Here's the latest on the pandemic from around the world overnight.
Europe
UK
Britain reported 38,154 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and 178 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed.
Italy
Italy may eventually make COVID-19 inoculations compulsory for everyone of eligible age, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday. Another 62 deaths were reported.
Belgium
Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde cancelled their attendance at all public events from Thursday after a family member tested positive for COVID-19.
Kosovo
The Kosovo government decided to destroy 133,000 AstraZeneca vaccines over their expired date of use as the country faces a sharp rise in the death rate.
France
Twelve million French children returned to school on Thursday wearing facemasks, using sanitizer as they arrived and standing distanced from each other in schoolyards.
France reported 103 new deaths.
Asia-Pacific
Australia
Australian doctors on Thursday warned the country's hospitals are not ready to cope with the government's reopening plans, even with higher vaccination rates, as some states prepare to move from a virus suppression strategy to living with COVID-19.
Japan
Moderna and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co on Wednesday said they are working with Japanese authorities to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine after an investigation found stainless steel contaminants in some vials.
The most probable cause of contamination was related to friction between two pieces of metal in the machinery that puts stoppers on the vials, Moderna said in the joint statement with Takeda. The material was confirmed to be stainless steel.
Vietnam
Vietnam could face a lengthy battle against the coronavirus and cannot rely on lockdown and quarantine measures indefinitely, its Prime Minister said. Total cases jumped from just a few thousand in late April to 480,000 at present, with more than 12,000 deaths, with Ho Chi Minh City by far the worst hit. Authorities reported 13,197 infections and 271 fatalities on Thursday.
Thailand
Thailand's health ministry said on Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine regimen of China's Sinovac followed by British-developed AstraZeneca was safe and successfully boosted immunity among its first 1.5 million recipients.
India
India reported the biggest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases in two months on Thursday, as the government worries about the virus spreading from the most-affected Kerala state, schools reopening, and the start of the festival season.
Densely populated Kerala, on India's southern tip, accounted for nearly 70 percent of the 47,092 new infections and a third of the 509 deaths, a week after it celebrated its biggest festival during which family and social gatherings were common.
India would resume exports of COVID-19 vaccines only after its own interests are taken care of, a health ministry official said, as a recent surge in immunisations raised hopes of foreign sales that have been barred since mid-April.
New Zealand
A man inoculated in China caused confusion when he applied for a job with MIQ, the Ministry of Health unsure whether people inoculated with non-Pfizer vaccines were eligible.
New Zealand reported a drop in new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, which authorities said was a sign that a nationwide lockdown was helping to limit spread of the infectious Delta variant.
Americas
United States
A US judge this week dismissed from a jury pool nine people who were unvaccinated against COVID-19. He said his aim was to keep jurors and their families healthy but there are concerns his decision could skew the jury pool.
Vaccinated Americans are more likely to be older, female, white, college educated and Democratic.
Canada
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, said on Wednesday that people would have to show digital proof they had been inoculated against COVID-19 to enter a wide range of establishments, dropping earlier opposition to the idea.
Middle East and Africa
The United States will begin shipping more than 2 million doses of Moderna's vaccine to Kenya and Ghana through the COVAX global distribution program, a White House official said. Canada will donate more than 1.3 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine to three African countries through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, GAVI said.
Abu Dhabi will remove the need to quarantine for all vaccinated travellers arriving from international destinations starting Sunday, the Abu Dhabi government media office said on Twitter.
Reuters / Newshub.
