Coronavirus: Global deaths cross 800,000

South Korea ramped up coronavirus restrictions to try to contain a growing outbreak, as many countries around the world battled worrying surges in infections, according to a report.

The pandemic has killed more than 800,000 people globally, and continues to unleash destruction with areas such as Western Europe detecting spikes in infections not seen for many months, AFP reported.

Infections have soared past 23 million globally, and some countries are still facing their first waves — such as India, which crossed 3 million cases on Sunday.

The US remains the worst-hit country in the world, with nearly 5.7 million infections and deaths approaching 180,000.

According to AFP, Italy — once the European epicenter of the virus — said on Saturday it had registered more than 1,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, the highest level since the end of a punishing lockdown in May.