Singapore will shut most schools from Wednesday after the city-state reported the highest number of local COVID-19 infections in months, including several that were unlinked, according to authorities on Sunday.
Here's the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic from around the world.
Asia-Pacific
Singapore
Singapore will shut most schools from Wednesday after the city-state reported the highest number of local COVID-19 infections in months, including several that were unlinked, according to authorities on Sunday.
All primary, secondary and junior colleges will shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.
On Sunday, Singapore confirmed 38 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number since mid-September, of which 18 are currently unlinked.
India
Some Indian states said on Sunday they would extend COVID-19 lockdowns to help contain the pandemic, which has killed more than 270,000 people in the country, as the federal government pledged to bolster vaccine supplies.
The number of deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in India has risen more than 4000 for the fourth time in a week, with Sunday's 311,170 new infections representing the lowest single-day rise in more than three weeks.
Vietnam
Vietnam's daily locally transmitted coronavirus cases rose by 187 on Sunday, a record for the second time this week as many communities and districts nationwide impose lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus.
Most of the cases had been under quarantine before being tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said in a statement. Vietnam has recorded a total of 4175 cases, with 36 deaths, due largely to its strong containment record.
Indonesia
Indonesia has suspended distribution of a batch of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine to run tests for sterility and toxicity following the death of a 22-year-old man a day after immunisation, the health ministry said on Sunday.
The "CTMAV547" batch consists of 448,480 vaccine doses that arrived in the Southeast Asian nation last month - part of a delivery of more than 3.85 million doses from the COVAX Facility, backed by the World Health Organization.
Philippines
Firefighters put out a blaze early on Sunday at one of the Philippines' largest hospitals that had prompted the evacuation of dozens of patients from the facility, which also treats coronavirus sufferers.
With more than 1.1 million infections and deaths in excess of 19,000, the Philippines ranks second in Southeast Asia in terms of COVID-19 cases.
Taiwan
Taiwan appealed to people to avoid panic buying of items such as instant noodles and toilet paper as new curbs on gatherings and movement took effect to rein in the spread of COVID-19 during a spike in domestic infections.
Taiwan raised its coronavirus alert level in the capital, Taipei, and the surrounding city, on Saturday, imposing two weeks of restrictions that will shut many venues and limit gatherings. It reported 206 new domestic infections on Sunday.
Australia
Australia is sticking to plans to start re-opening to the rest of the world only from the middle of next year, officials said on Sunday, resisting mounting pressure to end the closure of international borders.
Europe
UK
Britain reported 1926 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday and four deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. The data showed 36.57 million people had been given their first vaccine dose.
France
France reported 4255 people in intensive care units with COVID-19 on Sunday, down by 16 from the day before and the 13th day in a row the number of patients needing ICU treatment has dropped.
Italy
Italy reported 93 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against 136 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 5753 from 6659.
The last time there were less than 100 deaths reported on a single day in Italy was Oct 23, 2020, when 91 people died.
Italy has registered 124,156 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world.
Spain
Spanish police said they cleared 9000 revellers from Barcelona's city centre streets and the nearby beach on Sunday to prevent dangerous overcrowding on the first full weekend after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
Many in the crowd had taken part in mass drinking sessions known as "botellones", police said.
Middle East and Africa
South Africa
South Africa will launch phase two of its vaccine rollout on Monday with the aim of inoculating five million citizens aged over 60 by the end of June, its health minister said.
"This is provided that the supply of vaccines flows as anticipated. By the end of June we expect to have received 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and 2 million doses from Johnson & Johnson," the minister, Zweli Mkhize, said during a webinar on Sunday.
Mkhize said that more than 325,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine would arrive at midnight on Sunday, bringing the total of Pfizer doses up to 975,780.
So far South Africa has ordered enough COVID-19 vaccines for 46 million of its 60 million population.
Egypt
Egypt is optimistic about welcoming more visitors this year with numbers increasing steadily since January to around half a million tourists a month, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany told Reuters.
Tourism revenue, an important source of foreign currency for Egypt, plunged by 70 percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism usually accounts for up to 15 percent of the country's gross domestic product.
Reuters
