The global COVID-19 total passed 15 million cases, just 4 days after topping 14 million, fueled mainly by surges in several countries in the Americas and India, plus brisk activity in hot spots such as South Africa and Russia.The pandemic total rose to 15,033,861 cases, and 618,994 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.Rises in US, Brazil, India, other hot spotsIn the past day, the United States, Brazil, and India reported more than 143,000 cases combined.
And several Latin America hot spots reported several thousand new cases, including Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile.India reported 37,740 new cases, while South Africa, which has become the fifth hardest-hit country and has Africa's