Protesters throw blood against the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) facade as a protest against the new coronavirus restrictions on bars and restaurants in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday. Photo: AFP

The global tally of people infected by coronavirus shot past 50 million on Monday, as US president-elect Joe Biden geared up to name the scientists who will lead the country's response to its disastrous outbreak.

The incoming leader made the pledge in his first speech since being projected as the winner of the presidential election, signaling he plans to prioritize the pandemic from the outset.

COVID-19 has left more than 238,000 people dead in the US and is surging across the country, which last week voted out Donald Trump in a nailbiting poll.

"On Monday I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers to help take the Biden-Harris plan and convert it into an actual blueprint that will start on January 20, 2021," Biden told supporters, referring to the day he will be sworn in as commander-in-chief and get the keys to the White House.

"The team being assembled will meet these challenges on Day One," his new transition website said.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of cases in the US is nearing 10 million and shows no sign of slowing, despite Trump's claim the world's biggest economy is "rounding the corner."

The virus has now claimed more than 1.25 million lives worldwide, according to an AFP tally, and over 50 million cases have been registered across the globe.

Europe - with 12.6 million cases and 306,000 deaths - is once again the epicenter of the pandemic. 

Under new measures in Greece, people can only leave home if they make a mobile phone request and receive authorization.

Essential shops can stay open, including supermarkets and pharmacies.

AFP