MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2020) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 1.345 million, almost 56 million cases of infection were detected, and over 35.9 million of those patients were cured, 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 55,997,737, including 1,345,128 fatalities.
The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 11,424,275, including 249,477 fatalities and 4,293,640 recoveries.
Russian research center Vector is developing three coronavirus vaccines apart from the one that has been already registered, they are in different phases of trials, the country's consumer rights watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, told Sputnik.
Chumakov research center of the Russian academy of Sciences will begin Phase 3 clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine in February, the center's director general, Aidar Ishmukhametov, said.
The final analysis of the Phase III clinical trials of US pharmaceutical company Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, developed in cooperation with German biotechnology company BioNTech, showed its 95 percent efficiency, while an earlier press release said it was 90 percent effective, Pfizer announced.
Kuwait has signed a contract with US company Moderna to receive 1.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine after production begins, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reported.
The Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) authorized phase 3 clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, the Spanish Health Ministry said.
The Indian authorities are going to vaccinate high-risk groups including doctors and elderly people aged 65 and above first when the vaccine becomes available for use, local media reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concerns over the increasing coronavirus death rate. Earlier in the day, Russia's coronavirus response center reported 20,985 COVID-19 cases registered in the past 24 hours and a new single-day record of 456 fatalities.
Spain's Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias and Murcia registered more coronavirus deaths during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic than in the first, Spanish news agency ABC reported, citing health ministry data.
Canada is experiencing problems containing the second wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic, US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said.
All public events marking the anniversary of Lebanon's independence have been canceled as part of efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease, the Lebanese presidency said.
A coronavirus-related curfew currently in force in the Belgian capital of Brussels and the region of Wallonia is likely to be extended until December 13, the Belga news agency reported.
The Dutch authorities have relaxed some coronavirus-related restrictive measures starting from Wednesday after registering a decline in COVID-19 contagion across the country, local media reported.
New restrictions in connection with COVID-19 come into force on Tuesday evening in Serbia, now all stores and service centers are closed every day until morning, and fines have been increased for non-compliance with the measures.
The Seoul metropolitan area and the southern city of Gwangju have adopted regulations to enforce stricter social distancing amid a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
The Tokyo metropolitan government intends to update the COVID-19 alert to the highest level amid a record rise in cases both in the capital and nationwide, the Kyodo news agency reported.
Australia's state of South Australia will lock down for the next six days in order for the authorities to carry out contact tracing in a timely manner amid an accelerated spread of the coronavirus, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said.
The second wave of coronavirus infections, which swept across France over the past few months, has doubled the number of reported mental health cases in the country, Jerome Salomon, France's Director General of Health Jerome (DGS), said, as cited by the Local newspaper.
England's previous three-tiered COVID-19 alert level system, which was scrapped temporarily when the country went into a full lockdown on November 5, was "inadequate" and failed to contain the spread of the disease, the British Medical Association (BMA) said in a fresh report.
Germany will add an additional 1 million Euros ($1.2 billion) to the previously earmarked support package of 2 million euros for its automotive industry, the German government said in a press release following the meeting of Chancellor Angela Merkel with heads of federal states and industry representatives.
The US food and Drug Administration has announced authorization for the first self-testing kit for COVID-19, which can be administered at home.
