 | | | | The European Commission extended until the end of October a waiver of customs duties and sales taxes on imported face masks and other medical gear to help tackle shortages as the bloc fights the coronavirus epidemic. | | | | | | The number of coronavirus infections in Romania rose by a record amount for a second consecutive day, the government said on Thursday, and local authorities said they could place dozens of small towns under localized quarantine. | | | | | | India reported a record jump of 45,720 in coronavirus infections on Wednesday taking its total number of cases to 1.24 million, the health ministry said on Thursday. | | | | | | The U.S. government has set a benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine pricing in a $2 billion deal announced on Wednesday with Pfizer Inc and German biotech BioNTech SE that will likely pressure other manufacturers to set similar prices, industry analysts told Reuters. | | | | | | In the sweltering seaside port of Mogadishu, Sharif Ahmed tried to attack his relatives and neighbours, resulting in an emergency trip to a psychiatric hospital in handcuffs. | | | | | | Britain said on Thursday it will provide 100 million pounds ($127 million) of funding for a facility to scale up the manufacturing of vaccines for COVID-19. | | | | | | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people must remain vigilant to the coronavirus threat when the country heads into winter. | | | | | | A firm backed by the UK government has purchased a vaccine manufacturing facility from healthcare company Benchmark Holdings as the country ramps up efforts to produce potential coronavirus vaccines. | | | | | | U.S. coronavirus cases were approaching 4 million on Thursday, with over 2,600 new cases every hour on average, the highest rate in the world, according to a Reuters tally. | | | | | | The proportion of the contacts of positive COVID-19 cases reached by England's test and trace system rose in its latest week of operation, figures from the health ministry showed on Thursday. | | | | | | Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: | | | | | |
