Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 4.87 million, over 239 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 20:00 GMT Wednesday, the number of cases globally is 239,003,322, including 4,870,537 fatalities. As many as 6.53 billion of vaccine doses have been administered to date.

The efficacy results of the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine when administered alone against the Delta variant of COVID-19 reach 70% and surpass some of the two-shot vaccines, Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said.

The Russian Health Ministry approved trials of a nasal spray form of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

Belarus plans to launch full-cycle production of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 by the end of the year, Health Minister Dmitry Pinevich said.

A national vaccination week will run in Switzerland from November 8-14 to raise awareness about the advantages of being vaccinated, and launch mobile consultation and vaccination centers across the country, the federal government said.

US vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer will require three years to supply the world with inoculations against COVID-19 at current production levels, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden said.

A 70% majority of vaccinated US adults say they plan to receive a COVID-19 booster shot when available, with another 10% saying they have already got the extra dose, according to a Morning Consult poll.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that he would send a letter to the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) with a request to accelerate the certification of vaccines that have already undergone testing and are used around the world, but have not yet been approved by the WHO.

Paraguay will begin COVID-19 vaccination of children aged six and over, as well as certain categories of citizens with a booster vaccine dose, before 2022, Health Minister Julio Borba said.

Russia recorded 28,717 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, up from 28,190 the day before, bringing the cumulative total to 7,861,681, the federal response center said.

Russia and the European Union will hold a series of expert consultations to agree on key legal and technical parameters for mutual recognition of coronavirus vaccination certificates, the Russian Health Ministry said.

The European Commission confirmed to Sputnik that it had received documents from Russia for verifying its COVID-19 vaccination certificates technical compatibility with the EU system, and Moscow also reaffirmed its intention to soon submit an official application to join the EU system.

The health emergency, designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in France, might be extended until July 31, 2022, Government Spokesman Gabriel Attal said.

Some users in the United Kingdom are experiencing problems on Wednesday when trying to log on to the National Health Service (NHS) app and website to show their COVID-19 pass, the technical team providing the service confirmed.

Dock workers at most of Italy's ports will halt activity on October 15 in protest of the government's plan to make COVID-19 vaccination certificates mandatory for all workplaces, The Huffington Post reported citing a spokesman for Trieste dock workers.

Fully vaccinated people wishing to travel to the United States from Mexico and Canada will be able to do so starting November, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced.

Domestic flights will resume at full capacity in India starting October 18, the Hindustan Times reported on Wednesday, citing the country's ministry of civil aviation.

The government of Fiji intends to fire 344 school teachers who refuse to get the COVID-19 shot, Minister for education Premila Kumar said.

The United Kingdom's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.4% in August, when more people started to attend restaurants and sports and recreational venues following the end of the last remaining COVID-19 regulations in July, the Office for National Statistics said.

China will study thousands of samples from the Wuhan Blood Center, including those stored there since 2019, as part of the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, CNN reported, citing a Chinese official.

Japan plans to set up a $4.4 billion fund to support developers of new drugs and vaccines for infectious diseases as part of the first economic package drafted under new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Kyodo news reported citing government sources.