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Live Updates: US COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 300,000 - JHU

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The global death toll from the coronavirus infection has topped 1.612 million, over 72.2 million cases of the infection have been detected, and over 46.8... 14.12.2020, Sputnik International

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Photo dated December 9, 2020 courtesy of Mount Sinai Health System in New York shows a lab technician during a dry run at Mount Sinai hospital ahead of an expected Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shipment over the weekend. - Sputnik International

Live Updates: US COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 300,000 - JHU

04:37 GMT 14.12.2020 (Updated: 20:20 GMT 14.12.2020)

The global death toll from the coronavirus infection has topped 1.612 million, over 72.2 million cases of the infection have been detected, and over 46.8 million have recovered, according to Baltimore, Maryland's Johns Hopkins University, which tracks and compiles data from national and local authorities, the media and other sources.

The United States, India and Brazil lead in terms of the number of registered coronavirus infections, while the largest number of COVID-19-related deaths has been observed in the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States recorded a total of 219,510 new cases on Sunday, down from Saturday's record high of over 231,000 cases. A total of 2,368 patients reportedly died on Sunday.

In Brazil, Sunday's tally was 43,900, down from Saturday's 53,000; 686 patients died in one day.

India recorded 30,254 new infections, around the same as the day before, and 391 patients died.

Follow Sputnik feed to find out more.

Table of contents

00:03 GMT 15.12.2020

US Upgrades COVID-19 Travel Health Warnings for Georgia, Kosovo

23:56 GMT 14.12.2020

Canadian Official Says Coronavirus Vaccine Makers Shielded From Liability

21:41 GMT 14.12.2020

Canada to Contribute $380Mln for Global Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics

21:37 GMT 14.12.2020

Moscow's Death Toll From COVID-19 Rises by 77 Over Past Day, Tops 10,000

20:12 GMT 14.12.2020

US COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 300,000 - JHU

19:03 GMT 14.12.2020

The Netherlands Introduces Lockdown Due to COVID-19 for Five Weeks, Through January 19

18:49 GMT 14.12.2020

Czech Hotels, Restaurants to be Closed Since 18 Dec, Owners to Get Compensation, Prime Minister Says

18:37 GMT 14.12.2020

UK Health Minister Warns People Against Going to London for Christmas Shopping

18:33 GMT 14.12.2020

No Indication New COVID-19 Variant in UK Interferes With Vaccine Effectiveness, WHO's Ryan Says

18:22 GMT 14.12.2020

Dutch PM Announces Tough Five-Week Nationwide Lockdown Starting Monday Night

17:57 GMT 14.12.2020

Israel to Start Phase 2 of COVID-19 Vaccine Trials in Coming Days, Defence Ministry Says

17:56 GMT 14.12.2020

Canada Administers First Doses of Coronavirus Vaccine in Ontario, Premier Says

17:28 GMT 14.12.2020

Erdogan Announces Round-the-Clock Curfew in Turkey for New Year Holidays

17:18 GMT 14.12.2020

Belgian Minister Opposes Use of Drones to Monitor COVID Breaches in Homes During Holidays

16:39 GMT 14.12.2020

NYC Mayor Warns Additional Coronavirus Restrictions Could Be Coming

16:34 GMT 14.12.2020

Sturgeon Kept Edinburgh in Tier 3 Despite Being Reportedly Advised to Put It Into Tier 2

16:10 GMT 14.12.2020

Netanyahu Enters Quarantine Until Friday After Contact With COVID-19 Carrier

15:56 GMT 14.12.2020

London, Parts of England to Enter Tighter COVID Restrictions on Wednesday, Hancock Says

15:30 GMT 14.12.2020

New York Administers First Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine After US Emergency Approval, Governor Says

15:16 GMT 14.12.2020

Turkish, Chinese Foreign Ministers Discuss Cooperation on COVID-19 Vaccine, Source Says

14:38 GMT 14.12.2020

Trump Congratulates the World on First COVID Vaccine Administered in the US

14:08 GMT 14.12.2020

Press Briefing on Russia's Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine

13:39 GMT 14.12.2020

Sputnik V More Than 90% Effective After Three Control Points, Press Release Says

13:21 GMT 14.12.2020

EU Likely to Approve Pfizer Vaccine on 29 December, Spanish Minister Says

12:18 GMT 14.12.2020

'Third Wave of Pandemic is Realistic', Polish Health Minister Believes

12:15 GMT 14.12.2020

Russia, Cuba Might Conduct Joint Study of COVID-19 Antivirals, Health Official Says

