MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd 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 20:20 GMT Monday, the number of cases globally is 123,527,951, including 2,719,828 fatalities.
The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 29,848,830, including 542,636 fatalities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 6.3 million people in Russia had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 4.3 people were already fully vaccinated.
Russia's Chumakov research institute has already produced the first batches of its vaccine CoviVac, Putin announced.
Global demand for Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is growing despite the attempts to discredit it, Putin said.
Moscow has signed an agreement with an Indian company to manufacture 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses, Putin also said.
Russian coronavirus vaccine EpiVacCorona provides one-year protection protects against COVID-19, and if necessary, revaccination is possible without restrictions and after other vaccines, Rinat Maksyutov, the head of the vaccine's developer, Vector Center, said. It is planned to produce 1.5 million doses of the EpiVacCorona vaccine in April, 3 million doses in May and 5 million doses in June, Maksyutov said. EpiVacCorona is being tested on all strains of coronavirus in Russia, he added.
The documents for registration of the Sputnik Light one-shot coronavirus vaccine have already been prepared, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.
The European Union is currently not engaged in negotiations with developers of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus, but "the door is not closed," European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer assured.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced that it had reached an agreement with India's Virchow Biotech Private Limited to produce up to 200 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in India per year.
Mauritius became the 55th country to approve the use of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, the RDIF said.
One company in the United States could infringe a patent for the production of Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev said.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will send a group of experts to Russia in April to inspect clinical trials and the production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the head of the agency's health threats and vaccines strategy, Marco Cavaleri, said live on the air during a broadcast by Italy's Rai 3 radio station.
Russia plans to produce over 80 million packages of its two-dose Sputnik V vaccine in the first six months of 2021, starting with initial output of 12.5 million packages in March and later ramping up production capacity to 17 million packages in April, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said.
Sixty-seven percent of the people in the UK think the UK government has performed better than the European Union in handling the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, according to a survey released by Ipsos Mori.
AstraZeneca announced that an independent commission identified no increased risk of thrombosis among participants of the trial who received its coronavirus vaccine.
Polish medical workers will vaccinate NATO headquarters staff in Brussels with AstraZeneca coronavirus shots, the national government said.
Requests for the export of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines to the United Kingdom will be thoroughly reviewed and are likely to be blocked, which would delay the British vaccination program by two months, media reported.
The first batch of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine distributed through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility has arrived in Bolivia, according to the health ministry.
Two more people died in Norway after receiving the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said.
Switzerland has given temporary authorization for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 to be used in the Swiss immunization campaign, the national medicines regulator Swissmedic said.
The Biden administration will incorporate the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine into its distribution process if it is approved by the appropriate agencies, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Cairo expects to conclude an agreement later in March on the joint production of two Chinese coronavirus vaccines � by Sinopharm and Sinovac � in the North African nation, Health Minister Hala Zayed said.
Russia registered 9,284 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 9,299 the day before, taking the overall tally to 4,466,153, the coronavirus response center said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed the belief that the country had managed to stabilize the coronavirus incidence.
A newborn in Japan is believed to have contracted COVID-19 from the mother in what may be the first case of mother-to-baby coronavirus transmission in the country, the NHK broadcaster reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was on a visit to China, was photographed wearing a black face mask with the inscription "FCKNG QRNTN," which was presented to the top diplomat by journalists.
Russia and China will be working on resuming travel as the coronavirus situation improves, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Chinese media published by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Police used tear gas to disperse participants in an unauthorized carnival in the French port city of Marseille, local media reported.
Crowds visiting Miami Beach City, United States, during spring break have forced the city commission to extend COVID-19 lockdown to April 12 with an 8:00 p.m. curfew and a 10 p.m. causeway closure as a means to stop the spread of the coronavirus, local news website reported.
A strict lockdown will be enforced in Venezuela for the week of Easter, President Nicolas Maduro announced.
Tokyo-based restaurant chain Global-Dining Inc. filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing that it was against constitution to force restaurants to reduce working hours due to the coronavirus restrictions, local media reported.
Around 500 foreign volunteers may be allowed to come to the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer under special entry regulations and help with the organization of the games, local media reported.
