Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2022) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 5.518 million, over 318.7 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 Thursday, the number of cases globally is 318,709,568, including 5,518,428 fatalities. As many as 9.55 billion of vaccine doses have been administered to date.

The so-called Big Pharma companies are lobbying for sanctions against the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to hinder the promotion of the Sputnik vaccine in the world, RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev said.

Russian coronavirus vaccine for minors Sputnik M will be put into civil use next week, Alexander Gintsburg, the head of Russia's Gamaleya research center that developed the drug, told Sputnik.

UK pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and and its US partner Vir Biotechnology have submitted an application to the US food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an expanded emergency use authorization (EUA) of their COVID-19 intramuscular antibody treatment sotrovimab, the two companies announced.

The US Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large employers but backed the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, according to two decisions filed Thursday.

US President Joe Biden said that the majority of Americans were safe from severe consequences from the novel coronavirus disease because of the comprehensive vaccination efforts in the United States.

Russia confirmed 21,155 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to 10,723,305, the federal response center said.

Spain confirmed 179,125 new coronavirus cases within the past 24 hours, marking thus the largest daily increase since the start of the pandemic, the health ministry said.

Mexico confirmed record 44,187 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi did not rule out that the emergence of the COVID-19 cluster infections at US military bases in Japan has become one of the factors causing the infections surge in nearby areas.

About 400 police officers and firefighters staged a rally in front of the Czech Interior Ministry in Prague to protest a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, which will take effect on March 1, Czech media reported.

A large-scale demonstration of teachers is taking place in Paris to protest constantly changing sanitary protocol in schools, and to demand the creation of safe conditions in educational institutions, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The United States considers China's decision to halt some US flights over novel coronavirus concerns to be inconsistent with the obligations of the bilateral transportation agreement, but Washington may take regulatory action in response, a US Transportation Department spokesperson said in a statement to Sputnik.

The global economy is projected to grow only by 4.0 percent in 2022 and 3.5 recent the following year after a strong recovery in 2021, a new United Nations' World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2022 report revealed.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled a planned visit to a vaccination clinic in Lancaster, northwest England, because a family member tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, his office has announced.

The United States is monitoring the lockdowns imposed in the central Chinese city of Anyang and assesses that they are likely to have an impact isolated to the Chinese market, US National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said.

US President Joe Biden said his administration would soon have high-quality masks available for free to the American public.