Indonesia set a new record for daily coronavirus cases on Sunday with more than 21,000, as hospitals are flooded with patients in Jakarta and other COVID-19 hotspots across Southeast Asia's hardest-hit nation.The figure brings the country's tally for the pandemic to more than 2.1 million coronavirus cases with 57,138 deaths.But the real number is believed to be much higher due to low testing rates for the deadly respiratory illness.Indonesia's COVID-19 case rates have soared in

In January 2020, when most of the world slept soundly in ignorance of the pandemic coming its way, a group of scientists at Oxford University got to work on a vaccine to save the planet. They wanted it to be highly effective, cheap, and easy to use in even the poorest countries.Prof Sarah Gilbert, Prof Andrew Pollard and others pulled it off. With speed crucial, they designed it and launched into trials before bringing in a business partner.

For over a year they have whipped up outrage against the West, but as China's "wolf warrior" diplomats are told to tone down the fury, they face an unexpected source of opposition: nationalists at home.Under fire in recent years over issues ranging from human rights abuses to blame for the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing unleashed a new breed of diplomat that became known as "wolf warriors" – a popular term for belligerent nationalism inspired by a Chinese blockbuster film

Australia's largest city Sydney entered a two-week lockdown Saturday to contain a sudden coronavirus surge and Russia's Saint Petersburg announced a record death toll, as several European nations lifted restrictions despite the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.Britain's health secretary meanwhile resigned after revelations that he had broken the government's own coronavirus restrictions during an affair with a close aide.While vaccination drives have brought d

The highly-contagious Delta variant is causing a surge in new COVID-19 cases even in countries with high vaccination rates – and experts warn that immunisation campaigns are in a race against time to contain it.Globally, the pandemic is still slowing down, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting the lowest number of new cases worldwide since February and decreasing deaths attributed to the coronavirus.But concerns are growing about the variant, prompting new restrictions in countri

Over a dozen fully vaccinated doctors have died of COVID-19 in Indonesia, a medical association said Friday, as the Southeast Asian country battles a rash of severe cases in inoculated medical workers and highly infectious new virus strains.Infections have surged in the nation of 270 million people in the past week, passing two million cases on Monday as hospital occupancy rates soared to over 75 percent in Jakarta and other hard-hit areas.Nearly 1,000 Indonesian health workers have died from

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Masks Return To IsraelThe Israeli health ministry makes masks compulsory again in enclosed public places following a surge in cases, dealing a blow to the country which has had a successful vaccine rollout.Moscow Home Working Moscow authorities reimpose work-from-home restrictions for 30 percent of the workforce from 28 June, as the Russian capital posts a new daily record for COVID-19 deaths due to a surging outbreak of the

As concerns of a substantial wave of hospitalisations due to the Delta variant of the coronavirus grow, we take a look at the latest data on the protection offered by vaccines.What Does Vaccine Effectiveness Mean?Vaccine effectiveness refers to how well a vaccine works in the real world.

Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon at supporters of a hard-line Muslim cleric jailed Thursday for spreading false information about COVID-19 after he held rallies that drew thousands.Rizieq Shihab, 55, was handed a four-year jail term for claiming in a viral video that he was healthy, despite knowing that test results showed he may have been infected with the virus.Thousands rallied outside the courthouse in Jakarta in support of the cleric, whose influential Islamic Defenders

Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters rallied in Bangkok on Thursday to call for the government's resignation, defying warnings from authorities about the kingdom's soaring coronavirus cases.The marches came on the 89th anniversary of the Siamese Revolution – the uprising that transformed Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.Bangkok was rocked by near-daily protests against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's government in the second half of 2020, but the pro-de