 | | | | India on Friday became the third country in the world to record more than one million cases of the new coronavirus, behind only the United States and Brazil, as infections spread further into the countryside and smaller towns. | | | | | | Health Minister Matt Hancock ordered a review into how England reports coronavirus deaths, after academics said the daily figures may include people who have died of other causes. The way Public Health England, a government agency responsible for managing infectious disease outbreaks, calculates the figures means they might look worse there than in other parts of the United Kingdom, according to two academics. | | | | | | Swiss officials have opened investigations into importers and dealers of defective respiratory masks, they said on Friday, warning users of protective devices to be vigilant for flawed products rushed into the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. | | | | | | Kyrgyzstan added thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths to its COVID-19 tally on Friday, describing them as cases of pneumonia most likely caused by the novel coronavirus which had not been detected by tests. | | | | | | Researchers in Australia have devised a test that can determine novel coronavirus infection in about 20 minutes using blood samples in what they say is a world-first breakthrough. | | | | | | Czech authorities tightened coronavirus restrictions in the northeast of the country on Friday after a spike in cases, reinstating compulsory face coverings, limiting restaurant opening hours and ordering checks on cross-border commuters. | | | | | | Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: | | | | | | Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said on Thursday. | | | | | | Attempts by Russian-backed hackers to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from Britain are "completely unacceptable" but have not done any damage, security minister James Brokenshire said on Friday. | | | | | | Russia expects a deal with AstraZeneca for it to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the pharmaceuticals giant and Oxford University to go ahead despite allegations it has been trying to steal vaccine data, its wealth fund head said. | | | | | | Australia's Victoria state reported a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases on Friday while neighbouring New South Wales said it was banning dancing, singing and mingling at weddings as authorities struggle to contain a new wave of infections. | | | | | |
