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- At least 19.86 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and more than 731,300 have died. More than 12.1 million have recovered.
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, August 10
04:50 GMT – Russia’s race for virus vaccine raises concerns in the West
Russia boasts that it is about to become the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, with mass vaccinations planned as early as October using shots that are yet to complete clinical trials – and scientists worldwide are sounding the alarm that the headlong rush could backfire.
“I’m worried that Russia is cutting corners so that the vaccine that will come out may be not just ineffective, but also unsafe,” Lawrence Gostin, a global public health law expert at Georgetown University, told AP news agency. “It doesn’t work that way….Trials come first. That’s really important.”
According to Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund that bankrolled the effort, a vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute in Moscow may be approved in days, before scientists complete what’s called a Phase 3 study.
That final-stage study, usually involving tens of thousands of people, is the only way to prove if an experimental vaccine is safe and really works.
04:20 GMT – Australia’s internal border closures to stay for months
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the country’s internal border closures were unlikely to be lifted before Christmas.
Morrison, however, said that he is “more hopeful” that the measures being implemented are bearing results, with the daily new infections in the state of Victoria slowing to a near two week low.
Australia reported on Monday its highest number of fatalities.
03:49 GMT – Red Cross sends thousands of volunteers to help N Korea cope with coronavirus, floods
The Red Cross has deployed more than 43,000 volunteers to North Korea, to assist the country amid the pandemic, as well as the recent flooding, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) spokesman Antony Balmain said on Monday.
Balmain said the volunteers will spread out across nine provinces.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had declared a health emergency in July and imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong, after a man who defected to the South in 2017 returned to the city showing coronavirus symptoms.
Heavy rain and flooding have also been reported in recent days, sparking concerns about damage to the country’s food supply chain.
03:15 GMT – Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 436 to 216,327
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 436 to 216,327, Reuters news agency reported on Monday quoting data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.
The reported death toll rose by one to 9,197, the tally showed.
02:45 GMT – Manila to distribute one million face masks to help contain pandemic
Manila’s mayor has announced that the capital city of the Philippines will distribute one million face masks to its residents, as part of the local government’s effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Mayor Franciso Moreno also said that the city is also allocating at least 200m pesos ($4m) to procure COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available.
The Philippines has almost 130,000 cases nationwide and over 2,200 deaths. Most of the cases and fatalities were reported in the Metro Manila area, which has a population of over 12 million.
A lockdown has been reimposed in Metro Manila and nearby provinces until August 18. The national government has been facing criticism over its response to the pandemic, forcing local governments to step up and adopt localised restrictions and policies.
02:25 GMT – South Korea reports 28 new coronavirus cases
South Korea reported 28 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 17 local infections raising the country’s total to 14,626.
Yonhap news agency quoted the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) as saying that of the 17 local transmissions, 11 were reported in the capital, Seoul.
Meanwhile, a church in Goyang, north of Seoul, reported eight additional patients on Sunday, raising the total caseload to 24.
The were no new reported deahts, keeping the total fatalities at 305. Around 93 percent of the total cases have already recovered.
01:48 GMT – Venezuela’s Maduro extends coronavirus restrictions for 30 days
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has announced the extension of the country’s state of alert for another 30 days, to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Maduro made the announcement as he said that 5,491 Venezuelan nationals who have recently returned to the country have tested positive of the coronavirus.
As of the end of Sunday, the country added 844 new cases, including 797 local infections and 47 imported cases, as well as eight deaths. Venezuel has reported almost 26,000 cases and 223 deaths so far.
01:15 GMT – Brazil reports more than 23,000 new coronavirus cases, 572 deaths
Brazil’s health ministry has reported 23,010 new cases of COVID-19, with 572 new fatalities, as the country continues to struggle with containing the spread of the deadly disease.
With the latest numbers, South America’s most populous nation now has more than 3 million cases, and over 2.3 million recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
The country’s death toll from COVID-19 has hit more than 101,000 – second only to the US.
Demonstrators in Sao Paulo protest against Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic last Friday [Andre Penner/AP]
01:00 GMT – China reports 49 new coronavirus cases in mainland
China reported on Monday 49 new coronavirus cases in the mainland as of the end of August 9, compared with 23 cases a day earlier, Reuters news agency said quoting the health authority.
The National Health Commission said in a statement 35 of the new infections were imported cases. There were no new deaths.
China also reported 31 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 11 a day earlier.
As of August 9, mainland China had a total of 84,668 confirmed coronavirus cases, it said.
China’s death toll from the coronavirus remained unchanged at 4,634.
00:15 GMT – Mexico reports 4,376 new COVID-19 cases, 292 new fatalities
Mexico’s health ministry reported on Sunday 4,376 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 292 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 480,278 cases and 52,298 deaths, according to Reuters News Agency.
Officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Mexico has the third-highest coronavirus death tally globally, behind the United States and Brazil.
00:05 GMT – Australia’s Victoria reports 322 new COVID-19 cases, 19 deaths
Australia reported a record number of daily coronavirus deaths on Monday, although the number of new infections in the country’s virus hot spot fell to a near two week low, according to Reuters news agency.
Officials in Victoria state, which is the epicentre of Australia’s second coronavirus wave, reported that 19 people died from the virus over the past 24 hours. With other states still to report daily new case and death numbers, that already marks the country’s biggest single day rise in fatalities.
In more positive news, Victoria officials also reported 322 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest number of single day new infections since July 29.
Australia has recorded about 21,000 COVID-19 cases, and 314 deaths, still far fewer than many other developed nations.
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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur.
For all the key developments from yesterday, August 9, go here.
