This undated photo shows German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

MEXICO CITY / LONDON / BRASILIA / PARIS / MADRID / ROME / BERLIN / LA PAZ / CAPE TOWN / MOSCOW - German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz proposed extending job-preserving subsidies during the coronavirus crisis to 24 months, saying the measure would cost the government an extra 10 billion euros (US$12 billion).

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government relaunched short-time compensation to shield workers and companies in Germany from massive job cuts during the pandemic. The benefit, normally limited to 12 months, initially covers as much as 67 percent for households with children and gradually increases over the months.

Scholz’s proposal contrasts sharply with the intention of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to end the UK’s coronavirus jobs-support program in October. The Institute for Public Policy Research estimates that 3 million workers will still be relying on the plan when it ends. So far, the program has cost the Treasury almost 35 billion pounds (US$46 billion).

Asked during an interview with Bild late on Sunday whether the cost of the extended coverage would be closer to 100 billion euros or 10 billion euros, Scholz said “around the latter possibility —- somewhat less.”

Merkel is in principle open to a continuation of the program, but details must still be discussed among coalition partners, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a news conference on Monday.

The measure contributed significantly to ensure that “Germany holds up relatively well amid the worldwide crisis,” Seibert said.

Europe’s largest economy has weathered the pandemic relatively well and is projected to expand strongly in the third quarter. At the same time, the number of new coronavirus cases has accelerated in recent weeks, prompting fears that a fresh wave of infections could lead to renewed restrictions on economic activity.

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide on Monday surpassed 21.6 million while the global death toll topped 775,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Africa tally

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa surged to 1,108,837 as the death toll rose to 25,337, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Sunday.

The Africa CDC said the number of recoveries was also increasing, reaching 823, 614.

Belarus

Belarus reported 92 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking its tally to 69,516, according to the health ministry.

There were 325 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 67,072, the ministry said.

Three more deaths were reported in the same period, raising the death toll to 610, the ministry added.

Bolivia

Bolivia surpassed 100,000 coronavirus cases on Sunday, the country's Ministry of Health reported, predicting that the virus would reach its peak there in September.

Bolivia's confirmed coronavirus infections reached 100,344, the ministry said, and there have been 4,058 deaths since the virus first emerged in the country in early March.

"Cases are climbing steadily, at least in the western side of the country. By the end of the month, we will reach ... 130,000 to 150,000," Rene Sahonero, the ministry's director general of hospitals, told state television. Sahonero said cases had accelerated among Bolivia's population of 11.6 million after recent protests linked to the postponement of general elections.

Bolivia’s government has ordered police and military onto the streets to protect key installations and the transport of medical supplies after more than 30 COVID-19 patients died during the protests due to lack of oxygen. Among those confirmed to have died of COVID in recent days is the sister of Morales.

Brazil

Brazil on Sunday registered another 620 deaths from COVID-19 and 23,101 new cases, the health ministry said.

In total, Brazil now has 3,340,197 confirmed cases and 107,852 deaths due to COVID-19.

Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, said earlier in the day she had tested negative for the novel coronavirus, roughly two weeks after first contracting the disease.

Chile

Chile's Ministry of Health on Sunday reported that a total of 385,946 cases of COVID-19 and 10,452 deaths had been recorded on in the country so far.

According to the ministry, in the previous 24 hours, tests detected 2,086 new cases and 57 more patients died.

 A total of 358,828 people had recovered while 16,666 confirmed cases are considered to be still active, according to the ministry.

Colombia

Colombia reported Sunday that a total of 468,332 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, with 164,832 cases currenly considered active.

The death toll climbed to 15,097 after 287 more patients died in the previous 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health said.

In the same period, tests detected 11,643 new cases.

Meanwhile, the number of recoveries rose from 274,420 to 287,436.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica on Sunday said it detected 728 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 28,465.

Three more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 294.

