Coronavirus digest: India cases pass two million after record daily jump

India has recorded its highest daily jump in coronavirus cases while Australia’s borders could remain closed until the end of the year.

Germany has, for the second day in a row, reported more than 1,000 infections and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has ordered almost five million vaccines as part of an EU scheme.

Read more: How does testing for the coronavirus work?

The total number of globally registered infections has exceeded 19 million, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, while more than 714,000 people have died from COVID-19.

Here are Friday’s latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus around the world:

Europe

Germany reported its highest number of infections for three months as the country’s second wave showed no signs of easing up.

Read more: Germany announces mandatory coronavirus tests for arrivals — what you need to know

Germany’s public health authority, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), announced that 1,147 infections had been registered over a 24-hour period, while the death toll increased by eight.

The UK will not hesitate to add more countries to its quarantine list, finance minister Rishi Sunak said when asked whether France could be added. Spain is already on the list while it was announced on Thursday night that travelers returning to the UK from Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas would also need to isolate for 14 days.

Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, said his country has ordered almost five million vaccine doses for the coronavirus as part of an EU scheme. The bloc’s executive branch, the European Commission, wants to strike deals with up to six pharmaceutical firms to buy potential vaccines in advance.

Asia

India, the hardest hit country in Asia, has reported a record daily hike in infections, taking its total number of cases to over two million. It is the third nation to pass that unwanted milestone with the virus spreading to smaller towns and rural areas. Experts have warned that the country of some 1.3 billion people is still months away from hitting its peak.

Australia

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has said its borders will remain closed to international visitors for “some months” due to a spike in cases.

Read more: A great getaway or a coronavirus cage? The difficult restart for sea cruises

The announcement came as the state of Victoria said its infection rate has been “relatively flat” in the past week, a state health official said.

Africa

The number of cases in Africa has passed the 1 million mark, but health experts say the true figure is probably several times higher, due to a lack of testing among the continent’s 1.3 billion people. Just five countries account for 75% of the registered infections —  South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria.

jsi/xx (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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