-- The COVID-19 pandemic has reached a new grim milestone as global confirmed cases surpassed 7 million, with the United States having the highest coronavirus caseload and death toll in the world;

-- Seeing reassuring signs of the anti-pandemic fight at home, many governments in Europe and Asia have started easing COVID-19 restrictions and reopening the economy, while cautioning against a resurgence of the virus;

-- Solidarity and cooperation are the right way forward as the spread of the coronavirus has not been effectively contained globally.

by Xinhua writers He Fei, He Jing

BEIJING, June 8  -- The COVID-19 pandemic has reached a new grim milestone as global confirmed cases surpassed 7 million on Monday, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

As of 0233 GMT in the day, the global tally has reached 7,007,948, and 402,709 people worldwide have died of the disease, the data showed.

Facing a grave epidemic situation, world leaders and experts have stressed the significance of urgently-needed and strengthened international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, especially on the coordination of vaccine research and development.