PARIS, June 19, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Here are some of the latest developments in the
coronavirus crisis.
The pandemic has killed at least 3,844,390 people worldwide since the virus
first emerged in December 2019, according to a compilation of official
data.
The US is the worst-affected country with 600,934 deaths, followed by
Brazil with 496,004, India with 383,490, Mexico with 230,792, Peru with
189,757 and Russia with 128,445.
The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but
do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical
bodies.
The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly
due to the pandemic than official figures suggest.
The World Health Organization says the trajectory of Covid-19 cases across
Africa “is very, very concerning”, with the spread of new variants as
vaccination rates remain dangerously low.
Dozens of poorer countries have had to suspend their coronavirus
vaccination programmes due to a lack of doses, the WHO says, adding the
shortages often cause delays for those awaiting a second dose.
. RUSSIA’s capital registers 9,056 new infections in 24 hours, a record since
the start of the pandemic, leading the city to close its Euro 2020 fan-zone
and ban gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
The Delta variant, which first emerged in India, represents almost 90
percent of the cases, mayor Sergei Sobyanin says.
. BELGIUM: A Belgian court orders AstraZeneca to deliver 50 million doses of its
Covid-19 vaccine to European Union member states by Sept 27 — far fewer
than Brussels had demanded.
. BRITAIN: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his priority is keeping the
“country safe from Covid”, as a source confirms that UEFA is keeping
the option open of moving the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final from Wembley to
Budapest.
. AUSTRIA will donate one million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to western
Balkan countries, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says.
. ITALY reintroduces a five-day quarantine on arrivals from Britain after a
spike in coronavirus cases there.
. NORWAY will lift a slew of measures to fight Covid-19 in the coming days,
the prime minister Erna Solberg says, opening up travel, sport and partying.
. JAPAN: Thousands of Olympic volunteers and officials begin receiving vaccines in
Tokyo five weeks before the Olympics, as experts warn it would be safer to
hold the event without fans. — NNN-AGENCIES