12:14 GMT 14.12.2020

Kremlin Says Russian Gov't Not Considering Coronavirus Quarantine for New Year Holidays

11:44 GMT 14.12.2020

South Korea Mobilizes Special Forces to Help in COVID-19 Response in Seoul Area, Reports Say

11:43 GMT 14.12.2020

Venezuela Scales Back International Flights Due to COVID-19, President Announces

11:29 GMT 14.12.2020

London 'Highly Likely' to Go Into Top Tier, Report Says

11:19 GMT 14.12.2020

Germany Expects to Get 11Mln Doses of BioNTech Vaccine by March, Health Minister Says

11:17 GMT 14.12.2020

Donetsk in Talks With Russia Over Supply of Sputnik V Vaccine Against COVID-19

11:10 GMT 14.12.2020

Eswatini Prime Minister Becomes First World Leader to Die of Coronavirus

11:08 GMT 14.12.2020

Scotland Begins First Vaccinations in Care Homes

11:00 GMT 14.12.2020

Switzerland Reports Over 10,000 New COVID-19 Cases in Three Days

10:56 GMT 14.12.2020

Russia, UAE Consider Possibility of Licensed Production of Sputnik V Vaccine, Lavrov Says

10:00 GMT 14.12.2020

Over 50% of Russians Say Not Ready to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Soon, Poll Shows

09:49 GMT 14.12.2020

Spanish Queen Starts Two-Day Humanitarian Trip to Honduras, Royal House Says

09:15 GMT 14.12.2020

Tourism Has 'Very Small Role' in COVID-19 Surge During 2nd Wave, Greek Minister Says

09:06 GMT 14.12.2020

Italy Studies New COVID-19 Restrictions for Holidays

08:05 GMT 14.12.2020

Russia Registers 27,328 COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours

07:18 GMT 14.12.2020

Israel Confirms 1,844 New Coronavirus Cases

06:25 GMT 14.12.2020

Seoul to Close Schools Starting Tuesday Amid Another COVID-19 Spike

06:23 GMT 14.12.2020

COVID-19 is Out of Control in Germany, Economy Minister Says

05:53 GMT 14.12.2020

Belgium Registers 2,171 New COVID-19 Cases

05:30 GMT 14.12.2020

India Confirms 27,071 New COVID-19 Cases

04:50 GMT 14.12.2020

Trump Says Not Scheduled to Get Coronavirus Vaccine in Near Future

04:48 GMT 14.12.2020

Kyrgyzstan Reports 318 New COVID-19 Cases

04:47 GMT 14.12.2020

Bulgaria Reports 497 New COVID-19 Cases

04:40 GMT 14.12.2020

Canada Reports 5,891 New Coronavirus Cases

04:40 GMT 14.12.2020

Poland Reports 8,977 New COVID-19 Cases

04:37 GMT 14.12.2020

Germany Reports 16,362 New COVID-19 Cases

New firstOld first

23:58 GMT 14.12.2020

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US government has upgraded its COVID-19 travel warnings for US citizens and advises them not to visit Georgia and Kosovo, the Department of State said in a media note.

"This week, the following Travel Advisories have been assessed and reissued with updates, raised to a Level 4 - Do Not Travel: Georgia, Kosovo," the note said on Monday.

The State Department has also reissued and confirmed its Level 3 advisory to reconsider travel to Uruguay, Eswatini and Mozambique, the note also said.

"[T]he Department of State regularly assesses and updates our Travel Advisories, based on current US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Notices and the current conditions in country," the note added.

23:55 GMT 14.12.2020

TORONTO (Sputnik) - The coronavirus vaccine makers are shielded from legal liability in Canada, Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand told reporters.

"Yes, we are," Anand said on Monday, when asked if the Canadian government is including indemnification clauses in contracts signed with the vaccine manufacturers.

Anand explained that such clauses are standard when new technologies are introduced and that other countries are grappling with the same issue.

The minister said government’s newly minted federal vaccine support program was created to mitigate any unintended adverse effects of vaccines, including the coronavirus vaccine.

21:41 GMT 14.12.2020

TORONTO (Sputnik) - Canada will contribute $380 million toward distributing therapeutics, tests and vaccines against the novel coronavirus in developing nations, Minister of International Development Karina Gould told reporters on Monday.