According to Deputy Health Minister Pedro Gonzalez, the vast majority of new cases, 690 of them, involved people who sought to be tested while 38 cases involved people who were tracked and traced after coming into contact with a confirmed patient.

Ecuador

Ecuador on Sunday reported that the country has recorded a total of 101,542 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6,070 deaths.

In the previous 24 hours, 854 new cases and five more deaths were registered.

According to the Ministry of Health, another 3,568 deaths were likely caused by COVID-19, but have not been labeled as such due to a lack of medical evidence.

Egypt

Egypt confirmed on Sunday 139 new COVID-19 infections and 19 additional deaths, raising the tally to 96,475 and the death toll to 5,160, said the Health Ministry. 

Another 908 patients were cured and discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of recoveries to 59,743, spokesman for the ministry, Khaled Megahed, said.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 29,876 after 982 fresh infections were confirmed on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said in a statement that 19 more deaths were recorded, bringing the death toll to 528.

It added that another 322 patients have recovered, raising the number of recoveries to 12,359.

France

France's health ministry on Sunday reported 3,015 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, the second day in a row in which new cases have surpassed the 3,000 mark.

The cumulative death toll from COVID-19 for hospitals and nursing homes had risen by one to 30,410, it said.

The number of coronavirus clusters being investigated in France had increased to 263, the ministry said in its a website update.

The number of people in hospital was up slightly at 4,860, adding to a rise recorded a day earlier, while the number of intensive care patients was unchanged at 376 after increasing the previous day, the ministry said.

“The situation is worrying: All indicators continue to increase and the transmission of the virus is on the rise,” the French public health agency said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Europe's summer unravels with COVID spikes and travel chaos

French Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne will propose Tuesday that masks be required in businesses by September in places where people work together in an enclosed space, she said in an interview with Journal du Dimanche.

Passengers wearing face masks walk on the platform at the Central Railway Station in Frankfurt, Germany, Aug 16, 2020. (LU YANG / XINHUA)

Germany

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 561 to 224,014, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.

The reported death toll rose by one to 9,232, the tally showed.

The German state of Bavaria said on Sunday it has tracked down most of the people returning from abroad who tested positive for the coronavirus but were not told about it in a debacle that embarrassed a possible successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Bavaria said in a statement that it had found 903 of the 949 people who tested positive out of a total of 44,000 travellers returning to the country, while it could not locate personal data for 46 of the positive tests.

ALSO READ: New German virus cases most since April, global tally tops 21m

Ghana

Ghana registered 322 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the caseload to 42,532, according to the latest update by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Another 215 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of recoveries to 40,362, the GHS said.

The total death toll remained at 231, as no additional deaths were reported, it added. 

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said late Sunday that tertiary institutions in the country will reopen on Aug 24 for students who have yet to complete the academic year. No mass gatherings, sporting activities or religious activities will be allowed on campus, he added.

Ireland

Ireland's Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he has had no conversations with his public health team about implementing other local lockdowns and the government's intention remains to lift two-week restrictions in the counties of Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

The country's health chiefs will meet on Monday to decide if further restrictions are needed to slow a sharp increase in the spread of the coronavirus that the government and officials have described as deeply concerning.

After reporting the highest number of daily cases since the beginning of May on Saturday, 66 more on Sunday pushed the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 population to 23, the country's acting chief medical officer, Ronan Glynn, said

Ireland's incidence rate is higher than that of the United Kingdom and Germany, having previously been among the lowest in Europe for a number of weeks.

"We've seen cases all across the country in the past 14 days so we will need to consider what needs to be done in that context," Glynn told national broadcaster RTE.

Italy

Italy on Sunday ordered nightclubs to close and broadened rules on wearing protective masks, as new cases in the past week in Italy were more than double those registered three weeks ago and the median age of people contracting the virus has dropped below 40, data showed.

The new rules will start on Monday - two days after an Italian holiday when many young Italians go out dancing - and will run until early September.

