Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 2.277 million, over 104.6 million cases of infection were detected, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University, which tracks and compiles data from Federal and local authorities, media and other sources.

As of 20:10 GMT Friday, the number of cases globally is 105,180,206, including 2,292,029 fatalities.

The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 26,747,152, including 457,755 fatalities.

The number of people who received a coronavirus vaccine across the world has surpassed the number of those who contracted the virus, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The European Union's high representative for the foreign policy, Josep Borrell, said he was hoping the EU medicines watchdog would be able to certify Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus, following the recent article in The Lancet.

The report in the medical journal The Lancet on the safety and efficacy of the Russian vaccine against the novel coronavirus has put Sputnik V among the world's top vaccines, David Livermore, a member of the scientific advisory board on Sputnik V, said in an interview with Sputnik.

The trial on mixing the shots of the UK's AstraZeneca vaccine and Russia's Sputnik V is going on and may result in better efficacy of the inoculation, which, in turn, can change the global approach to vaccinations and their combinations, Livermore also told Sputnik.

A scientific commission under the Lebanese Health Ministry approved the use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V, Lebanese national agency NNA reported.

The Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RS BiH) has approved the use of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, according to the vaccine's Twitter account.

Brazil is interested in procuring Sputnik V, the Latin American country's health ministry said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that his country might begin using Russia's vaccine against the coronavirus Sputnik V next week.

As many as 75 percent of Russian citizens trust domestically-developed vaccines against the coronavirus, a fresh poll conducted by internet holding Rambler showed.

The US food and Drug Administration will release new guidance to establish a standard for coronavirus vaccination in preparation for the spread of mutant strains, media said.

Janssen Biotech requested the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the emergency use authorization of a single-shot vaccine candidate against the coronavirus developed by its parent company Johnson & Johnson.

Canada drawing on coronavirus vaccine supplies through the COVAX facility is immoral, despite this being a legally viable option, Green Party Leader Annamie Paul said.

The United Kingdom has entered a partnership with German pharmaceutical company CureVac to develop vaccines against new COVID-19 variants, the government announced.

The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, in a preprint of ongoing work, showed� that its effectiveness against the new strains of the virus first found in the United Kingdom is similar to its efficacy against previously known variants, the University of Oxford said.

All Pfizer/BioNTech- and Moderna-made coronavirus vaccines earmarked for use in Poland in the first quarter of 2021 have already been distributed among vaccination centers and potential recipients across the country, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said.

Finland is underway with preparations to introduce a COVID-19 vaccination certificate integrated with the national digital health record platform Omakanta, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said.

African countries are set to receive 90 million doses of vaccines against the novel coronavirus in February through the COVAX facility, the World Health Organization said.

South Korea's Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council has authorized the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine, but advised caution on its use for elderly people, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) said.

South Korea's regulator has issued a conditional marketing authorization for the first homegrown COVID-19 drug, developed by company Celltrion, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Six additional firms in the United States will boost their manufacturing of the rapid at-home coronavirus test kits, White House Senior Adviser for COVID-19 Response Andy Slavitt said.

Russia registered 16,688 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 16,714 the day before, taking the tally to 3,934,606, the coronavirus response center said.

The Brazilian strain of the coronavirus has been detected in three regions of Peru: Loreto, Huanuco and Lima, Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti said.

Only 0.91 percent of Tokyo residents have coronavirus antibodies, Japanese media reported, citing a study conducted by the health ministry.

A new wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring is unlikely, given that COVID-19 looks more like a winter virus, David Livermore, a member of the scientific advisory board on Sputnik V and a professor of Medical Microbiology at the UK University of East Anglia, said in an interview with Sputnik.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered both military and civilian personnel employed by the US armed forces to wear masks at all times when they are on duty to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Department of Defense announced.

There is no telling when the European Union will be able to reopen borders to travelers from outside the bloc, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The self-isolation requirement in special hotels for passengers arriving from countries included on the UK's "black list" due to high coronavirus risks will enter into force on February 15, the UK government's representative told reporters.

Officials in the United Kingdom have begun work on so-called vaccine passports for inoculated travelers in a bid to revive the pandemic-hit tourism industry, The Times reported.

Poland will ease some COVID-19 restrictions and reopen cinemas, theaters, operas and outdoor sporting facilities on February 12 for a two-week trial period, Culture Minister Piotr Glinski said.

Latvia has introduced restrictions on entry from other EU states, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland and the UK over the spread of the coronavirus, according to a source in the Latvian government.

The Israeli government has approved the extension of the current coronavirus-related restrictions until the morning of February 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Faith-based organizations in South Africa continue crying foul at the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, despite the government's decision to allow churches to reopen, albeit under strict conditions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country should be prepared to be faced with a situation similar to the coronavirus pandemic in the coming years.

Russian labs are developing rapid COVID-19 tests in a bid to speed up monitoring of the spreading coronavirus, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.