Visitors wear face masks as they tour the Whitney Museum of American Art as it reopens on September 3. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Visitors wear face masks as they tour the works of art. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
St. Charles Cinema employees place tape on reclining chairs after disinfecting, following a movie showing in St. Charles, Mo., on August 21. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Patrons walk to their movie with refreshments at the St. Charles Cinema. After being closed for months due to the pandemic, movie theaters in the St. Louis area and across the country are reopening. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
A patron looks at the Edgar Degas' sculpture, titled "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," in the "Degas at the Opera" exhibit in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, on the first day it reopened to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Washington, D.C., on July 20. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
The gallery reopened today on a limited basis after being closed since mid-March. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Sightseers wear face masks aboard a Statue Cruises boat with a view of The Statue of Liberty in New York City on July 20. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
The Statue of Liberty reopened July 20 with reduced capacity to help maintain social distancing. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
A stylist wears a protective face mask while giving a haircut to a client at Roman K. Salon Luxury Hair Salon as New York City enters phase two of a four-part reopening plan on June 22. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Workers break down the street art painted on boarded up windows of a Jimmy Choo retail store in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Shoppers walk through Macy's department store in New York City after being closed for three months. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
St. Louis Chess Club employees Abby Byer and Caleb Denny play a match with the new plexiglass divider in place in St. Louis on June 22. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Byer wipes down the clock and chess pieces after use. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (L) passes out face masks when he arrives at Grand Central Station to attend a nearby press conference to enter phase 1 of a four-part reopening plan in New York City on June 8. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Visitors take only side-by-side seats at tables for prevention of COVID-19 during a demonstration for reopening of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on June 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
A Universal Studios Japan staff member uses an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of visitors during the demonstration. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
Harry's Bar and Restaurant is open for business in downtown Washington, D.C., a few blocks from the White House, on May 29. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
A stylist wears a protective face shield as she cuts a customer's hair at the Illusion of Shirlington salon in Shirlington, Va., on May 29. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
A customer has her temperature checked before entering the salon. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Diners seated apart eat at an outdoor restaurant in Washington, D.C. on May 29. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
The Rev. Daryl Gray, of the Clergy Coalition, hands out face masks at the Lively Stone Church of God in St. Louis on May 26. Over 125,000 masks were distributed to churches planning to reopen in June. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
A lifeguard keeps an eye on swimmers, making sure they social distance while enjoying the water at the Wapelhorst Aquatic Facility in St. Charles, Mo., on May 26. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Several swimming facilities in the St. Louis area have opened after extra restrictions because of the pandemic. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Stylist Katie Winston (R) cuts the hair of customer Dee Broderick on the sidewalk outside the 7-0-3 Salon in Chesterfield, Mo., on May 26. Although stylists and customers wear masks, the salon has offered customers the option of haircuts outdoors for those who may have coronavirus concerns. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Employees wearing face shields and masks work at the Matsuya Ginza department store, which partially reopened in Tokyo on May 25. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the state of emergency in the city. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
People gather at Rye Playland Beach in New York on May 24. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Olivette Lanes owner Don Klackner uses a mop to clean the lanes at his bowling alley in Olivette, Mo., on May 19. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Dentist Ronald Sherstoff examines a high-speed drill at his office in Chesterfield, Mo., on May 19. Sherstoff has purchased an air filtration system that destroys airborne viruses that could be transmitted by the drill, and all staff members will use gowns, masks, gloves and face shields to protect themselves. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Students wear protective masks as they return to the Yankus Korchak Elementary School in Jerusalem on May 18. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
School attendance will be voluntary around Israel and classes that return to session will be at the discretion of local authorities. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Server Tamara Martinez cleans containers at The Soda Fountain that contain candy on the first day of operation after reopening in St. Louis on May 18. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Soda jerk Ronell McCollum finishes making a Super Shake at the Soda Fountain. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Salesman Drew Murphy tries out a new mattress on the showroom floor at Mattress Giant in Richmond Heights, Mo., on May 18. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Sales clerk Sarah Rhim stocks shelves with new dresses at Mister Guy for Women Clothiers in Ladue, Mo., on May 15. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Bobby Smith (L) and his wife, Boni, enjoy drinks at an open restaurant in Lake Geneva, Wis., on May 15. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI
The Wisconsin Supreme Court, backed by Republican lawmakers, overturned the governor's stay-at-home order. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI
