There are now more than 25 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe.
According to data compiled by The New York Times, the worldwide tally of confirmed cases has surpassed 25.2 million, with at least 845,994 deaths. The United States accounts for the most COVID-19 cases and deaths reported, with more than 6 million infections and 182,986 deaths.
Brazil lands second for most confirmed cases with 3,862,311, with India just behind with 3,621,245, as of Monday morning. USA Today reports that India, over the weekend, experienced the most new coronavirus cases in a single day with 78,761 new infections in a 24-hour period.
Per stats from the Census Bureau, the U.S. is the third most-populated country in the world with 329,877,505 citizens, behind China and India, which each have populations over 1.3 billion.
Following a dramatic surge of COVID-19 cases between June and July, numbers across the U.S. have largely decreased, however, experts attribute the drop in cases to local mask mandates and other precautionary measures, like restaurant and bar closures.
Although each state has taken different approaches to limiting the spread of the coronavirus, all states experiencing a decrease in cases have some form of mask mandate in place and have largely put a hold on or reversed reopening policies, according to the Times.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Although the decrease in new cases is good news, experts have warned that as states begin to move forward with reopening plans, cases will increase.
“We basically have 50 laboratory experiments going on right now, and every state has a slightly different policy approach,” Dr. Joe Gerald, an associate professor at the University of Arizona, told the Times. “If we get complacent, this thing could get out of control again. And we’ll have even less safety margin to manage it because we’re starting from a higher place.”
In a press conference last month, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assured that the best tactic to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and reduce its public health severity is by simply wearing a mask in public.
“If all of us would put on a face covering now for the next four weeks, six weeks, we could drive this epidemic to the ground,” he said. “… We are not defenseless against this virus. We actually have one of the most powerful weapons you could ask for — the most powerful weapon we have that I know of is wearing face coverings.”
Redfield added: “The most important thing that I could ask the American public to do is to fully embrace face coverings, to fully embrace careful hand hygiene, and to fully embrace social distancing.”
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
Source: Read Full Article