NEW YORK, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices fell noticeably on Monday as surging COVID-19 infections reignited fears over energy demand.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for December delivery lost 1.29 U.S. dollars to settle at 38.56 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for December delivery shed 1.31 dollars to close at 40.46 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

"Soaring Covid-19 cases are sparking fears," Eugen Weinberg, energy analyst at Commerzbank Research, said in a note Monday.

"Record numbers of nearly 500,000 new cases worldwide on several consecutive days not only highlight the risks posed by immediate transport restrictions but also dampen long-term demand expectations," he said.

The global COVID-19 caseload has surpassed 43.3 million with the death toll over 1.15 million as of Monday afternoon, showed a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, crude prices were faced with pressure on the supply side.

Oil production in Libya is likely to rise sharply after the conflicting parties signed a permanent ceasefire agreement on Friday, said Weinberg.

For the week ending Friday, the front-month contract for WTI crude dropped 3.1 percent, while Brent declined by 2.7 percent. Enditem

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