BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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NEW DELHI -- The total number of COVID-19 cases surpassed the 800,000-mark in India on Saturday, reaching 820,916, even as the total deaths stood at 22,123, said the data released by the federal health ministry a short while ago.

According to the ministry data, 519 new deaths due to COVID-19 besides fresh 27,114 positive cases were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 22,123 and total cases to 820,916.

This is said to be the highest single day spike in terms of new COVID-19 cases in the country so far.

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WASHINGTON -- Broad mask-wearing will be key to ensuring a faster U.S. economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior U.S. Federal Reserve official said Friday.

"While monetary and fiscal policy have a key role to play, the primary economic policy from here is broad mask-wearing and good execution of these health care protocols," Robert Kaplan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said in an interview with Fox Business.

"If we all wore a mask, it would substantially mute the transmission of this disease, and we would grow faster. We would have a lower unemployment rate," Kaplan said. "We'd be far less likely to slow some of our reopenings. But we've been uneven so far on our mask-wearing."

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BEIJING -- Chinese health authority said Saturday that it received reports of two new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Friday, both imported.

Liaoning Province and Guangdong Province each saw one imported case, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

No new suspected cases or deaths related to the disease were reported Friday, according to the commission.

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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil has registered over 70,000 deaths and 1.8 million cases of COVID-19, the government reported on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Health, in the last 24 hours 1,214 deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus in the country to 70,398.

Additionally, 45,048 new cases were recorded in the same period. This is the fourth consecutive day that the number of deaths has exceeded 1,200 and the number of new cases has exceeded 42,000.

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JOHANNESBURG -- The premier of Gauteng, which is the smallest but the most populated province in South Africa, became the third provincial leader who tested positive for the COVID-19 this week.

"Today, Friday, I received my test results confirming that I have tested positive for COVID-19," David Makhura announced, "I am now in self-isolation, in line with the WHO protocols and will work from home over the next 14 days whilst monitoring my health." Enditem

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