Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Updates
Cases near 5 million
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 323,370 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT yesterday. At least 4,910,110 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. The United States has the highest number of toll with 91,938 deaths, which is followed by Britain, which has recorded with 35,341 deaths. It is followed by Italy with 32,169 deaths, France with 28,022 deaths infections and Spain with 27,778 fatalities.
Schools reopen in South Korea
Hundreds of thousands of South Korean students returned to school as educational establishments started reopening after a coronavirus delay of more than two months. Students lined up for temperature checks and were given sanitisers for their hands as they entered school premises while teachers greeted them with smiles and occasional elbow bumps.
'Captain Tom' to be knighted
Hundred-year-old British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, who walked around his garden to raise nearly $40 million for healthcare charities, is to be knighted, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling him a "beacon of light" during the coronavirus pandemic. The knighthood, which brings with it the title of "Sir", will be formally issued by Queen Elizabeth II.
Cambridge moves learning online for a full year
The University of Cambridge has said it will teach students online for the next full academic year, scrapping face-to-face classes in light of the pandemic. The university in the east of England says it expects social-distancing requirements will stay in place nationally for some time. Lectures will continue via video until summer 2021, while it may be possible for smaller teaching groups to take place in person if they "conform to social-distancing requirements," a spokesperson said. Exams will also continue to be carried out online. Cambridge can still charge full fees for online classes.
Early data on Moderna's vaccine 'insufficient'
Data from a small, early-stage safety trial testing Moderna Inc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine does not provide the critical data needed to assess its effectiveness, health-focused Stat News reported on Tuesday, citing experts. Moderna said on Monday the vaccine candidate, the first to be tested in the United States, produced protective antibodies in a small group of eight healthy volunteers. Stat quoted health experts saying that Moderna had not provided enough data in its news release to judge the vaccine candidate. It sited lack of data on the rest of the 45-subject study, ages of the subjects, and date on how long any immunity produced by the vaccine might last.
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