Global COVID-19 caseload crosses 549.9 million

London: The overall number of people who contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) topped 549.9 million worldwide.  According to the results of a Reuters tally released today, 6,767,857 people have died due to the pandemic.  COVID-19 Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.