ALSO READ: Italian PM probed over virus, prosecutors urge case be dropped

Masks will be required between 6 pm and 6 am in areas close to bars and pubs and where gatherings are more likely.

On Sunday, 479 new cases were confirmed in Italy. Since its outbreak came to light on Feb 21, Italy has recorded more than 35,000 deaths.

Testing on holidaymakers landing in Rome's airports began on Sunday after the government said on Wednesday that people travelling from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain must be screened for the virus.

Kenya

Kenya on Sunday said that COVID-19 infections in the country had surpassed 30,000 amid steady increase in the number of recoveries.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, said that 271 new cases were reported, taking the tally to 30,120.

Recoveries rose by 686 to 16,656 while the death toll increased by two to 474.

Libya

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Sunday reported 411 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 7,738. 

The center said in a statement that another 46 patients have recovered while six more people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total recoveries to 894 and the death toll to 145. 

Mexico

Mexico's health ministry reported on Sunday 4,448 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 214 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 522,162 cases and 56,757 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Earlier on Sunday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a video on Twitter that he expects to be able to put a COVID-19 vaccine into use in the country during the first quarter next year.

His government has struck a partnership with Argentina and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc to produce a vaccine for distribution throughout Latin America.

Morocco

Morocco on Sunday reported 1,472 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 42,489.

Recoveries increased by 778 to 29,344 while the death toll rose by 26 to 658, said Mouad Mrabet, coordinator of the Moroccan Center for Public Health Operations at the Ministry of Health.

People wearing face masks walk at across a square in Rabat, Morocco, Aug 16, 2020. (CHADI / XINHUA)

North Macedonia

The health system in North Macedonia is preparing for worse COVID-19 scenarios, Health Minister Venko Filipce told local media on Sunday.

According to him, a worse scenario means a large number of seasonal flu patients who will need hospitalization in the same healthcare units that are now used for COVID-19 patients.

Filipce said that the ministry has a plan for additional restrictions in regions with a big number of patients or with a potential risk, adding that the plan will be unveiled soon. Some options include the reinstatement of curfew, closure of schools, bars and restaurants and a ban on gatherings.

North Macedonia's authorities are preparing 16 COVID-19 centers and modular hospitals, which should be operational in autumn.

On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported 87 new cases and five COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 12,739, with 9,174 recoveries and 544 fatalities. 

Romania

Romania confirmed 1,087 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the country's tally to 70,461, ranking first among Central and Eastern European countries and seventh among European Union members.

Another 37 deaths were recorded, raising the death toll to 2,991, said the Strategic Communication Group (GCS), the country's official COVID-19 communication task force.

Currently, Romania has 34,883 active cases and it has recorded a total of 32,587 recoveries.

Russia

Russia reported 4,892 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, pushing its tally so far to 927,745, the fourth largest in the world.

Authorities said 55 people had died across the country in the last 24 hours, increasing Russia's official coronavirus death toll to 15,740.

READ MORE: Russia is first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, says Putin

South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday warned against complacency as the country is about to further ease the COVID-19 lockdown.

The further easing of restrictions "is a sign of the progress we are making in reducing new infections and demand on our health facilities," Ramaphosa said in his weekly presidential address.

It is too soon to celebrate as the country is still very much in the middle of a deadly pandemic that has taken over 11,000 lives and infected more than half a million confirmed people, the fifth highest number of infections in the world, Ramaphosa said. "And there is always a chance of a resurgence of the disease," he said.

On Saturday, Ramaphosa announced that the country will move from alert level three to level two, with effect from midnight on Monday.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Sunday that South Africa's COVID-19 recovery rate has reached 80 percent, up from 48 percent more than one month ago.

The number of recoveries currently stood at 472,377, Mkhize said in his daily update.

Mkhize said there were 3,692 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, pushing the tally to 587,345. Deaths rose by 162 to 11,839, according to Mkhize.

