A file photo shows a mink looking out from a cage at a mink farm near Stavropol. (PHOTO / AFP)

PARIS / MOSCOW - The total number of cases of coronavirus infections in Russia crossed the 3 million mark for the first time on Saturday after officials recorded 29,258 new cases in the preceding 24 hours and 567 deaths.

This brought the total number of cases of coronavirus in Russia since the start of the pandemic to 3,021,964, according to official data.

Russia reported 29,258 more infections in the past day, with cases reaching 3,021,964. Deaths rose by 567 to 54,226.

The country’s health ministry allowed the use of the Sputnik V vaccine for mass vaccination of those older than 60, ministry head Mikhail Murashko said on Russia-24 TV.

Russia started a mass vaccination program domestically for people 18-60 years old earlier this month. Authorities have put the effectiveness of the locally developed shot at 91.4 percent.

France 

France recorded its first case of the new variant of coronavirus, as the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 mounted in the country, increasing concerns of a new wave of the virus hitting the euro zone’s second-biggest economy.

The French health ministry said a Frenchman who recently arrived back in France from London had tested positive for the new variant of the coronavirus.

The ministry said the case - the first in France - had been found in the city of Tours. The man in question arrived from London on Dec 19. He was currently self-isolating and felt alright, the ministry added.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock had said on Dec 14 that a spike in COVID cases in the United Kingdom might have been linked to the new variant of the virus in the country.

Hancock said more than 1,000 cases of the new variant had been identified, mainly in southeastern England.

Countries around the world have in recent days closed their borders to both Britain and South Africa following the identification of cases of the new, fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus in those countries.

France registered 20,262 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases and 159 more related deaths in hospitals in the last 24 hours.

France’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases now stands at 2,547,771 while its COVID-19 death toll stands at 62,427 - the seventh-highest in the world.

Brazil

Brazil has a total of 7.5 million cases of COVID-19, with 22,967 confirmed in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said. Numbers from Ceara state weren’t included.

The nation’s health regulator canceled its year-end recess and scrapped January holidays for employees to ensure all vaccine registration requests get processed as quickly as possible, Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported.

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Italy

Italy reported 19,037 new coronavirus cases, an increase from 18,040 the day before. On Thursday the country began what will be the first of two strict lockdown periods as the government tries to curb contact between citizens over the holidays.

Shops and restaurants had operated with fewer restrictions in the run-up to Christmas week, but Rome has insisted that Italians limit their contacts and movement, and avoid traditional parties and large family gatherings both at Christmas and New Year’s.

UK

The UK reported 570 fatalities, taking the nation’s tally from the virus to more than 70,000 -- worst in Europe after Italy. There were another 32,725 cases, the sixth consecutive day that daily new infections exceeded 30,000.

Ireland 

Irish authorities confirmed the new variant of the coronavirus has been found in the country.

“It is particularly important” that travelers arriving from the UK quarantine for 14 days, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said, with testing for recent arrivals being arranged. The ministry reported 1,025 new cases on Christmas Day, the most since October, with two deaths.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis made a Christmas Day plea for authorities to make Covid-19 vaccines available for everyone, starting with the most vulnerable and needy.

“In this time of darkness and uncertainty regarding the pandemic, various lights of hope appear, such as the discovery of vaccines,” he said in his address. “But for these lights to illuminate and bring hope to all, they need to be available to all. We cannot allow the various forms of nationalism closed in on themselves to prevent us from living as the truly human family that we are.”

Switzerland

Switzerland should implement broader, stricter measures and bolster testing and tracing to hinder the spread of the new coronavirus strain, according to the Swiss COVID-19 science taskforce. The country’s health ministry reported two cases yesterday, but Switzerland has increased efforts to analyze whether the new variant has spread further.

Africa

Infections and deaths in Africa may be much higher than official figures show, according to researchers from Boston University and the University of Zambia, who tested corpses for the virus in the biggest referral hospital in Lusaka.

The disease was detected in nearly one in five of the 364 bodies tested, according to a study published on medRxiv, an online archive and distribution service for complete but unpublished manuscripts that have yet to be peer reviewed. Of the 70 that tested positive, only six were screened before they died, even though many others had symptoms.

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Poland

Poland, which is implementing strict lockdown measures after Christmas, registered 9,077 new coronavirus cases Friday, the fewest in three days. It also had 240 deaths caused by the virus, the smallest number in four days.

US

The US government will require all airline passengers arriving from the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure starting Monday amid concerns about a new coronavirus variant that may be more transmissible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Thursday that all airline passengers arriving from the UK must test negative in order to fly to the United States. The decision was a turnaround after the Trump administration told US airlines on Tuesday it was not planning to require any testing for arriving UK passengers.

The CDC said an order would be signed on Friday and is effective Monday.

The decision follows the emergence of a highly infectious new coronavirus variant in Britain that has prompted many countries to shut their borders to travelers from there.

Libya 

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Friday reported 461 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national count to 97,653.

The center said in a statement that 628 more patients recovered, taking the nationwide tally of recoveries to 68,289, while with 16 more deaths registered, the national death toll amounted to 1,415.

Since the first case was reported in March, Libyan authorities have taken a series of precautionary measures against the pandemic, including closing the country's borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings and imposing a curfew. 

Morocco

Morocco announced on Friday 2,329 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the North African country to 428,193.

The number of recoveries from the coronavirus in Morocco increased to 391,920 after 3,192 more were added, while the death toll rose by 40 to 7,170.

Colombia

Colombia registered 14,941 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 1,574,707, the country's health authorities said Friday.

The country also reported 236 new deaths, raising the national death toll to 41,690, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said in an update, adding that 1,430,709 people have so far recovered.

Ecuador

Ecuador's Ministry of Health on Friday reported 818 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and six deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the accumulated caseload to 208,828 and the death toll to 9,433.

According to the ministry's daily pandemic report, another 4,551 deaths were likely caused by the virus, but not confirmed.

Outbreaks continue to grow in all 24 Ecuadorian provinces, with north-central Pichincha the hardest hit, with 74,143 cases of infection, or 35.5 percent of the national total.

The capital Quito, located in Pichincha, remains the epicenter of the outbreak in Ecuador, with a cumulative 68,319 cases, after registering 178 new infections in the last 24 hours.

Mexico

Mexico’s Health Ministry on Friday reported 9,679 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 665 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 1,372,243 cases and 121,837 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Germany

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 14,455 to 1,627,103, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 240 to 29,422, the tally showed.

South Africa

South Africa reported record daily infections for a third straight day, with 14,796 new cases, the health ministry said late Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 983,359.

The government rejected allegations that a new variant in the country had spurred a second wave in the U.K., and criticized its decision to impose travel restrictions. Several other countries have also halted flights from South Africa.

Bolivia 

Bolivia reported 469 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total caseloads to 153,590, the Health Ministry tweeted late Friday.

It also reported seven more coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total death toll to 9,083.

Minister of Economy Marcelo Montenegro said earlier that the government is working on a series of strategies to face another potential outbreak of COVID-19, avoiding measures that would harm economic recovery.  

Austria 

Austria reported on Friday 1,851 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total caseload to 349,055, according to data published by the Austrian Interior Ministry.

To date, the country's total COVID-19 death toll reached 5,783, while 318,154 have recovered in total, said the ministry.

Austria has suspended flights from Britain for two weeks after the emergence of a new and more transmissible strain of COVID-19 there. 

Nigeria 

Nigeria on Friday confirmed 712 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national total to 82,747, said the country's Center for Disease Control.

There is indication that the country has been hit by a second wave of COVID-19 infections following a recent spike, said the Nigerian government recently.