MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 3.868 million, over 178.6 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 Monday, the number of cases globally is 178,629,126, including 3,868,643 fatalities.
The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 33,549,756, including 601,978 fatalities.
Current COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against the Delta coronavirus variant, which was first detected in India, but they still prevent severe disease and death, Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's technical lead for COVID-19, said.
Russia's Gamaleya research center will start trials of its Sputnik V vaccine on teenagers aged between 12 and 17 in Moscow's medical facilities in July, volunteer selection is ongoing, Moscow Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova announced.
Peru approved the use of Pfizer vaccine for teenagers, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte said.
Over eight million people received a vaccine against COVID-19 in India on the first day of free vaccination for the entire elderly population, the country's health ministry said.
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Monday called on the German biotechnology company BioNTech, which produces an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, to urgently share its vaccine technology and knowledge with manufacturers in developing countries with vaccine shortages.
Russia registered 17,378 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, down from 17,611 the day before, taking the cumulative total to 5,334,204, the federal response center said. Moscow confirmed 7,584 daily infections, down from 8,305 the day before.
The Indian states of Maharashtra and Kerala have confirmed 24 cases of the Delta Plus COVID-19 variant, their health authorities said.
The first zero COVID-19 restaurants began working in Moscow on Monday as part of the city-wide experiment aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, a senior official in the city government told Sputnik.
UK business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said that it was very "unlikely" the government would lift the remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England any time sooner than July 19, despite the opening of the vaccination program to all adults in the United Kingdom.
The curfew imposed in Turkey due to the coronavirus pandemic will be completely lifted from July 1, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Canada has extended its ban on passenger flights from India until June 21 amid a surge of coronavirus cases in the South Asian country, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said.
Fully vaccinated individuals coming into Canada will no longer be subject to quarantine requirements as of July 5, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expressed the belief that the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo could be held without spectators if a COVID-19 state of emergency is declared, the NHK broadcaster reported.
The administration of US President Joe Biden will keep exerting pressure on China in order to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus, and if Beijing does not cooperate, it will face isolation, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian decried Washington's claims that Beijing risks facing isolation if does not agree to another probe into the COVID-19 origins, calling them "sheer blackmail and threat."
The United States is going to share with countries throughout the world some 55 million coronavirus vaccine doses, the White House said.
The European Commission approved Slovakia's coronavirus recovery plan that will put it on a path toward a greener and more digital future, the head of the EU executive body's said.
