<span style="color: #222222;">The countries from the US to South Africa to Australia are struggling to hold down rising cases of the coronavirus, as global deaths from COVID-19 surged past 601,549 in a sign of how far off the world remains from a return to normalcy.<br />''<br />''The United States tops the list with 140,119 deaths, followed by 78,772 in Brazil and 45,358 in the United Kingdom and 38,888 in Mexico.<br />''<br />''The number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million, out of which 3.7 million are in the United States.<br />''<br />''British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had hoped that the country may return to normal by Christmas, but scientists have cast their doubt and opined that without a vaccine, normal life may be a long way off.</span><br />