Coronavirus Outbreak: Global COVID-19 death toll crosses 16,500; cases top 378,000 worldwide

The number of infected people from the novel coronavirus has crossed 378,679 worldwide as Italy, the new epicentre of the disease, reported 601 new deaths on Monday.

According to John Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Centre, the number of worldwide confirmed cases stands at 378,679 at 07:49 AM on Tuesday.

India has so far reported 471 positive cases, with most of them having a history of foreign travel or contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 infected patient. 

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the coronavirus “pandemic is accelerating,” in a tweet on Monday. “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 and just four days for the third 100,000," he said.

According to WHO, at least 168 countries and regions across the world have reported cases of coronavirus, making it the most travelled pandemic in modern times.