Global cases of coronavirus exceed 10 million

Global cases of coronavirus exceeded 10 million on Sunday (June 28), according to a Reuters tally - as the number of deaths from the respiratory illness approached half a million.

The grim milestone comes as many hard-hit countries ease their lockdown measures, while making extensive alterations to the ways people live and work.

North America, Latin America and Europe each account for around 25% of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9% respectively.

That's according to the Reuters tally which uses government reports.

Just two countries account for over a third of all new cases over the past week - India and Brazil.

They're both battling outbreaks of over 10,000 cases a day and Brazil reported a record 54,700 new cases on June 19.

Some researchers say the death toll in Latin America could rise over 380,000 by October.

As of Sunday morning there had been more than 497,000 fatalities linked to COVID-19 worldwide.

Some countries are also experiencing a resurgence in infections - leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdown measures, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021.

That's true in the United States, which saw cases pass the 2.5 million mark on Saturday. Several states at the center of a new surge in infections have taken steps back from efforts to ease restrictions on businesses.

Countries including China, New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely quashing local transmission.