The number of COVID-19 deaths worldwide surpassed one-point-six million as cases rose to more than 72 million.

According to Worldometer, a website that provides real-time statistics for the pandemic, global fatalities topped one-point-61 million on Monday morning, Korea time.

The United States has the largest amount of deaths in the world with over 306-thousand, followed by Brazil, India and Mexico. The U.S. also has the largest number of cases in the world, with over 16 million infections.   

Amid the relentless spread of the virus, some countries including Britain have begun COVID-19 vaccinations. The U.S. may also begin as early as Monday with the distribution of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine started on Sunday.