UK coronavirus strain has spread to 60 nations: WHO

A healthcare worker provides oxygen to a patient at the temporary ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

The UK coronavirus strain has been detected in at least 60 countries, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, 10 more than a week ago. With the global death count now well past two million, and new variants of the virus causing deep concern, countries across the world are grappling with how to slow infections until vaccines become widely available.

S Africa variant in 23 nations
The South African strain, which like the UK one is believed to be more infectious, has now been reported in 23 countries and territories, the WHO also announced in its weekly update. It added that the number of new deaths climbed to a record high of 93,000 over the previous seven days, with 4.7 million new cases reported over the same period.

The arrival of mass vaccination campaigns in the US and Europe had brought hope that the end of the pandemic was in sight; the European Union said Tuesday it was aiming to inoculate 70 percent of its dult population before the end of August. But many EU countries and other nations - including India and Russia - have struggled to get their inoculation programmes off the ground.

US toll past 4 lakh
The US death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 4,00,000 on Tuesday. The running total of lives lost is nearly equal to the number of Americans killed in World II. It is about the population of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tampa, Florida; or New Orleans. Meanwhile, four United Nations agencies warned that more than 350 million people in the Asia-Pacific region are going hungry as the pandemic destroys jobs and pushes food prices higher.

Mexico reports higher deaths, oxygen thefts
Thefts of oxygen mounted as Mexico reported its highest daily death toll since the coronavirus pandemic began, with 1,584 deaths confirmed on Tuesday. There was also a near-record one-day rise in new virus cases of 18,894. An armed man burst into a government hospital in Sonora state on Tuesday and stole seven oxygen tanks. The thefts came as the enormous demand has created a shortage of the cylinders.