World COVID-19 infections total 355.5 million
(VOVWORLD) - 335.5 million COVID-19 infections and 5.5 million deaths had been reported as of Wednesday noon, according to worldometer.info.
 Residents in Los Angeles, California, the US, are tested for the coronavirus. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
The US tops the world in the number of infections and deaths with 68.6 million infections and 880,000 deaths. The number of Omicron cases is surging in multiple states. This variant is causing more severe illness in patients with underlying heath problems.
On Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency said pharmaceuticals companies should work on more than one upgraded COVID-19 vaccine, tailored not only to the fast-emerging Omicron variant but also to a combination of variants.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust each pledged 150 million USD to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to fund its COVID-19 pandemic response and help put it on a better footing for future major health crises.
CEPI is an innovative global partnership launched five years ago. Along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), it is a co-sponsor of the COVAX Facility, which aims to distribute vaccines equitably to developing countries. CEPI has so far raised 3.5 billion USD for its operation in the next five years. A March conference in London will appeal for more funding.