Here are the latest developments in the Covid-19 crisis

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– AstraZeneca ‘lasts longer’ –

The effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine declines faster than that of the AstraZeneca jab, according to a study by Oxford University, which helped develop the AstraZeneca shot.

The study, based on a survey by Britain’s Office for National Statistics, has yet to be peer reviewed.

– HK fury at Nicole Kidman –

Hong Kong’s decision to grant Hollywood star Nicole Kidman a quarantine exemption to film an Amazon series there about the lives of wealthy expats has sparked public anger.

The Australian actress arrived in the city Thursday to make “Expats”, a show based on a 2016 book by Janice Y.K. Lee about the gilded lives of three American women there.

– Iran deaths top 100,000 –

The official death toll in the Islamic republic has topped 100,000, the health ministry said, though officials have previously admitted the real figure is probably much higher.

– Unmasked Ashura pilgrims –

Few of the hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims gathering at the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala for the annual commemoration of Ashura wear masks. The flagellation rituals and processions mourn the killing of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Imam Hussein, in 680 AD.

– Toyota slashes production –

Toyota is cutting global car production by 40 percent in September as the spread of the virus in Southeast Asia squeezes its supply chain.

The Japanese giant and its rivals have been hit by a shortage of electronic chips, which are essential for modern cars.

– Catalonia curfew struck down –

A Spanish court orders that the nighttime curfew imposed on the region of Catalonia, including its capital Barcelona, last month is no longer justified in most areas due falling infection rates.

– NZ solves outbreak mystery –

New Zealand says it has solved the mystery of the outbreak that plunged the nation into lockdown having been almost Covid-free for six months. 

Health officials say the infected person may not have been in contact with as many people as first feared.

– Anti-masker jailed –

A British man is jailed in Singapore for not wearing a mask on a train and then refusing to wear one in court. The man reportedly ranted at judges saying masks were not effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

– Sex worker vaccine drive –

Hundreds of sex workers at Bangladesh’s largest brothel have been vaccinated in an inoculation drive they hope will revive their business which has been devastated by the pandemic.

– Nearly 4.4 million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,392,364 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 624,253 deaths, followed by Brazil with 571,662, India with 433,049, Mexico 250,469 and Peru 197,659.