Coronavirus: Latest Global Developments

Protesters face Police as clashes erupt during a demonstration against COVID-19 measures, including the country's health pass, in Brussels on 21 November, 2021. (AFP Photo)

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

Triple-Jab Putin 

Russian leader Vladimir Putin says he has had his third COVID vaccine injection, telling viewers of Rossiya 24 that his Sputnik V jab had been painless.

Dutch Arrests Over Riots 

Dutch police arrest 19 people over riots in The Hague after the country was rocked by a second night of violence over the government's coronavirus measures.

Officers in riot gear charged hundreds of demonstrators who set fire to bicycles and an electric moped piled in the middle of a busy intersection on Saturday night. 

Brussels Boils Over 

In neighbouring Belgium, police used tear gas and water cannon as a Brussels protest involving several thousand people turned violent, with anger growing against COVID-19 measures including the health pass.

Thousands Out In Austria 

Some 6,000 gathered in the Austrian city of Linz in a protest organised by a new political party, a day after 40,000 marched in Vienna over a partial lockdown.

On Friday, Austria became the first European Union (EU) country to announce it will make COVID vaccinations mandatory.

Guadeloupe Looting 

More looting overnight in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe led to 37 new arrests, police say, after protests against the coronavirus vaccine pass spiralled into violence over the last week.

Dozens of elite police and counter-terrorism officers are expected to arrive from mainland France on Sunday to bolster local forces.

French Daily Cases Double 

Coronavirus infections are rising at an alarming rate in France, the government says after new daily cases nearly doubled over the past week, rising to 17,153 on Saturday.

"The fifth wave is starting at lightning speed," government spokesman Gabrial Attal said.

Bayern Unvaxxed Blow 

German football team Bayern Munich is hit by a fresh blow, with four more unvaccinated players joining star Joshua Kimmich in quarantine.

Hours after reports emerged that the club was docking the pay of unvaccinated players put in quarantine, Bayern says Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Michael Cuisance also had to be isolated over contact with an individual who tested positive.

More Than 5.1 Million Dead 

The coronavirus has killed at least 5,144,573 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT Sunday. 

The United States (US) has suffered the most COVID-related deaths with 771,013, followed by Brazil with 612,587, India with 465,662, Mexico with 292,372 and Russia with 264,095.

The countries with the most new deaths were Russia with 1,252, followed by Poland with 382 and Ukraine with 377. Reporting numbers are often lower on weekends.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.