Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
India's Covaxin Gets WHO Emergency Approval
The World Health Organization (WHO) issues an emergency use listing for the India-made Covaxin vaccine, a move expected to increase COVID-19 jabs available in poor countries.
The vaccine, made by India's Bharat Biotech and with a 78-percent efficacy rate after two doses over a month "is extremely suitable for low- and middle-income countries due to easy storage requirements," the United Nations (UN) body says.
'Pandemic Of Unvaccinated'
Germany is struggling with a "massive" pandemic of the unvaccinated, says Health Minister Jens Spahn, with a third of the population not fully covered or reluctant to get jabbed.
With the worst case figures since May, he called for tougher measures to stop the health system being overloaded.
Ukraine Anti-Vaxxers Rally
Over a thousand people rally in central Kiev to protest a coronavirus vaccination drive and new restrictions imposed to contain a surge in infections.
Ukraine has recently reported record numbers of daily coronavirus cases and deaths, while only 20 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
Georgia Destroys 17,000 Vaccine Doses
Health officials in Georgia sound the alarm over the slow pace of coronavirus vaccinations, after some 17,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had to be destroyed because they expired.
The Black Sea nation is in the midst of a devastating new wave of the pandemic despite vaccines being widely available.
Pfizer Cashes In
Pfizer says its profit and revenue outlook is even higher than it thought, predicting vaccine sales of US$36 billion (31 billion euros) this year, more than twice its initial estimate.
Halloween Curse
Peru's interior minister Luis Barranzuela resigns after reports of a Halloween party at his home in violation of COVID rules.
The South American country has been hit hard by the pandemic, with over 200,000 dead – the world's highest death rate per capita.
Cops Face The Sack
More than a quarter of police staff in Los Angeles – the largest sheriff's department in the US – could lose their jobs for refusing to comply with vaccine mandates, the sheriff says.
Just half of Los Angeles County Sheriff employees are fully vaccinated a month after local rules came into force.
Philippines Airlift
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte orders an airlift of vaccines into the provinces to bypass "gridlocks" in jab distribution he blames on local governments. While nearly 90 percent of adults in the capital region are fully vaccinated, only about 35 percent of adults in the country have had both jabs.
Green Light For US Kids
American children aged five to 11 are now allowed to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a move hailed by President Joe Biden as a "turning point" in the fight against the pandemic.
Hibs Floored
Scottish Premiership club Hibernian have postponed their next two games after an outbreak leaves the Edinburgh football club unable to field a team.
Row Over Greek Church COVID Exemptions
The Greek government comes under fire for exempting churches from new health restrictions in the face of rising cases as the powerful Orthodox Church continues to defy anti-COVID measures.
Over Five Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,014,792 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Wednesday at 1700 GMT.
The US has suffered the most COVID-related deaths with 749,064, followed by Brazil with 608,071, India with 459,191, Mexico with 288,733 and Russia with 242,060.
Taking into account excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to COVID-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher. – AFP