MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 2.377 million, over 108 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 108,030,043, including 2,377,268 fatalities.
The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 27,444,481, including 479,458 fatalities.
Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V was authorized in Montenegro and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, thus bringing the total number of countries where it is authorized to 26, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said.
Russia's Gamaleya research institute is completing the second phase of clinical trials of the Sputnik Light vaccine against the coronavirus, institute chief Alexander Gintsburg said. Gamaleya institute developed a technology to quickly make vaccines against different strains of COVID-19, he also said.
Belarus has approved Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for people aged 60 and older, the country's health ministry said.
Kazakhstan officially authorized the use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19.
The Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina expects to receive more doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V in the second half of February, Health Minister Alen Seranic said.
Paraguay is expecting the delivery of the first batch of Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in the second half of February. a source in the Paraguayan government told Sputnik.
Ukraine expects deliveries of the first batches of vaccines against the coronavirus next week, Chief Sanitary Doctor Viktor Lyashko said.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that it had started a rolling review of the coronavirus vaccine by Germany's CureVac.
The United States will not be able to obtain enough coronavirus vaccines by the end of summer, President Joe Biden said. The country, however, is on track to secure coronavirus vaccines to immunize 300 million residents by the end of July, Biden also said.
Biden also said his predecessor Donald Trump had left the federal coronavirus vaccination program in worse condition than expected.
\Japanese Health Minister Norihisa Tamura confirmed that the formal approval of the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine could come as early as Sunday.
The slow pace of vaccination against the coronavirus in Japan compared to other countries is related to a certain procedure for obtaining the vaccine certification that takes more time than abroad, Japanese virologist Akihiro Sato said in an interview with Sputnik.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement on Friday it had signed an agreement with Pfizer pharmaceutical company to acquire 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine through 2021.
Russia registered 15,089 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, up from 15,038 the day before, taking the tally to 4,042,837, the coronavirus response center said.
Russia is approaching the end of the coronavirus pandemic, Valeriy Vechorko, the chief medical officer of the Moscow-based Municipal Clinical Hospital No.15, said.
The reproduction number (R number) of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom has fallen below 1.0 for the first time since July, suggesting that the spread of the disease may be slowing after a month of strict lockdown restrictions, according to data provided by the country's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
The international community should avoid panic when discussing the spread of new COVID-19 variants, World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, calling for a "more balanced approach."
The Portuguese parliament has supported the initiative of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to prolong the coronavirus-linked emergency until March 1, media reported.
The lift date for the coronavirus-related restrictions in Israel was moved from February 14 to 15, according to a joint statement of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Health.
Canada's new enhanced entry requirements, including the out-of-pocket hotel quarantine for incoming air passengers, will come into effect on February 22, Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu said.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) team investigating coronavirus origins, which is now on a visit to China's Wuhan, the world's first COVID-19 hotspot, will publish preliminary report next week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The European Union will be able to distribute the first funds from the Next Generation EU's recovery fund by the middle of the year to help member states overcome the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Bill Gates and Melinda Gates on a joint project ACT-Accelerator, engaging global health organizations as the WHO, and designed to provide assistance to developing countries during the coronavirus crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic has strengthened Europeans' trust in the European Union as the right place to combat common challenges, such as COVID-19, and its effects, the European Parliament said.
Two-thirds of London's nurseries are at risk of closure by the end of the year as a result of the economic challenges caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new study by the UK capital's mayoral office has found.
More than half of all Americans continue to work remotely to avoid exposing themselves or otherwise spreading the novel coronavirus, a new Gallup poll revealed.
The Japanese government will establish a new position � a minister for solitude � in light of a surge in the number of suicides amid the coronavirus pandemic, national media reported.
