Coronavirus tally: UN head highlights challenge of dealing with COVID as one of many issues putting world in ‘great peril’

The head of the United Nations is highlighting the challenge of dealing with the persisting COVID pandemic as one of the major challenges that has the world in “great peril” in speeches and remarks leading up to this week’s General Assembly. The climate crisis, increasing poverty and inequality are also featuring as key issues for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Associated Press reported. The event comes as U.S. known cases of COVID are continuing to ease, although the true tally is likely higher given how many people are testing at home, where the data are not being collected. The daily average for new cases stood at 59,602 on Monday, according to a New York Times tracker, down 27% from two weeks ago. The daily average for hospitalizations was down 13% at 31,367, while the daily average for deaths is down 13% to 427. Globally, the confirmed case tally rose above 612.5 million on Tuesday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins, while the death toll is above 6.52 million with the U.S. leading the world with 95.7 million cases and 1,053,840 deaths.