“Canada’s investment of $485 million [$380 million USD], being announced today, will reinforce the work of key partners and build on our commitment to make COVID-19 medical countermeasures more accessible for all countries,” Gould said.

The biggest portion of the new funding - $180.2 million - will go toward supplying developing nations with treatments against the deadly disease through the World Health Organization’s Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the minister said.

21:37 GMT 14.12.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow has registered 77 deaths of patients infected with COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the Russian capital's death toll to 10,022, the city's coronavirus response center said in a statement on Monday.

"Another 77 patients, who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the coronavirus infection, died in Moscow," the center said.

20:11 GMT 14.12.2020

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The death toll from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States has surpassed 300,000, John Hopkins University data showed on Monday.

The country added more than 10,000 new fatalities in only in four days, the data showed.

US authorities have reported that more than 16.351 million people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the beginning of pandemic, according to the data, and the death toll now stands at 300,267.

19:03 GMT 14.12.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Netherlands will go into general lockdown for five weeks through January 19, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Monday.

"The Netherlands are forced to go into isolation," the prime minister, who addressed the Dutch on Monday, said, as quoted by the NOS broadcaster.

The general self-isolation regime will enter into force on the night of December 15 and will last at least five weeks, until January 19, he said. In the Netherlands, all stores will be closed, except for those selling vital goods. Schools and universities will switch to distance learning from Wednesday, December 16.

Rutte urged residents of the Netherlands not to leave their homes unnecessarily and not to receive guests.

The prime minister noted that such tough measures are caused by a sharp increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus.

18:48 GMT 14.12.2020

The Czech Government has decided to close food services and hotels in the country since December 18 due to a rapid spike in COVID-19 cases, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Monday.

On December 3, Czech food services and hotels were allowed to reopen since the country's daily infection rate dropped. However, the republic started to register over 5,000 new daily COVID-19 cases since December 9, and the government decided to reimpose some anti-coronavirus restrictions.

"During the last two-three weeks, the epidemiological situation in the republic has been deteriorating, there is a daily increase in the number of COVID-19 patients. In this regard, the government had to reconsider its decision implemented on December 3 to soften some measures, and tightened some of them again. This refers, first of all, to the operation of hotels and food services that will resume their work since Friday for uncertain time," Babis said.

The prime minister noted that initially, this decision was planned to be implemented on Tuesday, but then the government decided to give Czech businessmen several days to put their affairs in order before they closed their enterprises.

Babis added that these restrictions would not appeal to shops and consumer services that had been reopened on December 3.

"Shops and consumer services will continue to operate, but with adherence to very strict health standards," the prime minister said.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the Czech Republic has confirmed 3,657 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with the total number of infections reaching 579,079. Over the past week, the country registered 32,246 new COVID-19 cases.

18:33 GMT 14.12.2020

People should not travel to London for Christmas shopping, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said as he announced earlier on Monday that the British capital was entering Tier three restrictions.

18:32 GMT 14.12.2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) is aware of reports that a new variant of COVID-19 has been identified in the United Kingdom, although there is no evidence to suggest that the mutation will impact the effectiveness of vaccines against the disease, WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Mike Ryan said on Monday.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier in the day announced that a new variant of COVID-19 had been identified in the south of England, and was responsible for roughly 1,000 cases.

"We are aware of this genetic variant I think reported in about 1,000 individuals in England, and the authorities in the UK under Matt Hancock's leadership are obviously looking at the significance of this," Ryan said at a WHO virtual press briefing.

According to the WHO official, there was no evidence to suggest that the new variant of the disease would transmit more easily or undermine vaccines against COVID-19 that are being rolled out.

"Does this make this virus more serious? Does it allow the virus to transmit more easily? Does it in any way interfere with diagnostics? Would it in any way interfere with vaccine effectiveness? None of these questions have been addressed yet, and we have no information to suggest that any of that is the case," Ryan remarked.

During his appearance in parliament earlier in the day, Hancock also revealed that London will be moved into the country's highest coronavirus disease alert level tier from Wednesday, amid a surge of new cases in the UK capital.

The UK began its mass vaccination program, using a vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, this past Tuesday.

18:21 GMT 14.12.2020

17:56 GMT 14.12.2020

The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has successfully completed phase one of the domestic coronavirus vaccine trials and plans to start phase two of the clinical trials in the coming days, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"Phase two of clinical trials will begin in the coming days with approximately 1,000 volunteers. The trials will take place at Sheba and Hadassah medical centres, and additional medical centres across the country will gradually join the process," the statement said.

