A woman wearing a face mask leaves a metro station in downtown Moscow on Jan 11, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP)

NEW YORK /  PARIS / LONDON / MOSCOW / CAIRO / MEXICO CITY / ROME / SAO PAULO / TBILISI - Russia will conduct a clinical trial of a one-dose “Sputnik-Light” version of its coronavirus vaccine, authorities said on Monday, describing it as a possible “temporary” solution to help countries with high infection rates make it go further.

The slimmed-down vaccine will be tested on 150 people in Moscow and St Petersburg, a government clinical trials register showed.

According to authorities, over a million Russians have so far been inoculated with the original two-dose version of Sputnik V, named after the Soviet-era satellite that triggered the space race in a nod to the project’s geopolitical importance for Moscow.

The two-dose vaccine will remain the main version used in Russia, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, which is responsible for marketing Sputnik V abroad, said on Monday.

The one-dose version could, however, be used for export.

Russia recorded 23,315 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, slightly up from 22,851 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Monday.

The national tally of COVID-19 cases has increased to 3,425,269, including 62,273 deaths and 2,800,675 recoveries, the center said.

Global tally

Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 90 million on Sunday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The global case count reached 90,045,410, with a total of 1,931,571 deaths worldwide as of 3:22 p.m. local time (2022 GMT), the CSSE data showed.

The United States reported the most cases and deaths around the world, which stood at 22,293,281 and 373,588, respectively. India recorded 10,450,284 cases, ranking second in the world. Brazil followed India with 8,075,998 cases and the world's second largest death toll of 202,631.

Countries with more than 2 million cases also include Russia, Britain, France, Turkey, Italy and Spain, while other countries with over 50,000 deaths include India, Mexico, Britain, Italy, France, Russia, Iran and Spain, according to the CSSE tally.

The United States remains the worst-hit nation, accounting for more than 24 percent of the global cases and over 19 percent of the global deaths. 

Pfizer and BioNTech

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE raised their COVID-19 vaccine production target for this year to 2 billion shots, as the partners respond to a global rush of countries seeking to order more doses.

The drugmakers have already committed more than half that capacity, BioNTech said in a presentation filed Monday. A more than 50% boost from the previous 2021 target of 1.3 billion doses, the increase incorporates a label change that will allow doctors to extract six doses instead of five from each vaccine vial, BioNTech said.

Vaccine supply has been under intense scrutiny as Europe faces a new, faster-spreading variant of the virus that first emerged in the U.K. and the global death toll approaches 2 million. The European Union last week sealed a deal to double its supply of Pfizer-BioNTech shots to as many as 600 million.

A new production site in Marburg, Germany, expected to become operational by the end of February, will be able to make as many as 750 million doses per year, according to the presentation. BioNTech said it’s also seeking to add suppliers and contract manufacturers and improve its production processes.

The partners had shipped 32.9 million vaccine doses as of Jan 10, BioNTech said. Some of the 50 million shots produced in 2020 remain in deep-freeze storage because countries weren’t yet ready to receive them, a BioNTech spokeswoman said. For example, the partners had reserved 12.5 million doses of last year’s production capacity for the EU - but since the bloc’s approval of the vaccine came late in the year, not all the doses were shipped.

US

Lawmakers may have been exposed to the coronavirus while they were held in a secure room during Wednesday’s attack on Congress, the Capitol’s attending physician said Sunday.

About 150 US medical troops are arriving in Southern California to help overwhelmed hospital workers. Most of them are Air Force nurses and Army medics, KABC-TV reported Sunday.

The Greater Los Angeles area added 14,482 new cases. Cases since the start of the pandemic exceeded 900,000 last week, meaning that more than one in 11 in the county’s 10 million residents have been infected at some point. Reported deaths increased by 166 on Sunday to 12,250.

California added 468 new deaths to 29,701, pushing the 14-day rolling average for fatalities to its highest since the start of the outbreak. The state had 49,685 new cases, bringing the total to almost 2.7 million -- exceeding those in Italy, Spain and Germany.

New York’s new cases dropped to 15,355, two days after rising to a daily record of 18,832, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. Hospitalizations fell, to 8,484, and another 151 people died.

France

France should consider closing its borders with Britain and other countries that have a strong presence of the new variant of the coronavirus first found in the UK, a French epidemiologist and government adviser said on Monday.

“It is important that we consider whether we need to close the borders to a limited number of countries, notably the United Kingdom and Ireland,” Arnaud Fontanet, a member of the scientific council that advises the government on COVID-19 policy, said on BFM television.

France continues monitoring day-to-day COVID-19 situation “very closely” and is taking necessary measures to protect health of its citizens, government spokesman Gabriel Attal says in radio interview on Europe 1.

French authorities said on Sunday they were racing to contain the more infectious variant of COVID-19 first found in Britain, which has now been detected in France’s Mediterranean port of Marseille and in the Alps.

