KINGSTON, Jamaica – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis, compiled by AFP.

– India passed the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths with 360,000 new cases in the past 24 hours – a global record – as oxygen and medical aid supplies were rushed there.

– US President Joe Biden hailed America’s “stunning” progress against the virus, as its top health agency said people who have been vaccinated no longer need to wear masks outdoors.

– Brazil’s Senate opened an inquiry into whether Jair Bolsonaro’s government was corrupt or criminally negligent in its handling of the pandemic, as the death toll in the country surged to nearly 400,000.

– The World Health Organization said the B.1.617 variant first found in India and feared to be contributing to the explosion in cases there, has been detected in at least 17 countries.

– BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin said he is confident the vaccine his company developed with Pfizer works against the Indian variant.

– The European Union and AstraZeneca will begin oral arguments in a Belgian court on May 26 in the bloc’s legal action against the pharmaceutical giant over vaccine shortfalls.

– A 54-year woman has died in Canada of cerebral thrombosis after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, the first fatality linked to the drug in the country.

– One dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines reduces the chances of someone infected with the virus spreading it to other household members by up to 50 per cent, according to Public Health England research.

– Australia’s Olympic Committee welcomed a decision to fast-track vaccinations for athletes travelling to the Tokyo Games despite accusations of queue-jumping.

At least 3,137,725 people have died of COVID-19 around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 573,381 deaths, followed by Brazil with 395,022, Mexico 215,547, India 201,187 and Britain 127,451.