A man walks into a bakery in Edwardsville, Ill., on May 13. Madison County board members have agreed to reopen the county, officially going against Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's statewide stay-at-home order. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Cook Joe Eisenbraun prepares to wrap a "Heart Attack" sandwich at Crown Candy in St. Louis on May 12. Crown Candy is serving only at curbside until the stay-at-home orders are lifted in Missouri later in the month. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
A mother and child wear protective masks as they walk down a street in Paris on May 12. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI
France has cautiously begun to lift its lockdown this week with shops allowed to reopen, including in the capital, which still faces tight restrictions. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claps outside Downing Street in London to show his support for key workers during the coronavirus pandemic on May 7. Doctors released Johnson from the intensive care unit in mid-April after he spent about a week in the hospital with COVID-19 Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
Shoppers wear masks in the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem on May 7. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
A security guard checks the temperature of a woman before granting her entrance to the Rami Levy Atarot Mall near Jerusalem. The Atarot Mall is the first Israeli-Palestinian Mall. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Israel opened malls and outdoor markets after more than 40 days of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Customers have their hair washed at JF Hair Co. in Union, Mo., on May 6. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
People visit the beach after the the city relaxed restrictions in Isle of Palms, S.C, on May 6. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI
Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, uses disinfecting wipes before testifying before a hearing on the pandemic's impact on the aviation industry May 6 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Photo by Jim Watson/UPI
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to reporters at a distance after the Senate reconvened following an extended recess due to the pandemic on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 4. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Peter Wolff, owner of the The Gift Nook store, looks down Main Street for customers in St. Charles, Mo., on May 4. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Jeweler Tom Wapelhorst arranges a display in his front window at Walters Jeweler in St. Charles, Mo. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Customers have lunch inside El Toro Mexican restaurant in Clute, Texas, on May 3. Photo by Trask Smith/UPI
A customer looks at merchandise inside the Boot Barn clothing store in Lake Jackson, Texas, on May 3. Photo by Trask Smith/UPI
Shoppers return to Northpark Mall in Dallas on May 1. Elbow bumps have become the new handshake. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Missed delivery tags hang on a storefront in Firewheel Town Center. While stores and restaurants may reopen under strict health and social distancing guidelines in Texas, many have chosen not to. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
A hairstylist and his client wear protective face masks and gloves at a salon in Jerusalem on May 1. Israel has eased some coronavirus restrictions, allowing small stores and beauty salons to open, while maintaining the strict social distancing rules. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Pedestrians wear mandatory face masks and gloves while shopping in Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Pedestrians no longer practice "social distancing," but continue to wear protective face masks while visiting a popular entertainment district in Beijing on April 26. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
Florida has allowed some of the state's beaches to reopen, including this one along the Space Coast near Cocoa Beach on April 26. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
A child wades in the ocean at Cocoa Beach. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
Pedestrians walk closely together in Beijing on April 19. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
Newlyweds pose for wedding photos without wearing protective face masks as the government has declared the peak threat of the COVID-19 outbreak has passed in Beijing on April 19. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
A couple continues wearing protective face masks next to a police checkpoint in Beijing on April 15. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
June 19 (UPI) -- The number of new coronavirus cases reported worldwide hit about 150,000 on Thursday, the largest single-day total since the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency in efforts to contain COVID-19.
"The world is in a new and dangerous phase," he said during a news conference in Geneva. "Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies."
Tedros said nearly half of the new cases reported Thursday came from the Americas.
COVID-19 has sickened at least 8.57 million people across the globe and killed more than 450,000, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University. Some 4.2 million people have recovered from the disease.
The United States has been the hardest hit country, with 2.2 million confirmed cases and more than 118,000 deaths. Nearly 600,000 have recovered in the country.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday predicted up to 145,000 people will have died in the United States from the virus by July 11. The agency based its forecast on an analysis of 21 individual models.
Tedros called on countries and individuals "to exercise extreme vigilance" to limit further spread of the virus.
"Continue maintaining your distance from others. Stay home if you feel sick. Keep covering your nose and mouth when you cough. Wear a mask when appropriate. Keep cleaning your hands," he said.
"We continue to call on all countries to focus on the basics: find, isolate, test and care for every case. Trace and quarantine every contact."
The WHO leader said refugees are particularly at risk because they have limited access to shelter, water, nutrition, sanitation and health services. More than 80 percent of refugees live in low- and middle-income countries where such resources are more scarce.
"WHO is deeply concerned about the very real and present danger of widespread transmission of COVID-19 in refugee camps," Tedros said.
A U.N. report released Thursday said more than 79 million were displaced in 2019 because of war, violence, persecution and other tragedies, doubling the number displaced a decade prior.
Saturday marks World Refugee Day.