Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Rome Ditches Sputnik V
Rome's Latium region says it is suspending collaboration with Russia over the Sputnik V COVID vaccine, which involved helping with testing and funding, due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Swedish Report
Sweden made the right decision not to impose a lockdown early on in the COVID pandemic, but should have introduced more measures earlier, a government-appointed commission says.
US Vaccines For Bangladesh
The United States (US) is shipping more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Bangladesh, making it the biggest recipient of Washington's global donations, the White House says.
Hong Kong Prison Outbreak
The Omicron virus is spreading through Hong Kong prisons where 200 inmates have been infected with hundreds of political activists and protesters held behind bars.
Nearly Six Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,925,534 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources Friday.
The COVID-19 pandemic continued its strong retreat this week around the world, except in Asia where the number of cases increased by a fifth.
The US has recorded the most COVID deaths with 944,831, followed by Brazil on 647,390 and India 513,226.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.