The overall number of Covid cases has surpassed 407 million, with the Omicron variant's rapid spread across the globe, report agencies.
According to Worldometers tally, the total case count mounted to 407,240,056 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,811,602 Friday evening.
The US has recorded 77,437,114 cases so far and 915,349 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Russian authorities on Thursday reported nearly 200,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, in another record fuelled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant amid a low vaccination rate and the absence of major restrictions for adults.
The state coronavirus task force tallied 197,076 new infections over the past 24 hours, with 701 deaths, till Thursday.
Russia's Covid-19 cases surged to 13,527,845 with 338,091 deaths, as per the country's health authority
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,534,048 on Thursday. So far, the country has reported 507,208 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since last January, has registered 27,125,512 cases so far and 636,111 people have died from the deadly virus in the country.
Report from Washington adds: Novavax said Thursday its Covid vaccine was 82 percent effective among adolescents during the period when the Delta variant was dominant, and the US biotech now plans to submit for regulatory approval in this age group.
The two-dose vaccine, which is based on synthetic proteins that mimic the spikes that dot the surface of the virus, was found to be safe and effective among more than 2,200 adolescents aged 12 through 17 as part of a phase three clinical trial carried out in the US, the company said in a statement.
"We are encouraged by the results in this adolescent population given the ongoing need for alternative vaccine options," said Filip Dubovsky, the company's chief medical officer.
"We believe the Novavax vaccine could be a differentiated option for this younger population given its established protein-based technology already used in other vaccines, and the positive responses demonstrated against variants."
The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only authorized shot for teens, but comes with certain risks, particularly for adolescent males, of heart inflammation.
But these rare concerns only became clear once the vaccine was administered to millions of people, rather than in clinical trials that test only thousands.
Maryland-based Novavax was an early frontrunner in the race to develop a Covid vaccine, but the company was beset by production difficulties that impeded authorization.
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