WASHINGTON, June 29 (Xinhua) -- It is of vital importance to strengthen global cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 at a critical moment when confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 10 million, a leading expert told Xinhua on Monday.

Xi Chen, a professor at Yale School of Public Health and president of the China Health Policy and Management Society, said COVID-19 infections around the world are continuously rising since its outbreak, with countries including the United States seeing daily spikes recently.

"As grim as the situation is, the pandemic has spread to every corner of the world in every season," Chen told Xinhua in an interview.

Global confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 10,268,000 as of Monday evening, with the death toll reaching 504,200, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 2,581,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States with fatalities surpassing 126,000, according to the tally.

Chen said many countries have adopted public health measures to contain the spread of the virus since its outbreak. However, the efforts may weaken as the world enters economic recession.

"We are experiencing globalization without global governance, which has exposed the vulnerability of human beings in the face of major infectious diseases like COVID-19," Chen said.

He called for enhanced global cooperation in fighting the pandemic in four main areas -- tracking and detecting the virus, timely reporting to international organizations, sharing scientific information, and sharing experience in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Chen spoke positively of China's experience in containing the spread of COVID-19. "China has done a very good job in early detection, early report, early isolation, and early treatment. This should serve as a principle for other countries in fighting the pandemic," Chen said.

"Meanwhile, the social distancing measures and mask wearing practices in China and other east Asian countries have effectively slowed the spread of the virus," he added.

He praised China's aid to less developed countries in their fight against COVID-19 in terms of providing related materials and equipment.

China has played a crucial role in COVID-19 vaccine and therapy development, and will continue to play an important part in the fair and effective distribution of vaccines and therapies in the future, Chen said.