Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 2.78 million and almost 127 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.

The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with over 30.2 million cases, including over 549,000 fatalities.

China and the UAE launched a joint COVID-19 vaccine project. The two countries' foreign ministers launched the project involving the Emirati company G42 and China's Sinopharm CNBG on Sunday. This will be the first vaccine to be produced in the Arab country.

The United Kingdom is going to offer 3.7 million COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring Ireland, in a move that can further strain relations with the European Union, The Sunday Times reported, citing UK cabinet sources. According to the newspaper, it would be the first time the UK has exported vaccines to the EU amid tensions over delayed deliveries of AstraZeneca shots to the bloc. A cabinet minister described the plan as a "poke in the eye for Brussels," which has coordinated vaccine procurement and deliveries on behalf of member states.

The United Kingdom is going to receive the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine developed by US pharma company Moderna next month. Back in January, Moderna became the third COVID-19 vaccine approved in the UK. In mid-March, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the vaccine would arrive "in the coming weeks."

Russian COVID-19 vaccines have not had any serious registered side effects so far, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. All three vaccines developed in Russia, Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona, and CoviVac are "effective, reliable and safe," the president added.

Putin also said that he chose to receive a coronavirus vaccine without cameras as he did not feel the need to copycat other world leaders, noting that cheating in this process is possible even when filmed on camera. Putin also noted that only his doctor knows which of the three Russian vaccines he had received.

Health passports will be available in the European Union within the next two to three months in digital or paper form, the EU commissioner in charge of vaccines, Thierry Breton said. The EU Commissioner presented an example of the health passport on air and explained that the document will display the person's name, date of birth, passport number accompanied by a QR code with information about whether the person had had the COVID-19 vaccine and whether they were or had been a carrier of the virus.

Almost 30 percent of German citizens believe that Health Minister Jens Spahn is responsible for the COVID-19 vaccine shortfalls in the country, according to a fresh poll for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Per the survey results, 29 percent of respondents lay the blame on Spahn and another 26 percent on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. When asked about German Chancellor Angela Merkel, only 14 percent of respondents said she was to blame for the COVID-19 vaccine shortages.

Turkey will start vaccinating people over the age of 60 and those with underlying health conditions as the numbers of daily infections start to rise, local media reported citing the minister of health, Fahrettin Koca.

People in Japan will be given a choice of a coronavirus vaccine, a senior official in charge of vaccination campaign, Fumiaki Kobayashi, said Sunday. The government will publish information on which COVID-19 vaccines are available at each vaccination site, Kobayashi reportedly said.

Panama is restricting the entry of foreigners from all South American countries starting Wednesday, after a case of the Brazilian variant was confirmed in a patient who had traveled to Brazil, Panama's Health Ministry has announced. The new restrictions on travel will come into force on Wednesday, March 31, the ministry specified, adding that the measures were prompted by the discovery of the Brazilian strain in the country.

The French government will assess the impact of the current COVID-19 restrictions, but nothing has been decided yet on any further measures, President Emmanuel Macron said in an exclusive interview with Journal du Dimanche. Macron said that France was doing very well on vaccination targets for those over 80 and added that over 90 percent of residents in care homes have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Russia may be able to start lifting coronavirus restrictions when it achieves herd immunity, which may happen by the end of summer if the vaccination continues at its current pace and the measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus remain in place, President Vladimir Putin said.

The head of the Indian state of Maharashtra ordered preparations for a lockdown, since existing restrictions were not working. He told officials present at a COVID-19 taskforce meeting that a lockdown will have to be introduced gradually in the next few days. The state already announced a curfew between 20:00 pm and 7:00 am with violators facing a fine of $14.