Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 3.049 million, over 143.2 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 20:30 GMT Wednesday, the number of cases globally is 143,295,243, including 3,049,841 fatalities.

The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 31,830,910, including 569,042 fatalities.

The development of three reliable and safe coronavirus vaccines by Russian institutes demonstrates the country's growing scientific potential, President Vladimir Putin said.

Media across the world remains "stunningly silent" on the severe side effects and death rates following inoculation with the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, while focusing on blood clotting issues caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine, the official Twitter account of Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V said.

Argentina plans to produce 4-5 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus monthly and expects to bring yearly production to 500 million doses, presidential adviser Cecilia Nicolini said.

Nepal's Department of Drug Administration has granted conditional permission for Emergency Use Authorization of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

Russia, as part of a joint production agreement, has offered Bangladesh to produce the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in collaboration with local pharmaceutical firms, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed his aides to examine the possibility of using the Russian vaccine against COVID-19 Sputnik V in the country, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing a source in the presidency.

About 27 million people in the European Union have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said at a press conference.

The Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection signed a resolution that allows businesses to procure coronavirus vaccines for free distribution among their employees through accredited vaccination centers.

About 4.1 million people in Mexico have been administered two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, thus becoming fully immunized, the health ministry said.

The authorities in Mexico and Poland found vials of suspicious coronavirus vaccines earlier this year that manufacturer Pfizer has confirmed were fake, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Japan is making arrangements to receive additional 50 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing government sources.

Yemen's internationally recognized government announced the start of its vaccination program, offering COVID-19 vaccine shots to priority groups in governorates under its control.

The United States has administered the Moderna coronavirus vaccine to 32 out of 40 detainees at the Guantanamo facility while the rest refused to be vaccinated, Acting Assistant US Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Terry Adirim said.

Russia registered 8,271 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, up from 8,164 the day before, taking the overall tally to 4,727,125, the coronavirus response center said.

Russia will lift remaining coronavirus restrictions as soon as possible and the country will be open for millions of tourists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address to the Federal Assembly.

The German parliament adopted amendments to the law on the epidemiological protection of the population, authorizing a tightening of the lockdown in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, the vote was accompanied by mass protests in the center of Berlin.

The French government has decided to ease coronavirus restrictions by lifting a countrywide ban on movement between regions starting May 3, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said.

Poland will lift lockdown measures in some parts of the country starting from Thursday, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said, adding that different restrictions will apply to various regions based on the infection rate.

Iceland announced that it will propose stricter border control measures in order to ease restrictions imposed domestically due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Iceland Review reported, citing the administration.

North Korea imposes stricter control on its border with China in an attempt to prevent the coronavirus from seeping into the country, while still officially maintaining zero COVID-19 tally, South Korean media reported.

The last remaining staffers of humanitarian organizations, including the UN World food Programme, have left North Korea because of the coronavirus quarantine, as not a single batch of humanitarian assistance has arrived in the country since 2020, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of International Organizations, Pyotr Ilyichev said in an interview with Sputnik, calling for lifting the "draconian" sanctions on Pyongyang.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revised its December economic forecast for the aviation industry downwards as the world's airlines are set to face $47.7 billion post-tax losses in 2021 due to the slow pace of COVID-19 vaccination programs in some countries and the spread of new disease variants.