Global COVID-19 cases showed early signs of a plateau, though countries continue to battle large outbreaks, new surges, and smaller flare-ups, such as in New Zealand, where officials now suspect a quarantine breach may be what triggered a recent case cluster.The pandemic total today reached 2,728,874, and 751,448 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.Signs of a plateau, but rises in India and some Middle East countriesWhen asked about global patterns at a World Health Organization (WHO) briefing today, Mike Ryan, MD, director of its health emergencies program, said there is a plateau, but he said numbers vary from week to week, and he urged nations to be careful in interpreting the trends.