The continuation of the clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the country's Ministry of Health after the successful completion of phase one.

"There were no significant side effects during phase one and two expert committees, both internal and external, recommended to start the transition to phase two," the ministry said.

Phase two of the vaccine trials, which is expected to take several months, will include extensive safety tests with the participation of healthy volunteers aged 18 and over. At this stage, scientists set the task of checking the safety of the vaccine, determining the effective dosage and further evaluating the effectiveness of the drug. The successful completion of phase two will allow the start of the third phase of the vaccine trials involving up to 30,000 volunteers in Israel and abroad.

17:43 GMT 14.12.2020

Vaccination against the novel coronavirus has begun in Canada with the first shot being administered in the province of Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said in a statement on Monday.

"Today is a historic day for Ontario and for Canada as the first Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccines have started to be given to our frontline health care heroes," Ford said.

17:27 GMT 14.12.2020

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the introduction of a round-the-clock curfew in Turkey for the New Year holidays, from 9 p.m. on December 31 to 5 a.m. on January 4.

"At today's government meeting, it was decided to establish a curfew from 9 p.m. on December 31 to 5 a.m. on January 4," Erdogan said.

Earlier, he announced new restrictive measures due to the increase in the coronavirus incidence in the country. Bathhouses, saunas, swimming pools, gyms have suspended work since Tuesday, a certain number of visitors are allowed to shopping centers and only by digital code. The curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Earlier, the work of cafes and restaurants was suspended, except for take-out services.

17:17 GMT 14.12.2020

Drones should not carry out the systematic control of COVID-19 home-gathering violations during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, Belgian Interior Minister Annelis Verlinden said on Monday.

Earlier in the month, one of the police units in the Belgian province of Limburg said that during the upcoming holidays, drones would be deployed to help control the violations of COVID-19 regulations on home gatherings.

"Letters were sent to burgomasters and heads of regions, saying that this technology can be used, for example, to assess the number of visitors on shopping streets, but not to carry out systematic control of private households," Verlinden said, as quoted by the Belgian LeSoir newspaper.

According to the COVID-19 measures in Belgium, residents who own gardens are allowed to invite up to four guests. Those living alone can invite up to two guests on Christmas day. However, for not following the rules during the celebrations, people will be fined 250 euros ($304).

The authorities fear that the increase in the number of contacts during the holidays could lead to a new outbreak.

16:34 GMT 14.12.2020

16:28 GMT 14.12.2020

16:10 GMT 14.12.2020

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he had entered a quarantine until Friday after contact with a COVID-19 carrier.

"In accordance with the guidelines, I am entering quarantine until Friday. I feel excellent. Today and yesterday, I underwent two negative coronavirus tests. I continue working around the clock to bring millions of vaccines to the citizens of Israel and strengthen our economy. Follow the guidelines and stay healthy!" Netanyahu said on Twitter.

The contact with the coronavirus carrier was reported by Netanyahu's office.

Netanyahu has been forced into quarantine several times since the start of the pandemic due to similar reasons.

Last week, the first doses of a vaccine against COVID-19 produced by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech arrived in Israel. In total, the Israeli government has signed a deal for 8 million doses of the vaccine, which is already being used in the United Kingdom.

Israel has also concluded deals with other manufacturers, including the US firm Moderna, for other candidate vaccines. On November 1, clinical trials for Israel's domestically produced vaccine against the coronavirus disease began.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 357,000 positive tests for COVID-19 have been registered in Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 3,000 people.

בהתאם להנחיות אני נכנס לבידוד עד יום שישי הקרוב. אני מרגיש מצויין. היום ואתמול עברתי שתי בדיקות קורונה שליליות. אני ממשיך לעבוד מסביב לשעון כדי להביא מיליוני חיסונים לאזרחי ישראל ולחזק את הכלכלה שלנו. שימרו על ההנחיות ושימרו על הבריאות!
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 14, 2020

15:56 GMT 14.12.2020

London and other parts of south east England will move on Wednesday into Tier 3, the highest level of the COVID-19 alert system implemented by the UK government to try to stop the spread of the pandemic, the health minister, Matt Hancock, announced on Monday.

"We are moving Greater London, south and west of Essex, and south of Hertfordshire into Tier 3 on Wednesday," Hancock told Parliament.

