Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2020) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 973,000, over 31.7 million cases of infection were detected, and almost 21.8 million of those patients were cured, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University, which tracks and compiles data from Federal and local authorities, media and other sources.

As of 19:30 GMT Wednesday, the number of cases globally is 31,717,955, including 973,014 fatalities.

The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 6,913,046, including 201,319 fatalities and 2,646,959 recoveries.

Russia will soon register its second vaccine against COVID-19, President Vladimir Putin announced, praising the country's ability to efficiently counter the virus.

Russia has developed its vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V, for domestic consumption and is not forcing it on anyone, Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lubinsky said.

Russian research center Vector plans to launch the third stage of clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine in late October, the Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and pharmaceutical company ChemRar expect to start using Avifavir, the first Russian drug against COVID-19, for the treatment of out-patients in October.

The United Kingdom will host the world's first human challenge trials, in which volunteers are deliberately infected with COVID-19, to speed up the testing of vaccines, Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

US corporation Johnson & Johnson said it had started its Phase 3 trials of a possible single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

Poland's Biomed Lublin said it had developed an effective medication for the treatment of the coronavirus. The drug, which has not been named yet, will enter clinical trials in the near future, the company said.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has gone on quarantine after a member of his security team tested positive for the coronavirus, although the minister himself initially tested negative, the ministry's spokeswoman said.

Bulgaria has extended the coronavirus-related epidemiological emergency until November 30, the government's COVID-19 website reported.

The Peruvian government will proceed on October 1 to the final stage of economic activities restoration, Economy Minister Maria Antonieta Alva said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will gradually increase the number of in-person events, but video conference will remain the basic format, and it is not planned to invite media to events, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik.

Only 27 percent of Israelis trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lead the country's efforts against COVID-19, down from 57.5 percent of the population who expressed trust in the prime minister at the beginning of April, a fresh poll revealed.

Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has ordered the enhancement of the country's medical sector, including by transferring paramedics to hospitals, as the country entered a second lockdown amid the deteriorating COVID-19 situation, the ministry said.