MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th December, 2021) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 5.39 million, over 278.6 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 20:25 GMT Friday, the number of cases globally is 278,670,470, including 5,390,568 fatalities. As many as 8.88 billion of vaccine doses have been administered to date.
The United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States have received more doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the six-week run up to Christmas than African countries have received all year, as they are "banking on boosters" to keep them safe from Omicron and other future variants, the People�s Vaccine Alliance (PVA) reported.
France's health watchdog recommended administering a booster shot three months after a Primary vaccination course as the country battles the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the Omicron variant.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the government had made mistakes in the COVID-19 strategy and should have started the booster vaccination campaign earlier.
A study by a group of scientists from the United States found that two doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna do not provide protection against the Omicron strain six months after the second vaccination.
South Africa announced it was launching a COVID-19 revaccination campaign on Friday with the use of Johnson&Johnson vaccine as booster shots.
Only five African countries will be able to reach the goal of vaccinating 40 percent of their population by the end of this year, UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid said in an interview with Sputnik.
An expert panel of the Japanese Health Ministry on Friday authorized the use of Molnupiravir, an antiviral oral medicine to treat COVID-19 developed by the US drugmaker Merck Sharp & Dohme SA, media reported.
Russia confirmed 24,703 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 10,343,353, the federal response center said. The response center also reported 998 deaths linked to the coronavirus, bringing the country's death toll to 302,269.
The level of herd immunity to COVID-19 in Russia has reached 60.4% as 77.8 million people received their first vaccine dose and 73.1 million became fully vaccinated, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an updated guidance that shortens the amount of time health care workers who test positive for the novel coronavirus must quarantine due to staffing shortages in US hospitals.
People preferred problem avoidance approach to cope with the stress caused by the pandemic and related restrictions, though the strategy did not help ease their anxiety, according to a Spanish research published by the journal Nature.
New York City will drastically scale down the annual New Year's Eve party celebration at Times Square next week, Mayor Bill de Balsio said.
Major UK mobile operators are concerned about the potential backlash from vaccination opposing clients following the government's request to send a country-wide mobile alert urging the public to get a COVID-19 booster, the Guardian reported.
American and Australian carriers have canceled more than 200 flights ahead of the Christmas Eve as many airlines remained grounded by understaffing caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, media reported.
Russia is making an active contribution to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and it is crucial that world superpowers, such as Russia, are at the forefront in solving the main problems of our time, UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid said in an interview with Sputnik.
The Chinese Central Commission for Discipline Inspection brought to justice over 20 Shaanxi Province's officials for insufficiently effective measures on tackling the COVID-19 spread in the city of Xi'an.
