MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 3.155 million, over 149.9 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 20:40 GMT Thursday, the number of cases globally is 149,927,702, including 3,155,907 fatalities.
The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 32,268.569, including 574,853 fatalities.
Mexican laboratory for biological agents and reagents Birmex, which plans to bottle and package Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, has estimated its potential production volume at 90 million doses of the vaccine per year.
Brazil's Butantan Institute said it has started the manufacture of ButanVac, a new homegrown coronavirus vaccine, the clinical trials of which are yet to be approved by the country's watchdog.
India will start vaccinating its citizens against the coronavirus on May 1, ambassador to Russia Datla Bala Venkatesh said.
The European Union has greenlighted 779 requests to deliver 148 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to 44 destinations outside the bloc and rejected only one since late January, a European Commission spokesperson said in a statement to Sputnik
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) received reports of 11 cases of thrombosis after vaccination with Pfizer and two cases after administering Moderna in the European Economic Area, but will not initiate any further investigations and will continue to monitor the situation as the number is very low, Spanish news agency Efe reported, citing a source.
Germany's BioNTech biotechnology company expects initial results of its coronavirus vaccine trials involving children aged between 5 and 12 years old in July, and for those younger by September, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin told Der Spiegel.
Moderna has made funding commitments to increase the supply of its coronavirus vaccine to 3 billion doses depending on the mix that will include its variant booster candidates and pediatric vaccines if they are authorized by the relevant governments, the company said in a statement.
South Korea has administered at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine to more than 3 million people in two months and is on the way to reach herd immunity by November, Yonhap reported, citing national health authorities.
US-based Gilead Sciences Inc, the developer of antiviral drug Remdesivir, used for treatment of COVID-19 patients, will provide all its licensing partners in coronavirus-hit India with the technical support for the addition of new manufacturing facilities but will not send any more specialists there, a Gilead spokesperson told Sputnik.
Iran has unveiled its first homegrown spray against the coronavirus, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Anna Popova, the head of Russia's consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said that by the fall, the department reasonably expected an increase in all viral infections and, most likely, COVID-19.
Russia registered 9,284 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, up from 7,848 the day before, taking the overall tally to 4,796,557, the coronavirus response center said.
The COVID-19 situation in Moscow is tense as the infection rate in the Russian capital exceeds the country-wide average, the regional department of the consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said.
India has registered 379,257 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, marking the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, the health ministry said.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 79,726 to 14,521,289 within the past 24 hours, the national health ministry said.
Individuals vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine may still need to enter quarantine and do PCR tests upon arrival in the European Union, European Commission chief spokesperson Eric Mamer said.
The coronavirus-related lockdown announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came into force across the country on Thursday and will last through May 17, becoming the longest-running restriction since the onset of the pandemic.
Serbia's infectious diseases response center has decided to reopen cafes, restaurants and bars, closed due to COVID-19, May 8, Belgrade Deputy Mayor Goran Vesic said.
The US housing market has fully recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and is experiencing a boom not seen since the Great Recession of 2008-2009, Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell said.
Transit travelers have no issues at Turkish airports, and Ankara will keep the situation under control, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Sputnik, commenting on reported problems facing Russian travelers after Russia restricted air traffic over a steep rise in COVID-19 cases in the popular tourist destination.
Japanese car manufacturer Suzuki decided to halt three plants in India over the unprecedented rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the south Asian nation, the Kyodo news agency reported.
More than 40 countries have pledged to assist India in the fight against the current wave of coronavirus as New Delhi expects to receive oxygen generation equipment and medicines, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.
Anna Popova, the head of Russia's consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Thursday that Russia had requested the Indian strain of the coronavirus.
Medical officials of Russia and Mexico will begin exchanging information on the existing strains of the coronavirus, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard said in the wake of his five-day visit to Russia.
Turkey is ready to offer coronavirus tests for departing tourists and free treatment should their results come back positive, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Sputnik in an interview, adding that the country is open to talks about free PCR tests for Russian travelers.
The United States will send $100 million in supplies to India in the coming days to help the country deal with an overwhelming wave of novel coronavirus cases, the White House said in a press release.
The European Parliament has voted to adopt its negotiating position on the creation of a new digital EU COVID-19 certificate aimed at facilitating safe travel amid the ongoing pandemic.
