Covid-19 pandemic has infected more than 171 million people claiming at least 3.5 million lives around the world. Here are updates for May 31:
Monday, May 31
Tokyo Olympics fans to need vaccination or virus test: report
Tokyo Olympics fans may have to be vaccinated or test negative before being allowed into venues, a Japanese newspaper report said.
Cheering, eating, high-fives and drinking alcohol would also be banned under controls now being considered, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said, citing unnamed government officials.
Organisers are set to decide in June how many spectators, if any, will be allowed to attend the pandemic-postponed Games.
Overseas fans are already barred, and the report warned domestic spectators may be denied entrance or kicked out f or breaking the rules.
"The plan is to stop the spread of infections during Games time with strict countermeasures," the paper said.
Under the plan, spectators must be able to show a vaccination certificate or a negative test taken at their own expense less than a week before entering the venue.
They must wear masks and fill in health-check sheets, and once inside must not cheer loudly or high-five each other.
India death toll nears 330,000
India reported its lowest daily rise in new infections since April 11 at 152,734 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,128.
The South Asian nation's tally of infections now stands at 28 million, while the death toll has reached 329,100, health ministry data showed.
India's Serum Institute to raise AstraZeneca vaccine output in June
The Serum institute of India will raise production of the AstraZeneca vaccine to about 90 million doses in June from about 65 million a month now, a company spokesman told Reuters on.
Germany's confirmed cases rise by 1,978 - RKI
The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 1,978 to 3,681,126, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.
The reported death toll rose by 36 to 88,442, the tally showed.
China administered 621M doses of vaccines as of May 29
China administered 17.98 million vaccine doses on May 29, bringing the total number administered to 621 million, according to data released by the National Health Commission on Sunday.
Australia finds more infections in nursing homes
Authorities say a cluster in Australia’s second-largest city has spread into to nursing homes.
Victoria state began a seven-day lockdown on Friday due to a cluster in its capital Melbourne.
State health authorities on Monday announced 11 new cases.
A second staff member and a 90-year-old resident of the Arcare Maidstone Aged Care facility in Melbourne were among the new infections. The first infected staff member was reported on Sunday.
The second staff member had also worked at the BlueCross Western Gardens nursing home in Melbou rne last week and had not been vaccinated.
The BlueCross facility has gone into lockdown after the news.
Health Minister Martin Foley described the cluster spreading into aged care homes as a “very great concern to the Victorian government.”
The vast majority of Victoria‘s 820 deaths have been in nursing homes.
Copa America: no host after Argentina dropped due to COVID
Copa America, formerly known as the South American Football Championship is left without a host country only two weeks before kickoff after South American soccer body CONMEBOL ruled out Argentina amid the rise of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Argentina is facing a surge of coronavirus infections, with strict lockdown measures imposed last weekend amid a seven-day average of 35,000 cases and 500 deaths.
The football body announced on Twitter that it was studying “the offer of other nations who showed interest in hosting the continental tournament,” without naming them. Copa America was scheduled to be played between June 13 and July 10.
Colombia was dropped as a tournament co-host on May 20 amid a wave of protests against President Ivan Duque.
Australia's Victoria state continues to see new cases
Australia's Victoria state has reported five new local Covid-19 cases on Monday, marking half way through a seven-day lockdown to fight a coronavirus outbreak that has now reportedly spread to an aged care facility.
The infections raise the total to 45 in the latest cluster, including in a worker at a Melbourne aged care facility where not all of the residents have been vaccinated.
Victoria health reported 43,874 tests had been received in the past 24 hours, while 16,752 doses of vaccine were administered.
China reports 20 new local coronavirus cases in Guangdong province
China has witnessed a sudden surge of Covid-19 in the country's south, with 20 new local cases on May 30, as authorities locked down areas of Guangdong province's capital city.
Of the 27 new coronavirus cases reported by the national health authority in its daily updates, only 7 infections were imported, with the remainder originating in Guangdong province.
On Saturday, authorities placed a neighborhood in the capital city of Guangzhou under lockdown as a precautionary measure to curb the virus ' spread.
State media reports have suggested that the the recent outbreak is linked to a strain of the virus originating in India.
China also reported 19 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 22 a day earlier.
As of May 30, China had a total of 91,099 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while its death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.
Venezuela to receive 5 million vaccines, Maduro says
Venezuela will receive 5 million coronavirus vaccines via the COVAX program as of July and will seek to receive doses of the Johnson & Johnson inoculation, President Nicolas Maduro said.
This weekend, the South American nation announced the launch of a vaccination campaign following delays in obtaining inoculations due to payment problems, leaving it will behind most vaccination efforts in the region.
The pandemic has been less severe in Venezuela than in other countries due to chronic gasoline shortages and early lockdown measures, according to research by local doctors and scientists.
The COVAX facility, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), aims to secure 2 billion vaccine doses for lower-income countries by the end of 2021.
Mexico sees steady decrease in cases and deaths
Mexico has recorded 1,307 coronavirus cases and 52 more deaths, according to health ministry data, bringing the overall number of cases to 2,412,810 and the death toll to 223,507.
The Latin American nation is witnessing a steady decrease in its daily reported cases and deaths.
Brazil's death toll reaches 461,931, as total cases hit 16.5 million
Brazil has registered 43,520 new cases of Covid-19 taking country's total to 16.5 million infections.
The country, which has the world's second largest number of Covid-19 fatalities, registered 874 new deaths, raising its total to 461,931.
The country witnessed protests earlier in the day, as tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to protest President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic.
South Africa extends restrictions amid surge in cases
South Africa has extended its nightly curfew and limited the number of people at gatherings to slow the spread of Covid-19 as positive cases surge, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced.
The level two lockdown restrictions will start on Monday, forcing non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centres to close by 2000 local time as the curfew will start at 2300 from midnight and end at 0400, Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation.
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(With input from news agency language)
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