Coronavirus: Latest Global Developments

Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Nov, 2020 ) :Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: - France plans end to lockdown - French President Emmanuel Macron says he aims to lift a nationwide coronavirus lockdown on December 15 and that shops will be authorised to reopen as early as Saturday.

The lockdown, in force since the end of October, will be replaced by a countrywide nighttime curfew, Macron says, except on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

In a televised address he also says France hopes to carry out its first Covid-19 vaccinations in late December or early January, speaking after France's death toll from the coronavirus topped 50,000.

- Britain loosens restrictions - The British authorities announce a relaxing of restrictions on social mixing and travel over the Christmas period, to allow people to celebrate together.

The arrangement will apply between December 23 and 27.

Britain say people coming to the country could end their two-week quarantine if testing negative at least five days after arriving.

- Vaccines plans - The United States says it plans to distribute 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after it is cleared for emergency use, which could start happening shortly after December 10.

The European Union says it will sign a sixth contract for an upcoming coronavirus vaccine, this time for up to 160 million doses of a jab developed by US firm Moderna.

Mexico says that it aims to start coronavirus vaccinations next month in the country, having signed deals with major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer.

Developers of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine say it is 95 percent effective, according to a second interim analysis of clinical trial data, without noting the number of cases used to make the calculation.

- Germany limits Christmas gatherings - Germany's states have agreed to guidelines capping gatherings to 10 people over Christmas, dashing hopes for large get-togethers between December 23 and January 1.

- Airlines takes hit - Airline revenues will plunge by 60 percent this year as a result of the pandemic, and can only bounce back with systematic testing, sector association IATA says.

- Helsinki lockdown - After a sharp uptick in cases in Finland's capital, the mayor announces the closure of high schools, libraries and swimming pools, and bans public events.

- Nearly 1.4 million deaths - The coronavirus has killed at least 1,402,620 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday as of 2030 GMT.

There were 7,896 new deaths and 593,934 new cases recorded worldwide in the previous 24 hours.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 258,665 deaths, followed by Brazil with 169,485 deaths; India with 134,218 deaths; Mexico with 101,926 deaths; and the United Kingdom with 55,838 deaths.

- Swedish care homes blasted - Sweden's healthcare watchdog condemns the way elderly people in the country have been treated in care homes during the pandemic, saying that some patients were left to die without a medical exam.