the time of publishing,

with the US accounting for 3.9 million of the total. Brazil follows with 2.1

million cases while India is the third nation to have more than a million confirmed

cases with 1.1 million, according to the John Hopkins University virus tracker.

[naviga:ul]

[naviga:li]Related story:

UK coronavirus vaccine prompts immune response in early test[/naviga:li][/naviga:ul]

Deaths

related to the virus are just over 617,000 with the US again having the most

fatalities with 142, 095. Brazil is next with 81,487 deaths while the United

Kingdom has 45,507.

US President Donald Trump, after downplaying the virus for some time, said it will “get worse before it gets better” during his first virus briefing in three months, held at the White House yesterday.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro continues to test positive for the virus two weeks after his July 7 revelation that he had contracted the virus he strongly downplayed for several weeks.