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HEALTH-VIRUS-WORLD,FACTS
Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS, April 22, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
– Worst ever daily cases –
India posts a global record of 314,835 new infections in the past 24 hours — the most of any country since the pandemic began — as hospitals send out desperate warnings that patients could die without fresh oxygen supplies.
– Torch relay case –
Tokyo Olympics organisers report the first infection from the nationwide torch relay as the pandemic continues to play havoc with the Games, which are scheduled to take place this summer.
– Fake Pfizer –
Fake doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been sold in Mexico and Poland for as much as $2,500 a shot, the US drugmaker and an official confirm.
– Still getting it –
An unvaccinated worker infected with a Covid variant sparks an outbreak at a US nursing home where nearly all the residents had been inoculated, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
– What next? –
After an international mission to China turns up more questions than answers about the pandemic origins, the World Health Organization evaluates how to move forward through a diplomatic quagmire to solve the mystery.
– Cheap money –
Christine Lagarde is expected to stress the European Central Bank’s commitment to cheap money as Europe’s biggest economies battle a surge in infections that could slow the eurozone recovery.
– Valneva vaccine progress –
French-Austrian vaccine developer Valneva announces it has launched a Phase 3 trial of its candidate vaccine — the last testing stage before seeking regulatory approval.
– Tax credits –
The US will offer tax credits to businesses that grant their employees time off to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or recover from its side effects.
– Brit awards –
Around 4,000 guests will be allowed to attend next month’s annual British music ceremony the Brit Awards as part of the government’s pilot scheme easing restrictions for live events.
– No car show –
One of Japan’s biggest industrial events, the biennial Tokyo Motor Show that had been scheduled for the autumn, is cancelled for the first time ever because of the pandemic.
– Handbag therapy –
French luxury goods group Hermes says its sales jumped 38 percent in the first quarter of the year compared with 2020, bolstered by a strong performance in Asia and the sharp rise driven mainly by increased demand for the group’s bags.
– Acrobats are back –
Montreal-based world-famous circus troupe Cirque du Soleil announces four of its shows will return to the stage after more than a year on hiatus due to the pandemic.
– More than three million dead –
At least 3,060,859 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 569,404 deaths, followed by Brazil with 381,475, Mexico with 213,597, India with 184,657 and Britain with 127,327.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1655 hrs