Global COVID-19 cases surpass 300 mln: Johns Hopkins University

NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Global COVID-19 cases topped 300 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The United States reported 58,449,898 cases and 833,957 deaths, both the highest counts around the world, accounting for more than 19 percent of the global cases and more than 15 percent of the global deaths.

The global caseload reached the grim milestone of 100 million on Jan. 26, 2021 and rose to 200 million on Aug. 4.

Maria van Kerkhove, technical lead for the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, said Thursday that current COVID-19 vaccines do work against all variants that are circulating and are highly effective against preventing severe diseases and death.

"I think that's really important for the public to know ... when it is your turn, get vaccinated because it's really critical," she said.