15:29 GMT 14.12.2020

New York on Monday became the first US state to administer the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in the United States after a nurse was inoculated with the drug following its approval by the federal government for emergency use.

“This vaccine is exciting because I will believe this is the weapon that will end the war” against COVID-19, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said during a live-streamed event just before Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, was given the shot.

President Donald Trump also tweeted on the momentous occasion. “First Vaccine Administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!,” he wrote.

Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to the US COVID-19 vaccine program, said the United States hopes to give out the vaccine, developed by Pfizer under a joint-venture with Germany’s BioNTech, to 100 million Americans by spring 2021.

Slaoui said that 40 million doses would be distributed by the end of December and equal numbers of 50 to 80 million in both January and February.

Separately, Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla told CNBC in an interview on Monday that the company was negotiating with the US federal government to provide an additional 100 million vaccine doses for next year, to supplement an initial contract for 100 million.

An individual requires two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, to be given one month apart of each, for effective immunization from the COVID-19, the manufacturer says. The vaccine requires deep-freeze storage of minus 90 degrees, and poses other challenges that US health officials have been scrambling to prepare for over the past few weeks.

15:15 GMT 14.12.2020

Foreign ministers of Turkey and China, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Wang Yi, respectively, have discussed cooperation on production and supply of COVID-19 vaccine, in a prelude to possible purchase of million of doses of Chinese coronavirus vaccine by Turkey, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.

"Our minister discussed over the phone with his Chinese counterpart the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and cooperation on vaccines," the source said.

According to the head of the Turkish Ministry of Health, Fahrettin Koca, Ankara will purchase 100 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine by April, 2021. The first batch of vaccine from the Chinese company SinoVac will be delivered to the country after December 11, and at the end of the month it is planned to start vaccination after laboratory tests of the vaccine quality. Earlier in November, Turkey announced plans to purchase at least 25 million doses of Pfizer's BioNTech vaccine.

14:36 GMT 14.12.2020

First Vaccine Administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020

According to media reports, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were given to frontline workers in New York City.

14:06 GMT 14.12.2020

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund and Alexander Gintsburg, the Gamaleya Centre Director are among the participants.

13:37 GMT 14.12.2020

Sputnik V Vaccine - Sputnik International

Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Against COVID More Than 90% Effective After 3 Control Points

14 December 2020, 13:33 GMT

13:21 GMT 14.12.2020

Spanish Health Minister Salvador Ilya believes that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will most likely authorize the vaccine against the coronavirus from Pfizer on December 29, while the vaccine developed by Moderna may be approved on January 12.

"I can announce today, although it may change, that by December 29 at the latest, the European Medicines Agency will meet to give its assessment on the Pfizer vaccine ... the opinion on Moderna vaccine will be announced at the latest on January 12," Ilya said at a forum.

The health minister believes that the decisions on both vaccines will be positive and vaccination in Spain, as well as in other EU countries, will begin in early January, allowing all Spaniards to be vaccinated by late September 2021.

The minister recalled that within the framework of the EU distribution system, Spain will receive 140 million doses of vaccines for its citizens, and thus Madrid will be able to share with other countries that "will be in need."

The European Commission has so far signed six deals to purchase potential coronavirus vaccine with AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sanofi-GSK, CureVac and Moderna.

12:17 GMT 14.12.2020

12:15 GMT 14.12.2020

Russia and Cuba are weighing the possibility of conducting a joint research and clinical approbation of drugs for COVID-19, Russia's First Deputy Health Minister Igor Kagramanyan said on Monday.

"There is a proposal from the Cuban side for a joint study and clinical approbation of a Cuban drug and a domestic drug in contact with a Russian pharmaceutical company, including for the treatment of patients with a new coronavirus infection," Kagramanyan said at a meeting of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs.

Kagramanyan added that this issue is planned to be discussed at the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Research and Technical Cooperation, which is the main regulator of bilateral trade and economic relations.

The 18th Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission will be held on December 15-16, 2020 in Havana, Cuba.

12:14 GMT 14.12.2020

The Russian government is not mulling the possibility to introduce a strict coronavirus quarantine for the New Year holidays period by example of Western nations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, refuting media reports.

"This is not true," Peskov said.

11:44 GMT 14.12.2020

South Korea has mobilized more than 300 officers of the army's Special Warfare Command to help public health centres in Seoul and the surrounding areas handle the coronavirus pandemic amid a surge in infections, the Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.

