COVID-19 cases worldwide pass 250M milestone

Global COVID-19 cases exceeded the grim milestone of 250 million on Monday, according to Reuters, a sign that infections are still on the rise worldwide even as a number of countries begin to scale back restrictions.

While cases are still increasing globally, the rate at which they are being reported has slowed. According to a Reuters analysis, the average number of daily cases has dropped by 36 percent over the course of the past three months.

More than 50 million people, however, are still being infected with the virus every 90 days, according to the news service’s analysis, which is largely driven by the highly infectious delta variant.

For comparison, the world did not reach the 50 million case daily case mark until a year into the virus.

COVID-19 cases are still on the rise in 55 of 240 countries, according to Reuters. Russia, Ukraine and Greece are reportedly teetering on setting new infection records.

Health experts are hopeful that the worst phase of the virus is now in the past for a handful of nations, though concerns are rising ahead of the holiday season when temperatures will drop and families are expected to gather together — both of which could make for a rise in cases, the news service noted.

While vaccinations have helped tame the virus in a number of countries, including the United States, more than half the world’s population has not yet received a single COVID-19 shot, Reuters reported, citing Our World in Data.

The bleak milestone was reached on the same day the U.S. resumed travel for fully vaccinated international travelers. The policy, which affects the land border and air travel, was first announced last month and is set to take effect on Monday.