Meanwhile, US drug developer Novavax Inc said on Monday that it is starting a mid-stage study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa. The Phase 2b trial study of NVX-CoV2373 will be conducted on about 2,665 healthy adults and will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity in about 240 medically stable, HIV-positive adults, the company said in a statement 

Police officers talk with the owner of a bar as people sit at the terrace in Fuengirola, near Malaga, Spain, Aug 8, 2020. (JESUS MERIDA / AP)

Spain

Spain will start shutting nightspots this week after they were blamed for spikes in spikes in the coronavirus cases while Italy also ordered nightclubs to close and broadened rules on wearing protective masks.

Suspending operations again was one of 11 measures Spain’s regional governments agreed to take to curb the fastest virus growth rate among Europe’s major economies.

The government’s seven-week experiment to restore the country’s famed nightlife and help reinvigorate the hotel and restaurant sectors seems a failure for now after the Health Ministry said nighttime socializing was fueling new outbreaks. Total cases surged by more than 27,000 last week alone. 

The jump in new cases is outpacing increases in other countries. In the past 14 days, Spain produced 116 new cases per 100,000 people, according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. That tops just 41 in France, 19 in Great Britain, 16 in Germany and 9.3 in Italy.

Tunisia

The Tunisian Ministry of Health reported Sunday 84 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the tally to 2,107.

A total of 1,358 patients have recovered in Tunisia while 54 deaths had been reported reported, according to a statement by the ministry.

According to the defense ministry, a field military hospital has been set up in the most affected El Hamma delegation in Gabes province. The hospital "will provide support and limit the development of the epidemiological situation in the region," said the ministry.

Uganda

Uganda's Ministry of Health on Sunday reported 66 new cases of COVID-19, the second highest daily increase in three months, bringing the total number of infections to 1,500.

According to the ministry, the country has registered a total of 1,142 recoveries and 13 COVID-19 deaths. 

Uganda on Sunday warned that the source of infection of most COVID-19 deaths in the country is not known, making it difficult to trace contacts.

"If the number of COVID-19 deaths continues at this rate, government will soon ask all districts and municipalities to identify designated burial places to handle the dead," Judith Nabakooba, minister of ICT and national guidance, said.

She said the country was entering a critical stage in its fight against the pandemic. The easing of the lockdown restrictions, especially in the capital Kampala, has exacerbated the situation, according to the minister.

A customer wearing a face mask and gloves passes a security guard as she leaves an Asian supermarket in the Chinatown district of London on May 13, 2020. (ISABEL INFANTES / AFP)

UK

The United Kingdom recorded 713 new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19, official data showed on Monday, the first time it has dropped below 1,000 in six days.

Three more people have died within 28 days of testing positive for the coronavirus.

The UK on Monday urged elderly people and volunteers from Black and Asian minority groups to sign up to a COVID-19 vaccine trial registry to boost efforts to find a working vaccine against the disease that offers protection against higher risk groups.

Over 100,000 people have volunteered to take part in vaccine trials, Britain's business ministry said, but more volunteersare needed to make sure candidate shots work for everyone.

US

US COVID-19 deaths have surpassed the 170,000 mark, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

With the national cases topping 5.4 million, the death toll from the disease in the United States rose to 170,019 as of 6:27 pm local time on Sunday (2227 GMT), according to the CSSE.

Fatalities exceeded 1,000 for the fifth consecutive day Sunday, though cases slowed. Deaths rose by 1,046 nationwide while new cases increased by 47,813, the smallest increase in fresh infections since Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. 

READ MORE: Trump pushes to reopen school despite severe virus situation

A third high school in a Georgia county hit by a COVID-19 outbreak said it would close after 25 students tested positive and 500 were quarantined, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The school district expects more of the 1,800 students to be quarantined once testing is completed.

Meanwhile in North Carolina, a new cluster of Covid-19 cases has broken out at a University of North Carolina residence, the fourth in the last three days, the Daily Tar Heel reported.