A staff member wearing a face mask stands in a Christmas-themed booth in Seoul on December 23, 2020, as South Korea banned gatherings of more than four people in the capital and surrounding areas amid a surge in cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo: AFP)

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 1,719,278 with the global confirmed cases reaching 78,105,462 as of 6:30 pm BJT on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Data source: Johns Hopkins University

Current status (data as of 6:30 pm BJT, December 23):

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,099,066 on Wednesday as 23,950 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry. According to the data, the death toll mounted to 146,444 as 333 COVID-19 patients died since Tuesday morning.

Malaysia reported 1,348 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Wednesday, bringing the national total to 98,737. Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that 16 of the new cases are imported and 1,332 are local transmissions.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 7,514 within one day to 685,639, with the death toll adding by 151 to 20,408, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. According to the ministry, 5,981 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 558,703.

Bangladesh reported 1,367 new COVID-19 cases and 30 new deaths on Wednesday, making the tally at 504,868 and death toll at 7,359, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. The official data showed that 15,932 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

Thailand on Wednesday reported 46 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 39 local infections and seven imported cases, bringing its total tally to 5,762.