COVID-19: Here’s what you need to know today
KINGSTON, Jamaica — More than 176.9 million coronavirus infections have been confirmed worldwide, with over 3.8 million people across 196 countries and territories having died. Majority of those infected have recovered.
Many countries have rolled out vaccine campaigns and are inoculating citizens as economies begin to recover.
— The country recorded an additional 74 positive COVID-19 cases yesterday and 11 deaths, bringing total infections to 49,503, and the death toll to 1,023.
— The United States is devoting more than US$3 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19, according to an official briefed on the matter.
— Irish no-frills airline Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group (MAG) are to launch today a legal challenge against the UK government over its COVID traffic-light travel restrictions.
— Japan’s government today approved lifting Tokyo’s virus emergency just over a month before the Olympics, but set new restrictions that could sharply limit fans at Games events.
— The Guyana government has strongly denied acquiring vaccines to treat the COVID-19 pandemic from anyone facing legal troubles, insisting that its vaccination programme is aimed at saving the lives of all Guyanese.
— A COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Germany’s CureVac was shown to be just 47 per cent effective in an interim analysis of its late-stage trial, the company said yesterday.
— A cocktail of synthetic antibodies reduces deaths among severe COVID-19 patients who are unable to mount a strong immune response, results from a major clinical trial showed yesterday.
— The United States is the worst-affected country with 600,653 deaths, followed by Brazil with 493,693, India 381,903, Mexico 230,624, and Peru 189,522.
Read the full stories here
US to spend US$3B for antiviral pills for COVID-19 – official
Ryanair, UK airports sue gov’t over COVID travel rules
Japan ending Tokyo virus emergency one month before Olympics
Guyana denies claims of acquiring COVID vaccines from ‘shady’ sources
