India leads global nCoV tally, while deaths down: WHO

"South-East Asia has recorded the largest increase during the week, mainly due to increased cases in India," said the WHO.

"India has reported nearly 500,000 new cases in the past seven days, a 9 per cent increase compared to the previous seven days and the highest numbers of new cases globally," it said.

The number of global deaths has decreased by 3 per cent in the last seven days compared to the previous week, with the WHO reporting that new infections have increased by 1.8 million worldwide.

Respiratory disease is also spreading in the US, which continues to account for more than half of cases and deaths worldwide, although there is a slight decrease in some areas.

WHO said in its latest update, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina have seen "increasing trends," it said.

Spain, Russia, France, and Ukraine reported the highest number of new cases in Europe last week, with a resurgence in Spain matching peaks seen last March and April, the UN agency said.

New cases in Italy increased by 85 per cent.

Several previous hotspots - including Ghana, Kenya, Gabon and Madagascar - have recorded fewer new cases, the WHO said.

Rates have fluctuated in the WHO's eastern Mediterranean region, with the latest highest case numbers seen in Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, it said.

More than 25.44 million people have been reported to be infected by the highly contagious Coronavirus globally since it emerged in China late last year, according to reports.