France on Sunday confirmed 15,944 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily count since Jan. 3, while the epidemic-related fatalities decreased for the seventh-running day to 151, according to data released by the Ministry of Health.

The daily tally of new cases, down from 20,177 on Saturday, has brought the national tally to 2,783,256 since the start of the pandemic, the second highest number in Europe after Britain.

The nationwide death toll rose to 67,750. As of Sunday, 24,559 patients were hospitalized, including 2,629 in intensive care, up by 286 and 20 respectively.

Germany

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said citizens need to drastically curtail social contact, after the nation’s virus death toll climbed above 40,000 over the weekend.

“It doesn’t make much sense to close down shops, schools and public life if at the same time there are many private contacts happening,” Spahn said in an interview with ZDF television. “I know it’s tough, but especially in the private sphere it’s very, very important to reduce contact in the next few weeks,” he said.

Tighter restrictions on movement and private gatherings take effect Monday, and schools and non-essential stores remain closed. The numbers of infections and fatalities have roughly doubled since the end of November, rising to nearly 2 million and almost 41,000 respectively. Spahn said Germany’s vaccine program, criticized for being too slow, will accelerate once a Moderna Inc. shot is delivered to the 16 federal states on Tuesday.

An EMT directs an ambulance outside the emergency room of the East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital, Jan 6. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Denmark 

Denmark will most likely have to extend parts of its lockdown, which initially had been set to end in one week, because the UK variant of the virus is spreading fast, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

“We must prepare ourselves for a situation where we have to prolong some of the restrictions,” Frederiksen said late Sunday in an interview with broadcaster TV2. “Unfortunately things indicate it will take a bit longer.”

Bulgaria 

Bulgaria reported 105 new virus cases on Monday, the lowest number since October 11.

The Balkan country imposed a partial lockdown at the of end-November to contain the virus after reaching the highest death rate in the European Union. Last week, it reopened elementary schools, and authorities are considering options to ease restrictions further.

Greek

Greeks headed to beaches and public parks on Sunday as a rare January heat wave offered a respite from the coronavirus lockdown that has thrown life across Europe into disarray.

Sweden

As Sweden's emergency pandemic law comes into force on Sunday, gyms, malls, shops, public swimming pools and other facilities could face fines or closure if they fail to limit visitor numbers.

Sweden's 21 regions tasked with enforcing the law are faced with major organizational challenges, with the Stockholm region for instance creating a special unit consisting of roughly 30 people dedicated solely to monitoring adherence to the new law.

Regional enforcement sources told Swedish Television that they will also rely on tips from municipalities and other authorities to identify where the biggest infection threats lie and target potential trouble spots.

Czech Republic

Several thousand people protested in Old Town Square in central Prague on Sunday, demanding the government end lockdown restrictions, the police said.

The country of 10.7 million, which reported a record 17,730 new infections on Wednesday, is one of the world’s worst-hit by the current outbreak. It has recorded 13,115 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The government, which has closed most shops, services and schools, and imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., plans to keep the lockdown in place at least until Jan. 22.

Vatican

Fabrizio Soccorsi, 78, personal doctor to Pope Francis, has died, ANSA reported citing the Vatican media. He was hospitalized in Rome for cancer, though the cause of death was complications from COVID-19, the report said.

Mexico

The new variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain has been confirmed in northern Mexico, health officials said on Sunday, adding a new layer of concern to an already severe national outbreak.

The confirmation of the especially contagious new variant of the virus marks the first time it has been found in Mexico, home to the pandemic’s forth-highest death toll globally.

Mexico reported 10,003 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 502 more fatalities on Sunday, according to health ministry data, bringing its total to 1,534,039 infections and 133,706 deaths.

The real number of infected people and deaths is likely significantly higher than the official count, the ministry has said, due to little testing.

Mexican Presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas said Sunday that he has tested positive for the COVID-19.

Ramirez Cuevas said that he is in good health and will be "working from home following all health protocols" in his announcement on Twitter.

Ecuador 

Ecuador registered 721 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the national total to 221,070, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday.

According to the ministry, no more deaths from COVID-19 was reported, leaving the confirmed death toll at 9,593.

The ministry said all 24 provinces in the country continue seeing an increase in cases.

Authorities say that one of the main sources of virus transmission is family gatherings of more than 10 people in spaces without ventilation.

The province of Pichincha, the current epicenter of the virus in the country, has reported 77,763 cases, with the highest number of cases in the capital city of Quito.

People are seen shopping at Sunday’s flea market in Georgetown, Washington DC, on Jan 10, 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic. (PHOTO / AFP)

Brazil

COVID-19 cases in Brazil surpassed 8.1 million with the addition of almost 30,000 cases on Sunday, according to Health Ministry data. The death toll increased by 469 to 203,100.

The governor of Sao Paulo State, Joao Doria, called on Brazil’s health regulator to show a “sense of urgency” about approving a vaccine made in partnership with China’s Sinovac."

Meanwhile, 29,792 more cases were registered in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 8,105,790.

Sao Paulo is the hardest-hit state with 48,351 deaths and 1,546,132 cases.

The state of Amazonas is currently facing an emergency as surging cases threaten to overwhelm its hospital system, after 1,580 hospitalizations were registered from Jan. 1 to 9.

Bolivia 

Bolivia is experiencing a new outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), with 172,798 total cases reported to date, as the country faces an uncertain economic future and concerns about the effects of a new confinement.

Deputy Minister of Defense of User and Consumer Rights Jorge Silva said on Sunday that Bolivian Minister of Health Edgar Pozo was planning on rolling out a series of actions to fight COVID-19, including prevention, containment, and care.

According to the Ministry of Health, Bolivia has registered a total of 9,351 deaths from the disease, and on Saturday, the country reported 1,644 new cases, the fifth highest number of daily COVID-19 cases after several months of under 200 cases reported per day.

Cuba 

Cuba reported three more deaths and a record 388 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported on Sunday.

The ministry stated that of the new cases, only 35 have a source of contagion abroad, confirming the existence of a new outbreak of the disease.

With these new cases, active cases on the island have hit 2,534, with 7 people in critical condition and 17 in intensive care.

Authorities are associating the current rebound in cases in the country with the entry of travelers from abroad during the end-of-year holidays. The situation has forced the government to adopt new restriction measures in several provinces.

Libya 

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Sunday reported 743 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 104,745.

The center said in a statement that 1,099 more recoveries and 13 more deaths were reported, taking the nationwide counts to 80,292 and 1,581 respectively.

The World Health Organization on Sunday said it had delivered nearly 17 tons of medical supplies to Libya's eastern city Benghazi over the past two days, which would help the country fight the pandemic.

Commuters wearing protective masks wait on a platform at the Times Square subway station in New York, US, on Dec 10, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Tunisia

A senior Tunisian health official on Sunday warned of the exponential spread of the COVID-19 in Tunisia, saying the pandemic has reached Stage Four, Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported.

The Tunisian Health Ministry on Sunday reported 1,762 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 159,276.

The death toll from the virus rose by 62 to 5,215 in the North African country, the Ministry said in a statement.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 1,702 and a total of 683,912 lab tests have been carried out so far, it added.

Earlier, a senior Tunisian health official warned of the exponential spread of the COVID-19 in Tunisia, saying the pandemic has reached Stage Four.

Algeria 

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune flew back to Germany on Sunday for treatment in hospital for complications in his foot resulting from a coronavirus infection, the presidency said.

Algeria granted emergency use authorization to Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, the Russian Direct Investments Fund said in a statement.

Algeria on Sunday reported 231 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections in the North Africa country to 102,144.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Algeria rose to 2,807, after four new fatalities were recorded, said the Algerian Ministry of Health in a statement.

Meanwhile, 201 more patients recovered from the disease and were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries in Algeria to 69,272.

Morocco 

Morocco on Sunday reported 895 new COVID-19 cases, taking the number of infections in the North African country since March 2 to 452,532.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 increased to 424,896 after 1,355 new ones were added, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The death toll rose to 7,743 with 34 new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 1,054 people are in intensive care units, it added.

Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health on Sunday evening reported 524 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, taking the national count to 128,316.

The ministry also said the COVID-19 death toll stood at 1,994, including nine new fatalities recorded over the same period.

With 79 more recoveries registered, the total number came to 113,374, said the ministry.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with over 100 million people, has the most COVID-19 cases in the East African region.

Georgia

Georgia on Monday reported 551 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total to 239,780, according to the country's National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC).

Data from the NCDC showed that 880 more patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 226,215.

Meanwhile, 23 people have died in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 2,796.

Shoppers browse for goods inside an Lidl supermarket in Walthamstow in north east London on Dec 22, 2020. (TOLGA AKMEN / AFP)

UK

Britain is concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in supermarkets and particularly people breaching rules by not wearing masks while shopping in them, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday.

Britain will open seven large-scale vaccination centres on Monday, helping to accelerate the rollout of COVID-19 shots that the government wants to deliver to all vulnerable people by mid-February.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday warned that flexing the COVID-19 lockdown rules "could be fatal", urging the general public to stay at home amid surging coronavirus infections.

Another 54,940 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,072,349, according to official figures released Sunday.

Another 563 have died within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 81,431, the data showed.

The latest figures were revealed one day after Britain surpassed the grim milestones of 3,000,000 cases and 80,000 deaths on Saturday.

Britain's ambulance service is reportedly facing "unprecedented pressure" as it continues to struggle with the increasing demand due to the new variant of coronavirus, which is said to be up to 70 percent more infectious.