Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
England Full Easing Plan
All legal requirements for wearing facemasks and social distancing are likely to end in England on 19 July, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, when unveiling a five-point plan for the final step of easing curbs.
Record Africa Cases
Africa has suffered a record number of coronavirus cases over the past week, registering over 36,000 new infections per day, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
Bangladesh Lockdown
Bangladesh extends a strict nationwide lockdown, confining people to their homes for another week as coronavirus cases and deaths both hit new records.
French Fourth Wave?
France could see a new spike in COVID cases by the end of July due to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus, the government spokesman says.
Norway Postpones Easing
Norway says it is postponing the lifting of anti-coronavirus measures, "until the end of July, beginning of August" at the earliest, fearing a potential fourth wave of cases brought on by the Delta variant.
Vaccine Less Effective?
Rising coronavirus cases in Israel, where most residents are inoculated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, offer "a preliminary signal" the jab may be less effective in preventing mild illness from the Delta variant, top expert Ran Balicer says.
Luxembourg PM
Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is in "serious but stable" condition with COVID-19 and will stay in hospital for two to four more days, his government says.
Springboks In Isolation
Rugby World Cup Winners South Africa go into isolation for a second time in as many weeks after lock Lood de Jager tested positive for the coronavirus.
Russian Filmmaker Dies
Russia's Oscar-winning film director Vladimir Menshov dies aged 81 after testing positive for coronavirus.
Nearly 4 Million Dead
The pandemic has killed at least 3,980,935 people since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data at 1000 GMT on Monday.
The United States (US) is the worst-affected country with 605,526 deaths, followed by Brazil with 524,417, India with 402,728, Mexico with 233,622 and Peru with 193,230.
The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest. – AFP