The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness rose above 154 million on Wednesday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University, while the death toll rose above 3.2 million. The U.S. continues to lead the world in cases and deaths by wide margins, with 32.5 million cases and 578,500 deaths, or about a fifth of the worldwide tallies. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is aiming to have 70% of adults in the U.S. have at least one vaccine dose by July 4, up from 56% currently. The vaccine program has started to slow as more older adults have now been inoculated and the federal government is planning an outreach program to reach people in more remote areas.
India is second to the U.S. by cases at 20.6 million and third by fatalities at 226,188. Indian hospitals are still overwhelmed by cases and lacking in supplies including oxygen.
Brazil is third with 14.9 million cases and second by fatalities at 411,588. Mexico has the fourth-highest death toll at 217,740 and 2.4 million cases, or 15th highest tally. The U.K. has 4.4 million cases and 127,803 deaths, the fifth-highest in the world and highest in Europe.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.