On Sunday, the country confirmed more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases, with nearly 80 percent of them recorded in Seoul, as well as the western city of Incheon and the Gyeonggi province near the capital.

According to the news agency, 379 officers were sent to 79 public health centres across the metropolitan area to assist in contact tracing, data management and transferring samples for virus tests for two months.

Apart from that, the country's defence ministry intends to send 56 military doctors, 18 nurses and 486 officials to recently established temporary testing centres in the greater Seoul area, Yonhap added.

11:43 GMT 14.12.2020

Venezuela has once again restricted international flights due to COVID-19 cases among arrivals, President Nicolas Maduro said.

"Many people with positive cases have arrived through international flights, that is why we restrict international flights and only maintain them with Mexico, Bolivia and Turkey," Maduro said during his speech on Sunday.

In November, Venezuela started gradually resuming international flights, authorizing flights to and from the Dominican Republic and Panama, but suspended them again due to the spread of COVID-19.

The president explained that the flights to Mexico will be open for the entire Caribbean region and Central America, Bolivia for South American countries and Turkey for the rest of the world.

Maduro added that the government considers a radical quarantine of 14 days in January to control the epidemiological situation in the country.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Venezuela has registered over 107,000 positive COVID-19 cases, including more than 102,000 people who have recovered and 954 patients who have died.

11:28 GMT 14.12.2020

According to the BBC, London is likely to enter the strictest tier of coronavirus restrictions amid a sharp increase in the number of cases.

11:17 GMT 14.12.2020

11:15 GMT 14.12.2020

The self-proclaimed people's republic of Donetsk has been negotiating with the Russian Ministry of Health the supply of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus, Denis Pushilin, the leader of the republic, said on Monday.

"Of course, we count on [the supply of] Sputnik V. Our health ministry is negotiating these issues with the Russian health ministry. We await [the results]," Pushilin told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

The leader added that preparations for the vaccine's delivery were underway, expressing hopes that the republic will receive it before the end of the year.

Sputnik V, developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, was registered by the Russian health ministry on August 11. Preliminary results of its phase 3 clinical trials have demonstrated that its efficacy rate is over 91 percent.

11:08 GMT 14.12.2020

The Prime Minister of Eswatini (a small landlocked country in South Africa), the 52-year-old Ambrose Dlamini, died of coronavirus two weeks after he had been hospitalised.

He was tested positive for the COVID-19 infection two weeks prior to his hospitalisation.

11:03 GMT 14.12.2020

The first vaccinations in care homes in Scotland have taken place, the country's government said on its website.

90-year-old Annie Innes became the first care home resident in the country to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

In all, staff from NHS Lanarkshire administered vaccines to 52 residents as the roll-out of the vaccination programme continued.

10:58 GMT 14.12.2020

According to data provided by Swiss health authorities on Monday, the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the country rose by 10,726 since Friday.

The total number of confirmed cases in Switzerland and neighbouring principality Liechtenstein increased to 384,557, while the death toll rose by 193 to 5,589, the ministry added.

10:55 GMT 14.12.2020

Moscow and Abu Dhabi are negotiating potential licensed production of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"We are boosting cooperation against the coronavirus infection. The UAE is currently launching the third phase of clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, we are discussing the possibility to launch licensed production of the vaccine," Lavrov said at a press conference, held after talks with his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

10:00 GMT 14.12.2020

Forty-two percent of Russian citizens said they are ready to get inoculated against the coronavirus disease in the near future, while 52 percent are not, a poll by the country's Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) showed on Friday.

The survey was conducted with support from the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which funded the development of Sputnik V vaccine, on November 11-13 among 3,045 Russian adults polled by phone. The margin of error is no more than 2.2 percent.

According to the poll, 63 percent of Russians know about the Sputnik V vaccine, and 76 percent of those are following its clinical trials, among them 28 percent closely and 48 percent not very closely.

Meanwhile, 53 percent of respondents said that if they were to get vaccinated it would be very important to know where the vaccine came from.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia has been at the forefront of vaccine development with two of its products, Sputnik V, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, and EpiVacCorona, developed by the Siberian research center Vector, already in the Phase 3 trials. Another vaccine, by the Chumakov research center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will begin Phase 3 trials early in 2021.

09:48 GMT 14.12.2020

Queen Letizia of Spain on Monday begins a two-day trip to Honduras to help the nation, which was recently devastated by hurricanes Eta and Iota, the Spanish Royal House said.

