GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi on Monday said they had started a new clinical trial of their protein-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate, reviving their efforts against the pandemic after a setback in December delayed the shot’s launch.

According to the latest update by Our World In Data, Bangladesh has administered at least 2.08 million doses. As per the number of people who received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, as of February 20, Bangladesh holds 11th position in the global vaccination race -- ahead of Spain, Poland and Canada.

Alarmed by signs that a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic is building, India’s richest state of Maharashtra ordered fresh restrictions on people’s movement and imposed night curfews in some cities, though not in the financial capital Mumbai.

The US stood Sunday at the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus.

A substantial fraction of India’s 1.35 billion population currently has immunity against the coronavirus, coupled perhaps with some natural form of immunity, three eminent scientists of the country said quoting serological surveys as well as model predictions.

A Supreme Court lawyer today filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking its directive on the government to arrange necessary number of medical equipment at public hospitals across the country in order to accurately diagnose diseases and to provide proper treatment to the patients.

Malaysia moved up its Covid-19 inoculation drive by two days as the first batch of vaccines arrived in the Southeast Asian nation today.

All adults in Britain will be offered a first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday ahead of a planned announcement on the cautious reopening of the economy from lockdown.

Russia said today its scientists had detected the first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of avian flu to humans and had alerted the World Health Organization.

India has provided 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine as gift to the Maldives.

More than 200 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in at least 107 countries and territories, according to an AFP count based on official sources Saturday.

Five people have died from Covid-19 in 24 hours (till 8am today), according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny lost his appeal on Saturday against what he said was a politically-motivated decision to jail him for nearly three years, but had his prison term slightly shortened.

Russia on Saturday approved a third coronavirus vaccine for domestic use, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on state TV, though large-scale clinical trials of the shot, labelled CoviVac and produced by the Chumakov Centre, have yet to begin.

World Bank is expected to approve $1.6 billion in Covid-19 vaccine funding for Bangladesh and 11 other countries.

Japan confirmed a new variant of Covid-19, and an infection cluster emerged at a Tokyo immigration facility, presenting new challenges as the country tries to overcome a third wave of the pandemic.

The health minister inaugurated an app, “Surokkha Covid-19 Vaccine Prodan App”, at Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka around noon today.

More than 15 lakh people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Bangladesh since the country launched its vaccination drive on February 7, said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today.

Fifteen people have died from Covid-19 in the country in 24 hours (till 8am today), according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

India is planning to restart e-Tourist visas alongside scheduled international flights soon to cement the countrys' standing as a crucial medical tourism destination, Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today.