The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 265 million amid the emergence of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 265,825,855 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,255,457 Monday morning.

The US has recorded 49,085,361 cases to date and more than 788,363 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.

Meanwhile, New York announced three more cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the number of state cases linked to the new variant to eight, reports AP.

Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,143,091 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 615,636.

India recorded a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 deaths on Sunday, as 2,796 more people died, according to its federal health ministry’s official figures.

For the last few days, the death toll had been around 400 in India. The total death toll in the country stood at 473,326 on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, India’s Covid-19 tally rose to 34,633,255 on Sunday, with 8,895 new cases during the past 24 hours across the country, showed its federal health ministry’s latest data.

Besides, India’s tally of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 rose from five on Sunday morning to 21 in the evening.