World continues to fight pandemic

The world continued to fight the coronavirus pandemic as global infection cases stood at nearly 24 million infections with over 0.8 million deaths and 15.5 million recoveries.

The EU target for early vaccinations is twice as high as the goal set by the WHO, which is aiming to buy vaccines initially for 20 per cent of the world's most vulnerable people through a global procurement scheme.

The EU estimates that the share of its population in need of initial vaccination, should a shot be developed, would be at least 40 per cent, effectively reducing the availability of possible doses for less developed countries.

While a Covid-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Australia's University of Queensland has shown "positive" results against the novel coronavirus in preclinical tests, the University of Cambridge has confirmed plans to begin trials of a potential new vaccine "not only against Covid-19 but all coronaviruses".

Japan has said the country faces a second wave of Covid-19 cases which is larger than the first.

The pandemic has killed at least 824,532 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to www.worldometers.info tally from official sources Wednesday, report agencies.

More than 24.11 million cases have been registered in 213 countries and territories.

The United States has recorded the most deaths with 178,524, followed by Brazil with 116,580, Mexico with 61,450, India with 59,449 and Britain with 41,449 fatalities.

India recorded more than 60,000 cases of Covid-19for the eighth day in a row, as total cases crossed 3.2 million.

With nearly 0.83 million average Covid-19 tests every day, India has further increased its testing capacity to effectively fight coronavirus, which infected more than 3.23 million people and took away lives of 59,449 others in the country so far.

In Pakistan the total active cases have been plunged to 8,987 where around 482 have been tested Covid-19 positive and 12 people have died due to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours across the country.

Iran's death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 119 to 21,020, the health ministry's spokeswoman told state TV, with the total number of identified cases rising to 365,606.

Myanmar has reported the highest single-day surge in coronavirus cases. The country has expanded a lockdown in conflict-wracked Rakhine state which registered the bulk of infections.

Australia on Wednesday recorded 156 fresh COVID-19 cases and 24 new deaths, the highest single-day increase in the death toll, health officials told AP.

The country's second most populous state of Victoria recorded 149 new coronavirus cases and all the latest fatalities, 21 of those linked to aged care outbreaks, taking the state's death toll to 462, and the national death toll to 549.

Meanwhile, Britain's economy will lose about £22 billion ($29 billion, 24 billion euros) this year on the collapse of global travel, which could imperil three million jobs, an industry body forecasts.

International visitor spending could plunge by 78 percent from 2019, equating to a loss of £60 million per day or £420 million a week, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts in a key report.

Report from Brussels adds: European Union nations, Britain and EU partners have agreed on a blueprint for a COVID-19 vaccination plan envisaging inoculation of at least 40 per cent of their populations.