Covid-19: Latest global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– Record Indonesia toll –

Indonesia reports a record 2,069 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours as it faces its deadliest Covid-19 surge since the pandemic began.

– …And record Iranian cases –

Iran records nearly 35,000 new Covid cases, amounting to the Islamic republic’s highest daily infections number for a second consecutive day.

– Johnson urges caution –

Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls for caution after Britain registers nearly a week of lower coronavirus case numbers, a decline that has surprised officials and experts.

– Growth disparity –

While the global economy is still growing, the uneven distribution of vaccines is widening disparities as rich countries pick up speed and leave developing nations behind, the International Monetary Fund warns.

– Schools must reopen –

Schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic must reopen as soon as possible, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) insists, estimating that the education of more than 600 million children is at stake.

– Portugal seeks vaccines –

Portugal has asked other European countries for supplies of coronavirus vaccines to help accelerate its inoculation campaign, Health Minister Marta Temido says.

– Saudi threat –

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry warns that citizens visiting destinations on its list of countries blacklisted due to Covid-19 will face three-year travel bans following their return.

ALSO READ: Covid-19 update: 7,773 new cases and 370 deaths recorded in SA

– Masks for vaccinated –

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to issue new guidance saying that people vaccinated against Covid-19 need to wear masks indoors in some circumstances, reports say.

– Ireland to vaccinate teens –

Ireland will start offering Covid-19 vaccinations to children aged 12 and up, the government says, warning the Delta variant still poses “a significant risk” in the country.

– Sri Lanka-India cricket –

Sri Lanka postpones the second Twenty20 international against India just hours before its start, after an Indian player, all-rounder Krunal Pandya, tests positive for coronavirus.

– Four million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,169,966 people 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 610,952 deaths, followed by Brazil with 550,502, India with 421,382, Mexico with 238,595 and Peru with 195,973 fatalities. 

The World Health Organization says up to three times the number suggested by official figures have died directly or indirectly as a result of the pandemic.