"Her Majesty Queen Letizia will make a humanitarian aid trip to Honduras on December 14 and 15 to learn first-hand about the situation in the country after the destruction caused by hurricanes Eta and Iota and to express Spanish people's solidarity in these difficult times," the release said on Sunday.

According to the note, more than 120 tonnes of humanitarian aid will be delivered and distributed among the Honduran population. The cargo will also include the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to detect COVID-19.

The itinerary of the Spanish queen will depend on the ease of movement within the country, but initial plans include a meeting with Honduran authorities at the highest level, visits to schools and shelters in affected areas.

The trip will also serve to present a project in the field of digital education which Spain wants to implement in an experimental way in Honduras.

The hurricanes Eta and Iota caused huge damage to Honduras, leaving 100 people dead, 11 missing and 4.5 million suffering material damage. The disasters caused an additional three percent reduction in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Queen Letizia visited Honduras for the first time in May 2015 as part of a small Central American tour to strengthen cooperation with countries.

09:13 GMT 14.12.2020

International tourism played a very small role in contributing to a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the fall, as all European countries experienced a surge in infections regardless of tourist flow, Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told Sputnik on Monday.

"In my opinion, tourism played a very small role in a second wave [of the pandemic]. This is supported by many arguments. First of all, a surge in infections with a second wave hit all European countries, whether they have high tourist flow, like in southern Europe, or they have low tourist flow, like in northern Europe. Secondly, countries that, like Israel, did not open their borders did not escape the second wave. And they have more infections than we do," Theoharis said.

The minister noted that the country's regions visited by tourists did not see a surge in the daily COVID-19 cases.

"The goal of Greek tourism to open this year has been achieved, we have succeeded. We have managed to do it in a safe manner. And the country's brand is stronger than last year," Theoharis added.

According to the top official, the country's revenue from tourism would be nearly 4 billion euros ($4.86 billion). Though it is lower than in 2019, it helped companies in the industry to survive the crisis.

The minister also expressed hope for a gradual return of tourists to their usual way to rest, despite the fact that countries will need to comply with sanitary rules to prevent future spread of the disease.

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08:04 GMT 14.12.2020

Russia has registered 27,328 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, down from 28,080 the day before, bringing the total to 2,681,256, the federal response centre said on Monday.

"Over the past day, 27,328 coronavirus cases were confirmed in 84 regions, including 5,163 cases (18.9 percent) without clinical symptoms," the centre said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 2,681,256, with the rate of increase at 1 percent.

Moscow has confirmed 5,874 new coronavirus cases over the given period, down from 6,425 the day before. The Russian capital was followed by St. Petersburg with 3,771 cases, up from 3,768 the day before, and the Moscow region with 1,484 new cases, up from 1,444 the day before.

No new cases were reported in the Chukotka autonomous region.

The response center reported 450 coronavirus fatalities, down from 488 the day before, raising the country's death toll to 47,391.

Total recoveries count 2,124,797 after 18,562 more people were discharged from hospitals over the past day, down from 20,277 the day before.

According to the national public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, over 83.1 million tests to detect COVID-19 have been conducted in Russia since the beginning of the pandemic, and 568,749 suspected carriers remain under medical monitoring.

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06:24 GMT 14.12.2020

South Korea is closing schools in its capital of Seoul starting Tuesday and until December 31 amid growing COVID-19 tally, the Hankook Ilbo newspaper reported Monday.

Earlier in the day, the country confirmed more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases.

According to the newspaper, with winter holidays in mind, Seoul schools will be closed until late January 2021. Schools will also be closed in the areas of the nearby Gyeonggi province and the Incheon city, with classes being held online.

The authorities are also planning to intensify testing for the virus, which has a mortality rate of 1.35 percent across the country.

Per the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country has confirmed a total of 43,484 cases of the coronavirus.

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04:50 GMT 14.12.2020

US President Donald Trump does not plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the immediate future, the president said.

"People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary. I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time. Thank you!" Trump said on Twitter on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, US media reported that Trump, as well as Vice President Mike Pence and other top federal office-holders would be offered COVID-19 vaccines over the next few days.

USA Today said citing officials that shots were going to be offered to people working in all three branches of the US government and that the vaccination plan would roll out over the next 10 days.

The first batches of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine are expected to arrive at distribution centers across the United States on Monday.

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