GENEVA -- The COVID-19 death toll worldwide has surpassed one million, reaching 1,000,040 as of Tuesday, according to the latest numbers from the World Health Organization (WHO).

As of 5:08 p.m. CEST (1508 GMT) on Tuesday, there have been 33,249,563 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,000,040 deaths, reported to the WHO.

The U.S., India and Brazil remain the top three in cumulative confirmed cases, having recorded 7,044,327 cases, 6,145,291 cases and 4,732,309 cases respectively. The U.S. also tops the fatality list with 203,620 deaths, followed by Brazil with 141,741 deaths and India with 96,318 deaths.

Other most impacted countries in terms of confirmed cases are Russia with 1,167,805 cases, Colombia with 813,056 cases, Peru with 805,302 cases, Mexico with 730,317 cases, and Spain with 716,481 cases.

On the fatality list after the top three are Mexico with 76,430 deaths, the UK with 42,001 deaths, Italy with 35,851 deaths, Peru with 32,262 deaths, and France with 31,608 deaths.

According to WHO regional offices, Americas remains the most affected area by COVID-19, with a total of 16,434,186 confirmed cases and 551,313 deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that the one-million death toll is a "difficult moment for the world but there are glimmers of hope that encourage us now and in the near future."

He reaffirmed that the key lesson in combating the pandemic is the same -- "no matter where a country is in an outbreak, it is never too late to turn things around."

"There are four essential steps that all countries, communities and individuals must focus on to take control of the epidemic," he said.

According to the WHO chief, the four steps are:

First, prevent amplifying events;

Second, reduce deaths by protecting vulnerable groups, including older people, those with underlying conditions and essential workers;

Third, individuals must play their part by taking the measures to protect themselves and others, such as staying at least one meter away from others, cleaning hands regularly, practicing respiratory etiquette, wearing a mask, and avoiding "three Cs," namely closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings;

Fourth, governments must take tailored actions to find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine contacts.