Police arrest protesters during demonstrations against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Jerusalem, Israel on Saturday. Photo: AFP

A survey released Saturday showed governments are fast losing support for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as health officials recorded a surge of more than 280,000 new cases globally two days in a row.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, widely criticized for his handling of the crisis there, appeared to credit an unproven treatment for his recovery from the virus.

And in the streets of Jerusalem and other cities, thousands called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign, in part for his management of the coronavirus crisis.

There were more than 280,000 new cases recorded globally on both Thursday and Friday, the highest daily rise so far, according to an AFP count based on official sources - an alarming uptick in the spread of the virus.

Nearly a third of the world's 15.8 million infections have been registered since July 1, while the total death toll nears 640,000. 

The World Health Organization said more than a million cases had been recorded in each of the last five weeks, "with over 280,000 being reported on July 24 alone."

"While no country is unaffected, this rise is driven by high transmission in large and populous countries in the Americas and South Asia," it said on Saturday.

Brazil and India had recently reported their highest daily increases, it added, while the figures remained worryingly high in the US and South Africa.

The US, still the hardest-hit nation, on Friday reported its second straight day of more than 70,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths as the virus surges in the south and west.

Fresh clusters, meanwhile, were emerging across Asia. South Korea on Saturday reported its highest infections figure in nearly four months, while Vietnam recorded its first locally transmitted case in nearly 100 days.

Europe remains the hardest-hit continent, accounting for a fifth of the world's case count. 

Belgium said Saturday it could further tighten its restrictions following the death of a three-year-old girl, the country's youngest victim of the virus.

AFP