MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 2.675 million, almost 121 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 Friday, the number of cases globally is 122,079,358, including 2,695,729 fatalities.
The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 29,708,451, including 540,533 fatalities.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) could authorize Russia's Sputnik V in the second half of May, a source in Berlin familiar with the negotiations told Sputnik.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that it was necessary to use Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in the European Union, once approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and if the EU does not order it, Germany will do it on its own.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that he was in favor of signing a national deal with Russia on the supply of its Sputnik V vaccine if the European Union did not approve it first.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi does not rule out that in the absence of coordination within the EU, the country will be able to order the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.
Cameroon and the Republic of Seychelles became the 53rd and 54th countries to authorize the use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced.
The Philippines authorized the emergency use of Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, Eric Domingo, the director-general of the food and Drug Administration (FDA), said.
The Philippines will receive the first batch of Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in April, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev said in an interview with CNN Philippines broadcaster. Production of Sputnik V in the Philippines may start within four of five months, as the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is currently engaged in negotiations with partners in the Southeast Asian country, Dmitriev also said.
More than 180 military attaches from 34 countries were vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The European Union has approved 340 requests for export of coronavirus vaccines from member states from late January to mid-March, Miriam Garcia Ferrer, the European Commission spokesperson for trade and agriculture, said.
The UK has opened secret diplomatic discussions with India in an attempt to easing alleged export restrictions put by the Indian government on 5 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine that are threatening to delay the UK's immunization program, the Mail Online reported.
Poland expects to receive 4.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine in the second quarter of 2021, Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said following a meeting with the representatives of the US company.
Researchers from Germany's University of Greifswald have established that blood clotting reported after vaccinations with AstraZeneca coronavirus shots results from the body's defense mechanism triggered by the inoculation, the NDR broadcaster reported.
Cameroon has decided to suspend the start of its COVID-19 immunization campaign with the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, slated for Saturday, as a precaution measure.
A 27-year-old Georgian nurse, who slipped into a coma after receiving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, died on Friday, a spokeswoman for a Tbilisi hospital told Sputnik.
The US government plans to loan about 4 million dozes of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Mexico and Canada, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said in a briefing.
More than half of guards and other employees working at US federal decline to be vaccinated for the novel coronavirus despite the inoculations being offered to everyone, US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Michael Carvajal said during a congressional hearing.
Secretary-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday expressed concerns about a worrying trend in the development of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the number of infections is growing in most regions.
Russia registered 9,699 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 9,803 the day before, taking the overall tally to 4,437,938, the coronavirus response center said.
Germany may have to reimpose tough coronavirus restrictions after seeing incidence rates go up, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
A majority of French people approves of the new coronavirus curbs, although that number among those affected directly is significantly lower, a poll out Friday showed.
Switzerland has decided to extend its coronavirus restrictions due to an increase in incidence, Alain Berset, the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, said.
Norway's police have opened an investigation into Prime Minister Erna Solberg who possibly breached coronavirus restrictions by gathering her extended family to mark her 60th birthday.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has requested that the country's supreme court revoke the coronavirus restrictions imposed in some provinces by their governors, the G1 news website reported.
More than 1 million Afghan migrants have had to return from Pakistan and Iran due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
Studies showed that the new coronavirus variants, including the UK variant, are associated with a higher death rate than the original virus that cause COVID-19, Alain Berset, the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, said.
