Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Anti-Virus Pill Gets Green Light
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Merck's anti-COVID pill, molnupiravir, should be taken by sufferers who have mild symptoms but are at high risk of hospitalisation, such as older people or the unvaccinated.
France To End Vaccine Pass
France will on 14 March end most COVID-19 restrictions and scrap its vaccine pass for eating out or attending cultural events, prime minister Jean Castex says.
US Runs Out Of COVID Cash
The White House is asking Congress for US$22.5 billion in emergency funding to combat COVID-19 after exhausting nearly all the money set aside for the pandemic, officials say.
HK Mass Testing Plan Criticised
One of Hong Kong's top coronavirus experts, microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, joins criticism over plans to test the entire city, saying doing so during its worst-ever outbreak will have little impact.
Sri Lanka Ends Muslim Burial Policy
Sri Lanka ends a heavily criticised policy that required Muslim COVID-19 victims to be buried at a remote government-designated site in the absence of their families or final religious rites.
Nearly Six Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,969,893 since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources on Thursday.
The United States (US) has recorded the most COVID deaths with 954,519, followed by Brazil on 650,000, and India on 514,388.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.