The COVID pandemic continued to pick up speed this week in all regions of the world except in Latin America, with the Delta variant dominant in many countries.Here is the global state of play according to a specialised AFP database.On The Move AgainThe average number of new daily COVID-19 cases globally increased by 11 percent to 416,600 over the week, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.The pandemic is gaining ground again after slowing down between late April and mid-June.The number of co

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Desperate Indonesia Gets OxygenIndonesia receives desperately needed supplies of oxygen and protective equipment from neighbouring Singapore to support the overwhelmed healthcare system, with restrictions tightened in several cities as it battles its deadliest virus wave.Cuba Approves Home-Grown Vaccine Cuba approves its home-grown Abdala coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, the first for a Latin American country.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced they would seek authorisation for a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine to boost its efficacy, as the Delta variant drove devastating outbreaks in Asia and Africa and cases rose again in Europe and the United States (US).With the pandemic once again wreaking havoc, Japan has banned fans from most Olympic events and placed Tokyo under a virus state of emergency throughout the Games just two weeks before the opening ceremony.Delta is the most infectious strain of

Indonesians have ignored health warnings to stock up on a "miracle cure" for COVID-19 backed by leading politicians and social media influencers, as an out-of-control virus surge sweeps the country.Authorities are reporting hundreds of deaths every day as the world's fourth-most populous nation struggles with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began.Pharmacies across the country are running out of ivermectin, an oral treatment normally used to treat lice and other parasitic

Nine million people in Ho Chi Minh City have been ordered into lockdown, state media said Wednesday, as the commercial hub struggles to contain Vietnam's most serious COVID-19 outbreak so far.Beginning in the early hours of Friday, residents will be mandated to stay at home for two weeks after 8,000 cases were recorded in the city during the latest virus wave.Prior to this outbreak, which began in late April, fewer than 3,000 cases had been recorded across Vietnam.Although virus clusters

The World Health Organization (WHO) has added “lifesaving” interleukin-6 receptor blockers to its list of treatments for COVID-19 – only the second drugs to be recommended as effective against the disease – as the pandemic continues to accelerate across the world.The WHO said the medicines worked particularly well when used alongside corticosteroids, which were recommended by the WHO in September 2020.

More than four million people have now died from COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, as many rich nations prepare to loosen restrictions even as countries in Asia battle surging infections.Millions are facing new lockdowns across Asia and Indonesia has emerged as a global hotspot with death rates rising tenfold in a month to a record 1,040 on Wednesday."The world is at a perilous point in this pandemic," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling

Malaysians struggling to make ends meet during a worsening coronavirus outbreak have hoisted white flags outside their homes in a desperate plea for help that has swept the country.Authorities imposed a second strict nationwide lockdown last month in response to a surge in COVID cases, and many low-income workers who live hand-to-mouth have lost their jobs again after a ban on non-essential businesses. The flags – often little more than strips of cotton or T-shirts – have sprung up o

From South Korea to Australia, authorities are struggling to contain the highly transmissible coronavirus strain that has caused a surge in UK, Europe and the United States (US). Countries throughout Asia Pacific – from South Korea to Australia – have been hit by a rise in coronavirus infections as the Delta variant threatens a new wave of the pandemic even in a region renowned for tackling the virus with a high degree of success.China reported 57 new coronavirus cases in the mainlan

Indonesia warned Tuesday it was bracing for a punishing surge in COVID-19 cases as its daily toll soared to a record 728 deaths and hospitals crumble under the weight of the country's deadliest wave yet.Emergency oxygen supplies for virus patients were being flown in from neighbouring Singapore, while the government said Southeast Asia's worst-hit nation could see cases soar to more than 50,000 a day.Hospitals in the hard-hit capital Jakarta were topping 90 percent occupancy and mor