Synthetic antibody treatment Sotrovimab (Photo: The National/VNA)

It recommended arthritis drug Baricitinib and synthetic antibody treatment Sotrovimab to stave off serious illness and death from COVID-19.

According to worldometers.info, in the past 24 hours the world recorded 3.1 million new infections, the second consecutive day that the number of new cases exceeded 3 million.

The US reported the most new infections - more than 780 thousand cases- followed by France, India, Italy, and Spain. The US has pushed the free distribution of rapid test kits and high-quality masks. The Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly in Europe.

The number of new cases will reach an all-time high this month, the Swedish Ministry of Health has warned.