Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 5.186 million, over 260.4 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 260,411,797, including 5,186,898 fatalities. As many as 7.54 billion of vaccine doses have been administered to date.

The World Health Organization decided to classify the new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 found in South Africa as a variant of concern (VOC). The new strain was named Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostic tools are able to detect this variant, the WHO said.

The new coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529 may spread throughout the world in several months, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Russia's Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology has not yet received the new strain of coronavirus with 32 mutations, it is necessary to test the effectiveness of the Sputnik V vaccine against this variant, the center's director, Alexander Gintsburg, told Sputnik.

So far, there is no reason to talk about the need to modernize the Sputnik V vaccine due to the new strain, Gintsburg said. Sputnik V provides the broadest spectrum of neutralizing antibodies compared to other vaccines, so it is more likely to be effective against the new strain than other vaccines, he said.

The South African authorities urged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a new variant of the coronavirus had been detected in the country and feared to be the most dangerous yet identified

The Danish Health Authority has given the go-ahead to the vaccination of children aged 5-11 against COVID-19, Deputy Director General Helene Probst said.

The recent data from US biotechnology company Novavax, which is developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, said that its shot was likely to protect against new, emerging variants.

US President Joe Biden called on member countries in the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines next week amid concerns over the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

The molnupiravir (MOV) pill significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization or death following infection with the novel coronavirus, the FDA said in a briefing document ahead of an expert committee safety review of the drug.

Russia has confirmed 34,690 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 9,502,879, the federal response center said.

Germany registered 76,414 new coronavirus cases within the past 24 hours, marking thus the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, Robert Koch Institute said.

The authorities of the French overseas department of Martinique have imposed a curfew to restore order after nightly violent protests against COVID-19 restrictions rocked the area, the prefecture said.

India confirmed 10,549 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with the total number of those infected having reached 34,555,431, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil increased by 12,126 to 22,055,238 within the past 24 hours, the national ministry of health said.

The European Commission will make a proposal to the European Union to stop air travel from the southern African region over the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The United Kingdom has banned flights to six southern African nations � South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia � until November 28 over the spread of the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus, the UK government said.

The Netherlands is imposing a ban on flights from South Africa due to a new COVID-19 variant, Algemeen Dagblad reported on Friday, citing acting Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge.

Austria has banned flights from South Africa and Botswana starting Saturday after the two countries reported cases of a new COVID-19 variant.

Spain will suspend flights to South Africa and Botswana over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus at a cabinet meeting on November 30, the Spanish Health Ministry said.

Switzerland's national airline told Sputnik that it continued flying to and from South Africa despite concerns in Europe over the emergence of a new coronavirus variant.

Morocco and the Philippines followed European nations and Israel in announcing a halt to air travel from South Africa and other countries affected by the new coronavirus strain.

US President Joe Biden on Friday confirmed new travel restrictions for foreign travelers from eight countries in southern Africa due to the emergence of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in the region.

Canada is banning entry of foreign nationals that have traveled to southern Africa over the last 14 days due to the emergence of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said.

South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla said that the reaction of countries in Europe and other regions to the emergence of a new coronavirus strain is "unjustified," as currently there is no proof that it is more dangerous or resistant to vaccines.

The European Union's Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) should remain valid for significantly longer than the only nine month period recommended by the European Commission, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.