Global COVID-19 tracker

The total coronavirus cases across the world are more than 8,61,45,979 and the virus has killed over 18,61,559 people so far.

Hyderabad:The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 8,61,45,979 and killed over 18,61,559 people across the world. More than 6,11,05,194 people have recovered so far.

The US is the worst-hit nation with cases more than 2,13,53,051 and fatalities over 3,62,123.

The U.S. could soon be giving at least a million COVID-19 vaccinations a day despite the sluggish start, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday, even as he warned of a dangerous next few weeks as the coronavirus surges.

The slow pace is frustrating health officials and a desperate public alike, with only about a third of the first supplies shipped to states used as of Tuesday morning, just over three weeks into the vaccination campaign.

Global COVID-19 tracker

“Any time you start a big program, there’s always glitches. I think the glitches have been worked out,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert told The Associated Press.

Vaccinations have already begun speeding up, reaching roughly half a million injections a day, he pointed out.

A World Health Organization (WHO) team due to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Wuhan city has been denied entry to China.

Two members had already set out on their journey - one has now turned back and the other is in transit in a third country, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The WHO said the problem was a lack of visa clearances.

The long-awaited probe was agreed upon by Beijing in December after many months of negotiations with the WHO.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019, with the initial outbreak linked to a market.

Australia's Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Wednesday that the country's coronavirus vaccine rollout will begin weeks earlier than previously planned.

Hunt said the country's first COVID-19 vaccines will now be administered in early March rather than at the end of the month.

Under the planned rollout the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, of which Australia has secured ten million doses, will be administered first in Australia, with priority access given to frontline workers and the elderly. "We will continue to review the medical advice," he told News Corp Australia.