WASHINGTON/PARIS – More than 100 million COVID-19 cases have now been recorded worldwide, according to an AFP tally on Tuesday, as newly inaugurated President Joe Biden pledged to ramp up the United States' struggling vaccine program. 

The number of cases, compiled from data provided by national health agencies, represents just a fraction of the real infections as the coronavirus has spread around the globe. 

The United States, which passed 25 million confirmed cases last weekend, remains the country with the largest outbreak – and the largest death toll of over 420,000. 

Biden is seeking to turn around the fight against the virus, which took a ferocious grip on the country during Donald Trump's presidency when the risks were downplayed and officials gave mixed messages on mask wearing other safety measures. 

Biden said vaccinating the entire US population was a daunting challenge, and the program inherited from the Trump administration "was in worse shape than we anticipated or expected." 

"This is a war-time undertaking. It's not hyperbole," he said, announcing the US was buying an additional 200 million doses and will have enough to vaccinate 300 million Americans -- virtually the entire population -- by early fall. 

In another day of grim milestones, Britain surged past 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, and other European nations looked to tighten their borders, hoping to keep out new, more transmissible virus strains. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was "hard to compute" the loss felt by British families after his country became the first European country to surpass 100,000 COVID-19 deaths. 

But he said his government, which faced criticism over its initial response to the outbreak, "did everything that we could to minimize suffering and minimize loss of life." 

'Drastic measures' 

The London Times said the UK government will announce Wednesday that British travelers must quarantine in hotels near airports for 10 days after returning from 30 high-risk countries, mostly in South America and Southern Africa. 

Neighboring Ireland said Tuesday it would enact mandatory travel quarantines for the first time, as well extending its third national lockdown until March 5. 

Among other European nations looking to strengthen border controls was Germany, which said it is considering almost completely halting flights into the country. 

"The danger from the numerous virus mutations forces us to consider drastic measures," Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told the Bild newspaper.

Iceland, meanwhile, started to issue vaccination certificates to ease travel for those who have had both required doses. 

The new measures came as anger rises over grinding anti-coronavirus restrictions, with the Netherlands rocked by nightly riots since it imposed a curfew on Saturday. 

More than 400 people were arrested after the worst unrest to hit the country in four decades, but the Dutch government said it would not back down. 

"You don't capitulate to people who smash shop windows," Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said, calling the rioters "scum." 

Israeli police also clashed with protesters, arresting 14 people after ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrated against lockdown measures.

With the global death toll at 2.1 million, the world has looked to vaccines to break the gloom, but bickering over access to doses has intensified. 

Tensions have in particular mounted between the European Union and pharmaceutical firms over delays to deliveries. 

"Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first COVID-19 vaccines," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told the virtual World Economic Forum (WEF). 

"And now, the companies must deliver. They must honor their obligations." 

Israel leads the vaccine race

Europe's vaccination campaign stumbled after British-Swedish drugs company AstraZeneca warned it would not be able to meet promised targets on EU shipments – a week after US group Pfizer said it was also delaying delivery volumes. 

AstraZeneca's CEO insisted Tuesday that the company was not selling vaccines ordered by the EU to other countries at a profit. 

None of the world's 29 poorest countries has formally started mass COVID-19 vaccination drives, while the richest nations have given more than two thirds of the 69 million jabs administered so far. 

The favored ones include 49 countries mainly in North America, Europe and the Gulf which have already launched their mass vaccination drives. 

Of the poor countries Guinea is acting as a pioneer, having vaccinated a couple of dozen as a trial. 

Middle income countries are not faring well either, with only the richest among them – including China, Russia, Turkey and Brazil – getting 28 percent of the total jabs on offer. 

Israel is by far leading the way in the vaccine race, with 31 percent of its population having received at least one dose. 

The United Kingdom has given jabs to around 10 percent of its population and the United States, the world's worst-stricken country to nearly six percent of its people. 

The world's richest countries and the more well off middle income countries have 97 percent of the doses in their hands. 

The remaining three percent have been given in India, which has injected more than two million doses. 

On Sunday Egypt became the second country in the lower tier of the middle income countries to launch its vaccination campaign. 

The WHO and its official vaccine coalition Gavi have set up a mechanism to distribute vaccines to poorer countries, but not a single dose has yet been administered. 

The program is lacking the billions of dollars needed to achieve the goal of providing doses to 20 percent of the population of target countries by the end of the year.