Latest On Coronavirus

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 4.935 million, almost 242.8 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 20:00 GMT Friday, the number of cases globally is 242,822,630, including 4,935,086 fatalities. As many as 6.76 billion of vaccine doses have been administered to date.

The COVID-19 vaccination in Russia is at a lower rate than in European countries as an issue with "responsibility of citizens" remains, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Bolivian citizens still prefer Russia's Sputnik V to other COVID-19 vaccines, as it was one of the first drugs to be offered in the country at the start of the pandemic, Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta said.

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has shown more than 90% efficacy in children between 5 and 11 years old, according to a study submitted to the US food and Drug Administration.

A trial of two versions of Moderna's COVID-19 booster shot in rhesus monkeys demonstrated effectiveness against all coronavirus variants, including Beta from South Africa with the ability to evade protection from vaccines, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said.

The UK government will maintain the six-month time period between the second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster injection unless advised otherwise by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the minister of state for care, Gillian Keegan, said, following reports that the gap will be cut to five months.

Studies prove that simultaneous vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza is safe, the head of the Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Russia registered a new single-day record of 37,141 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, up from the previous record of 36,339 cases confirmed the day before, bringing the cumulative total to 8,168,305, the federal response center said.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 16,853 to 21,697,341 within the past 24 hours, the national ministry of health said.

The United States is reporting a decrease in the number of novel coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and virus-related deaths though they still remain high, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director (CDC) Rochelle Walensky said

The Greek government sees no need to close the country's economy again and introduce tough measures over the increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

The Afghan-Japan COVID-19 hospital in Kabul, deemed to be the best equipped in Afghanistan, is experiencing shortage of drugs, medical supplies, and funds to pay out salaries to the staff, the TOLOnews agency reported.

The US budget deficit fell by $360 billion in fiscal year 2021 but remained high at almost $2.8 trillion due to rescue programs�mounted by the federal government to contain the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the Treasury Department said.

UN sanctions against North Korea should be reviewed and, when necessary, eased given the humanitarian effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea Tomas Ojea Quintana said.