The world figure, compiled by Agence France-Presse from official sources, was driven by sudden increases in Latin America and India - and a new milestone in Africa as the continent reached 1 million cases.
The number of Coronavirus cases worldwide exceeded 19 million on Thursday, as European countries imposed new travel restrictions and containment measures as fears of a second wave of infections increased.
The global figure, compiled by Agence France-Presse from official sources at 2300 GMT, was driven by sudden increases in Latin America and India - and a new milestone in Africa, where the continent has reached 1 million cases.
The number of global deaths from the epidemic exceeded 700,000, and Europe remains the most affected region worldwide, with more than 200,000 deaths recorded since the virus first appeared in China late last year.
There are more than half of Africa's cases in South Africa, which has the fifth largest number of infections in the world after the United States, Brazil, India and Russia.
However, the African continent remains one of the least affected countries, according to official figures, with only Oceania recording fewer cases of COVID-19.
As governments around the world struggle to save economies ravaged by months of closures, many have had to consider new measures to curb the outbreak of COVID-19 since they raised initial containment orders.
In Australia, Melbourne, Melbourne's second largest city, entered the country's toughest lockdowns until Thursday, shutting down non-essential businesses and requiring hundreds of thousands of people to stay home.
The epidemic has killed at least 712,315 people around the world, and the United States has recorded the largest number of deaths, at 160,000, followed by Brazil, with nearly 100,000. Globally, 40 percent of all cases have been registered in the two countries.
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