On Sunday, 8,007 new deaths and 579,556 new cases were recorded worldwide. Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were United States with 1,532 new deaths, followed by Russia with 482 and United Kingdom with 454.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 351,590 deaths from 20,639,854 cases. At least 6,298,082 people have been declared recovered. After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 196,018 deaths from 7,733,746 cases, India with 149,649 deaths from 10,340,469 cases, Mexico with 127,213 deaths from 1,448,755 cases, and Italy with 75,332 deaths from 2,155,446 cases.

Many countries around the world have adopted one or both vaccines currently released for emergency use.

Speaking on the efficacy of the vaccines, the WHO said, “It’s too early to know if COVID-19 vaccines will provide long-term protection. Additional research is needed to answer this question.

“However, it’s encouraging that available data suggest that most people who recover from COVID-19 develop an immune response that provides at least some period of protection against reinfection – although we’re still learning how strong this protection is, and how long it lasts.”

The WHO added that most COVID-19 vaccines being tested or reviewed now are using two dose regimens.

As of last October, the global health body stated that, “Currently, there is no evidence that any existing vaccines will protect against COVID-19;” adding, “However, scientists are studying whether some existing vaccines – such as the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is used to prevent tuberculosis – are also effective for COVID-19.”

The United Nations health agency promised to evaluate evidence from scientific studies when available.

source: Punch