• This daily news round-up brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
  • Top news stories: Confirmed COVID-19 deaths pass 900,000 in the United States; South Korea passes 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases; Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine given full approval in the US.

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1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 395 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.74 million. More than 10.2 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Indonesia has banned foreign tourists from entering the country through Jakarta's airport, in a bid to slow a spike in COVID-19 infections.

The South African health regulator registered the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, clearing the way for its use in the country.

The seven-day rate for COVID-19 cases and deaths has fallen in the UK, with infections down 5% and deaths 7%.

Malaysia reported 9,117 new confirmed COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the highest daily figure in four months.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off the Food and Drug Administration's full approval of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in those aged 18 and over. It becomes the second fully approved COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.

More than 17 million Vietnamese students are due to return to school today for the first time in around a year after the COVID-19 pandemic saw learning move online.

New Zealand reported a record 243 new COVID-19 community cases on Saturday.

Singapore has also reported a record number of COVID-19 cases, with 13,046 local infections reported on Friday.

Thailand reported 10,490 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest in more than three months.

Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries
Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.
Image: Our World in Data

India’s leading COVID-19 last-mile responders
































































2. US COVID-19 deaths pass 900,000

Confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the United States passed 900,000 on Friday, according to data collected by Reuters.

The latest tally marks an increase of more than 100,000 U.S. COVID-19 fatalities since 12 December, coinciding with a surge of infections and hospitalizations driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus. However, the US COVID-19 death rate does appear to be slowing.

The US has reported more COVID-19 deaths than any other nation, according to Johns Hopkins University.

3. South Korea passes 1 million total confirmed COVID-19 cases

South Korea has passed 1 million cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, as health officials reported a daily record of 38,691 new infections on Sunday.

South Korea saw its first confirmed COVID-19 case on January 20, 2020, and soon became the first country outside China to battle a major outbreak.

An aggressive strategy of tracking, tracing, masking and quarantining helped South Korea to blunt that initial wave and keep overall cases and deaths low without widespread lockdowns.

Deaths have remained low in the highly vaccinated country, however, with 15 new deaths reported as of midnight Saturday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.