(Aceh police personnel in protective gear spray disinfectant at Baiturrahman Mosque in Aceh, Indonesia)[Anadolu Agency/Getty/Kyodo]

TOKYO - The number of infections from the new coronavirus has surpassed 300,000 worldwide, with deaths of infected people nearing 13,000 as of Sunday, according to a Kyodo News tally based on government data and other sources of information.

The number has doubled since infection cases exceeded 150,000 last Sunday, suggesting that the outbreak of the pneumonia-causing virus is spreading at a fast pace.

China topped the list with about 81,000 cases, followed by some 53,000 in Italy, 25,000 in Spain, 24,000 in the United States and 20,000 in Iran.

The number of infected people has topped 1,000 in Africa, marking a five-fold increase in just a week. Brazil has registered more than 1,000 cases as well.

Meanwhile, Japan's Foreign Ministry on Sunday urged the public to avoid nonessential travel for the whole of the United States, raising a warning level by a notch in response to the spread of the coronavirus there.

The ministry has issued similar warnings for Japanese people on travel to each European country, except for parts of Italy to which the ministry advises the people to suspend travel.