Coronavirus: Latest global developments
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
First Briton vaccinated
A 90-year-old British grandmother becomes the first person in a Western country to receive an approved vaccine, as Britain rolls out the biggest inoculation drive in its history.
‘No specific safety concerns’
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective, raising expectations the regulator is poised to grant emergency approval.
Meanwhile Oxford University and AstraZeneca become the first Covid-19 vaccine makers to clear the key hurdle of publishing final-stage clinical trial results in a scientific journal.
Over 20 million Europe cases
Health officials have recorded more than 20 million cases across Europe, according to an AFP tally at 1315 GMT Tuesday, the worst affected region for the disease.
Record Saint Petersburg deaths
Russia’s second city Saint Petersburg registers a record 86 virus deaths as authorities warn of an imminent lockdown and shuttered restaurants for the New Year holidays.
Over 1.54 million dead
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,545,320 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday.
The US is the worst-affected country with 283,746 deaths.
After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 177,317 deaths, India with 140,958, Mexico with 110,074, and the UK with 61,434 deaths.
Germany hotspot locks down
The eastern German state of Saxony, which has an incidence rate more than twice that of the national average, will from Monday impose drastic measures, shuttering schools, kindergartens and most shops.
Jordan field hospital
Jordan has opened the first of three field hospitals for virus patients northeast of the capital, with two others due to open soon in the central and southern regions of the kingdom, as a sharp rise in cases overburdens health facilities.
Norwegian Air falters
Europe’s third-biggest low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection in Ireland, launches a similar process in Norway, the latest airline suffering from the pandemic that has paralysed global air traffic.
Japan stimulus
Japan’s prime minister unveils more than $700 billion in fresh stimulus to fund projects including pandemic measures, the country’s third such package this financial year.
Trump to sign vaccine decree
US President Donald Trump prepares to issue a decree aimed at granting Americans priority access to certain vaccines, but faces questions over whether the White House missed an opportunity to shore up sufficient doses in the months ahead.
Pakistan cricketers freed
Negative tests mean Pakistan’s cricketers can leave quarantine in Christchurch after being holed up in their hotel for two weeks as they underwent mandatory isolation under New Zealand’s protocols.
England players also
The two members of England’s cricket touring party who tested positive are cleared to return home with the rest of the tourists after the scrapping of the one-day series against South Africa without a single game being played.
Rugby players suspended
Former England captain Chris Robshaw is among 13 players at the English Barbarians invitational rugby union team to be suspended after breaching coronavirus protocols.