Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– US toll tops 700K –

More than 700,000 Americans have now died from the pandemic, according to an AFP tally.

The United States has long been the worst-hit country in the world by the virus, with its death toll reaching 701,176 after 246 more people died there in the last 24 hours.

– Vaccines miss Nobel –

The pioneers of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines that led the way for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are beaten to the Nobel prize for medicine by two US scientists working on how humans perceive touch and temperature.

– Tourism recovery –

World tourism surged in July thanks to vaccination rollouts and fewer travel restrictions, but traveller numbers still fell far short of pre-pandemic levels, says the UN’s tourism body. 

– NZ admits failure –

New Zealand admits its widely praised “Covid zero” strategy has failed and that it needs a new approach to break a stubborn Delta variant outbreak in its biggest city Auckland.

Its earlier hardline elimination policy had largely protected the country, allowing normal life to go on, until a Delta surge in August sparked a seven-week lockdown. 

– Winter Games under strain –

Beijing 2022 organisers say the Winter Olympics “face great pressure” because of the pandemic as they stage test events for February’s Games.

– Britain’s U-turn –

Britain’s finance minister is to announce new support for pandemic-hit workers after coming under attack for ending a furlough scheme that kept millions in jobs.

– Nearly 4.8 million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4.798,207 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data. 

The US is the worst-affected country with 701,176 deaths, followed by Brazil with 597,948, India with 448,997, Mexico 278,801 and Russia 210,801.

Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were Russia with 883 new deaths, followed by the US with 246 and Iran with 229.