Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Pandemic Not Yet Over: WHO
The pandemic is "far from over", the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, two years after he first used the term to wake the world up to the emerging threat of COVID-19.
Earlier United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the pandemic could be prolonged further due to "scandalously unequal" vaccine distribution.
Austria Ends Obligatory Jabs
Austria suspends mandatory vaccinations for all adults, saying the pandemic no longer poses the same danger just weeks after it became the first European Union (EU) country to adopt such a law.
Hong Kong Calms Fears
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam says that mandatory testing of the entire population is no longer a priority after fears of a strict Chinese-style citywide lockdown triggered panic.
Gabon To Lift Curfew
President Ali Bongo Ondimba orders Gabon's government to lift all anti-virus restrictions, including a strict curfew in place for two years.
"I announce to you the lifting of all restrictive measures in force... they are no longer justified," Bongo said in a televised speech.
Six Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 6,011,769 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources on Wednesday.
The United States (US) has recorded the most COVID deaths with 961,935, followed by Brazil on 652,829 and India with 515,355.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.