The United States neared six million coronavirus cases on Sunday, August 30, nearly a quarter of the planet's total, as nations around the world battle to contain the raging pandemic.

Global coronavirus infections soared past 25 million, as countries tightened restrictions to halt the health crisis that has affected humankind.

A million additional cases have been detected globally roughly every four days since mid-July, according to an AFP tally, with India on Sunday setting the record for the highest single-day rise in cases with 78,761.

The world's hardest-hit country, the United States, had recorded 5.99 million cases of infection as of 00:30 GMT Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University's tracker. And the death toll is just over 183,000.

The US hit five million cases three weeks ago, just 17 days after reaching four million, the tracker said.

The virus has proven a tenacious foe even in nations such as New Zealand and South Korea, which had previously brought their outbreaks largely under control but are now battling new clusters of infections.

On the other side of the world, Latin America -- the worst-hit region -- is still struggling with its first wave, with Covid-19 deaths in Brazil crossing 120,000, second only to the United States.

Nearly 855,000 people have died of Covid-19 globally, and with no vaccine or effective treatment available yet, governments have been forced to resort to some form of social distancing and lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus.