Paris, France, April 16 – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
– Top seer dies –
A Hindu seer dies and 80 other holy men test positive for the virus after attending a vast Indian religious festival where millions of pilgrims have been ignoring pandemic health advice despite a national surge in infections.
– Third dose ‘likely’ –
The head of Pfizer says in an interview that people will “likely” need a third dose of his company’s Covid-19 shot within six to 12 months of vaccination.
– WHO watches Papua –
The WHO expresses concern over a “sharp increase” of cases in Papua New Guinea, warning the outbreak is at a critical stage and could fuel a much larger epidemic.
– Another blow for Games –
A third leg of Japan’s Olympic torch relay is scrapped and a BMX test event is postponed over rising virus cases and uncertainty about the viability of the Games ahead of their opening in July.
– Calendar chaos –
The last few weeks of the top flight football German Bundesliga season are thrown into chaos as an outbreak at Hertha Berlin forces the club into a two-week quarantine.
– Copa defiant –
The main South American football tournament the Copa America will be played “with or without fans,” regardless of Covid-19, Colombia’s sports minister says shortly after less optimistic comments from the president of co-host Argentina.
– Athletes first? –
Australia is considering allowing its hundreds of Olympic athletes and support staff to jump the queue and get the vaccine before heading to Tokyo for the Games in July.
– 2.9 million dead –
At least 2,987,891 people have died of Covid-19 around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
The United States is the worst-affected country with 565,289 deaths, followed by Brazil with 365,444, Mexico with 211,213, India with 174,308 and Britain with 127,191.