The US is currently the most affected country amid the pandemic, with over 28 million infected and 497,000 deaths. It is followed by India (almost 11 million cases, 156,000 deaths) and Brazil (over 10 million cases and around 246,000 fatalities).
Mexico has the third-highest death toll in the world, surpassing India, as it has registered 179,000 fatalities, while the overall number of cases in the country is around 2 million.
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BELGRADE (Sputnik) - North Macedonia will order a batch of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has announced.
"We have made orders and concluded agreements on all the existing vaccines [against COVID-19]," Zaev said at a Sunday briefing.
BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Argentina has approved the Chinese Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine, La Nacion newspaper reports.
The country’s new Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, authorized the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine on Sunday.
According to La Nacion, Argentina expects to get one million doses of the Chinese vaccine next Thursday, which will be enough to vaccinate 500,000 people (two shots required per person).
In addition, Argentina expects to get a new batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in the near future.
Gaza on Sunday received a shipment of 20,000 doses of Sputnik V, a Russian vaccine against COVID-19, donated by the United Arab Emirates, the Quds Net news outlet reported.
"This shipment of the vaccine will be handed over to the Ministry of Health in Gaza and will create a protection system for the sick and the elderly who are at the highest risk of contracting the coronavirus", Sufian Abu Zaida, one of the leaders of the Fatah movement, said, as quoted by Quds Net.
Earlier in the day, Palestinian lawmaker Mohammed Dahlan said that the UAE had sent 20,000 Sputnik V doses to the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Authority became the first in the Middle East to approve the use of the Russian vaccine in January. Earlier this week, Gaza received the first 2,000 doses of Sputnik V from Russia.
Russia has always supported Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, when asked about media reports on deliveries of Russian COVID-19 vaccines to the Arab country.
"Russia helps and will continue to help Syria", Peskov said without revealing more details.
Switzerland does not exclude that the country may withdraw from the contract reached with the UK-Swedish AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company to procure its vaccine against coronavirus, according to the Swiss NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, citing the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
The report came in light of the recent publication of an indicative coronavirus vaccine supply plan, which does not include the AstraZeneca vaccine. In addition, Switzerland earlier this month requested additional data on the vaccine's safety, efficacy and quality before granting approval to it.
According to the newspaper, the authorities are not currently considering the option of withdrawing from the contract, but such a possibility exists if the vaccine is not approved in the country.
Switzerland also eyes the opportunity to pass on the AstraZeneca vaccine doses ordered under the agreement, the newspaper added.
Under the contract the Swiss government signed with the company last October, the country is set to receive 5.3 million doses of the vaccine.
The European Union's regulator authorised the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine for all age groups in late January. However, given the lack of data on its efficacy in people aged over 55, a number of EU nations recommended its use only for those under 55 or 65 years old.
United Kingdom Daily Coronavirus (COVID-19) Report · Sunday 21st February.
— UK COVID-19 (@UKCovid19Stats) February 21, 2021
9,834 new cases (people positive) reported, giving a total of 4,115,509.
215 new deaths reported, giving a total of 120,580. pic.twitter.com/wQ6q6ka5f7
The US citizens will probably have to wear face masks as part of measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic in 2022 as well, Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci told the CNN broadcaster on Sunday.
The remark came as the US' death toll from the coronavirus approaches 500,000 and ahead of the one-year anniversary since the first case was reported.
"You know, I think it is possible that that's the case", Fauci said when asked whether people in the US will still need to wear masks next year.
The specialist added that he could not predict when the country could return to normal life, as it was before the pandemic. However, he believes that this can happen by the end of the year.
"As we get into the fall and the winter, by the end of the year, I agree with (President Joe Biden) completely that we will be approaching a degree of normality", Fauci said.
The new Biden administration has been more pushing mask-wearing more aggressively than the previous one. Right after taking office, Biden announced a new executive action that extended masking requirements to interstate travel "like on trains, planes and buses." Starting from 1 February, US citizens are required to wear masks in public transport, including planes and trains per an order by the Centres for Disease Control.
I've agreed more flexibility in testing for hauliers travelling from the UK to France 🚚. From 11pm tonight, Lorries returning to France from UK having spent less than 48hrs in the UK will NO LONGER require a Coronavirus test. See this + other changes: https://t.co/FUcQmhemzT
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 21, 2021
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered the first testing kit in Russia capable of detecting the mutant strain of COVID-19 that was first discovered in the United Kingdom, the head of Russian health watchdog Roszdravnadzor, Alla Samoilova said on Sunday.
"Roszdravnadzor has registered the first testing kit in Russia for the detection of two mutations specific to the 'British' strain of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 by a large-scale chain reaction", Samoilova said as quoted on the watchdog's website as saying.
"It is very important to see the impact of steps that we're taking," Hancock told Sky News. "We want to set out a roadmap which gives people guidance in terms of how we think we'll be able to do this. We also absolutely will be vigilant to the data on the way. We've currently seen other new variants that thankfully there's very, very, very few of in this country now, but we've got to protect against them".
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was among the first people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in the country on Sunday. The first Australian to receive the Pfizer vaccine was 84-year-old Jane Malysiak, while the prime minister and Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly also became part of a small group being vaccinated at Castle Hill in Sydney.
Meet Jane: the first person in Australia to receive a #COVID19 vaccine. Today is a landmark day in our comeback from this pandemic.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) February 21, 2021
Vaccinations are free and voluntary for everyone in Australia and our own medical experts have found these vaccines to be safe and effective. pic.twitter.com/yhu5YuG89g
