Passengers line up at John F. Kennedy International Airport after airlines announced numerous flights were canceled during the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant on Christmas Eve in Queens, New York City, U.S., December 24, 2021. (Photo/Reuters)

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has surpassed 279 million, with over 5.3 million deaths, the latest data from Johns Hopkins University shows. 

Here is the latest:

The Chinese mainland recorded 206 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, including 158 locally transmitted. 

France recorded 104,611 COVID-19 infections on Saturday, another record high in a single day for the third consecutive day.

Italy registered 54,762 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

Editor: Ye Ke