KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

Pos   /   Country   /   New Daily cases   /   Total Deaths   /        Daily Deaths /           Active Cases   /           Deaths/1M Pop

               World    5,25,803              /             33,92,646            /             9,282     /             1,69,99,992               /             435.2

1             USA        17,162   /             6,00,139              /             281        /             59,79,382            /               1,804

2             India      2,81,860              /             2,74,411              /             4,092     /             35,22,905               /             197

3             Brazil     36,862   /             4,35,751              /             899        /             10,94,437            /               2,037

4             France   13,948   /             1,07,616              /             81           /             6,53,385              /               1,646

5             Turkey   10,512   /             44,760   /             223        /             1,25,358              /             526

6             Russia    8,554     /             1,15,871              /             391        /             2,68,301              /               794

7             UK          1,926     /             1,27,679              /             4             /             45,891   /               1,872

8             Italy       5,753     /             1,24,156              /             93           /             3,28,882              /               2,056

9             Spain                    /             79,339   /                            /             2,28,120              /               1,696

10           Germany              7,067     /             86,731   /             62           /             2,29,808              /               1,032

11           Argentina            16,350   /             70,522   /             269        /             2,84,164              /               1,548

12           Colombia             15,093   /             81,300   /             520        /             1,19,542              /               1,583

13           Poland   2,167     /             71,664   /             55           /             1,81,441              /               1,895

14           Iran        11,291   /             76,936   /             303        /             4,48,108              /             906

15           Mexico  2,695     /             2,20,380              /             221        /             2,60,568              /               1,694

16           Ukraine 3,620     /             48,075   /             133        /             2,48,065              /               1,105

17           Peru                      /             65,911   /                            /             98,020   /             1,975

18           Indonesia            3,080     /             48,093   /             126        /             90,800   /             174

19           Czechia 596        /             29,901   /             8             /             30,676   /             2,788

20           South Africa       2,585     /             55,210   /             27           /             34,166   /             921

24           Philippines           5,790     /             19,191   /             140        /             54,904   /             173

29           Pakistan               2,379     /             19,543   /             76           /             68,819   /             87

33           Bangladesh         363        /             12,149   /             25           /             45,974   /             73

ISLAMIC NATIONS SLAM ISRAEL — AND EACH OTHER'S TIES TO IT

Palestinian officials in Gaza say Sunday was the deadliest day since the current fighting with Israel began.

More than 26 people were killed in the latest Israeli air strikes on Gaza, officials there say.

The overall death toll in Gaza now stands at 181 people, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 injured, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. Israel says dozens of militants are among the dead.

Israel's army say Palestinian militants have fired more than 3,000 rockets at Israel over the past week.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that further fighting could plunge the region into an "uncontainable crisis".

He pleaded for an immediate end to the "utterly appalling" violence.

Early on Monday, Israeli warplanes launched 80 air strikes on several areas of Gaza City, shortly after Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets at southern Israel.

A league of 57 Muslim nations has demanded Israel halt attacks killing Palestinian civilians amid heavy fighting between it and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s meeting Sunday also saw fissures between countries over their recognition of Israel emerge. A concluding statement by the Saudi-based group hewed closely to previous ones issued by the Saudi-based group, including backing the decades-old call for Palestinians to have their own nation with East Jerusalem as its capital. However, recent normalization deals between Israel and some nations in the group — as well as their own concerns about Hamas — saw diplomats at points instead criticize each other.

The videoconference meeting saw some delegates instead turn their fire toward countries like Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, Muslim nations which reached normalization deals last year to recognize Israel. While Egypt and Jordan earlier reached peace deals, supporters of the Palestinians criticized the new countries for recognizing Israel before the formation of an independent Palestinian state. Across the Arabian Peninsula, reactions to the fighting similarly has been mixed.

ANTHONY FAUCI SAYS PANDEMIC EXPOSED 'UNDENIABLE EFFECTS OF RACISM'

The immunologist who leads the Covid-19 response in the United States said on Sunday that "the undeniable effects of racism" have led to unacceptable health disparities that especially hurt African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans during the pandemic.

"Covid-19 has shown a bright light on our own society's failings," Dr Anthony Fauci said during a graduation ceremony for Emory University.

Speaking by webcast from Washington, Fauci told the graduates in Atlanta that many members of minority groups work in essential jobs where they might be exposed to the coronavirus. He also said they are more likely to become infected if exposed because of medical conditions such as hypertension, chronic lung disease, diabetes or obesity.

"Now, very few of these comorbidities have racial determinants," Fauci said. "Almost all relate to the social determinants of health dating back to disadvantageous conditions that some people of colour find themselves in from birth regarding the availability of an adequate diet, access to health care and the undeniable effects of racism in our society."

Fauci said correcting societal wrongs will take a commitment of decades, and he urged the graduates to be part of the solution.

Fauci said that once society returns to "some form of normality," people should not forget that infectious disease has disproportionally hospitalised and killed people of color.

Fauci on Sunday was awarded the Emory University president's medal.

"Societal divisiveness is counterproductive in a pandemic," Fauci said. "We must not be at odds with each other since the virus is the enemy, not each other." He praised the graduates for handling the profound disruption of the pandemic.

BORIS URGES CAUTION AS B.1.617.2 VARIANT FROM INDIA CLOUDS UK’S UNLOCKING

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the next step out of lockdown must be taken “with a heavy dose of caution” as more coronavirus restrictions are lifted on Monday.

As the bans on international travel and households mixing indoors are relaxed, the National Health Service mobile app has started showing individuals’ vaccine status, a key step in the development of so-called Covid passports that will be key to enabling foreign trips.

But the government is concerned that the highly transmissible virus strain that originated in India could lead to a major surge in cases, and is accelerating the vaccine rollout to people aged 35 and over this week in an attempt to contain the new variant.

Johnson has already warned that the final stage of lifting restrictions, due on June 21, may be delayed amid rising concerns over the India strain, as he urged the public to use Monday’s freedoms with care.

“We are keeping the spread of the variant first identified in India under close observation and taking swift action where infection rates are rising,” Johnson said in a statement released by his office. “The current data does not indicate unsustainable pressure on the NHS and our extraordinary vaccination program will accelerate – with second doses being bought forward to give the most vulnerable maximum protection.”

AUSTRALIA STICKS BY PLAN TO RE-OPEN BORDER IN MID-2022

Australia is sticking to plans to start re-opening to the rest of the world only from the middle of next year, officials said on Sunday, resisting mounting pressure to end the closure of international borders.

In March 2020, Australia closed its borders to non-nationals and non-residents and has since been allowing only limited international arrivals, mainly citizens returning from abroad.

"All the way through we will be guided by the medical advice," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a televised briefing. "We will be guided by the economic advice."

BRAZIL STRUGGLES TO VACCINATE AS COVID TOLL SPIRALS

Four months into a COVID-19 vaccination campaign marred by shortages and delays, hard-hit Brazil is still struggling to find enough doses, as political and diplomatic blunders prolong its pandemic nightmare.

Around 33 million people — 15 % of the population — have received at least one vaccine dose in Brazil, a proportion still too small to have a substantial impact on the virus’ spread.

Targeted by a Senate inquiry over its handling of the pandemic, President Jair Bolsonaro’s government is facing criticism for failing to secure more vaccines, including its refusal of offers to purchase millions of doses and diplomatic tension with China that may be slowing the import of vaccine ingredients.

“We don’t have enough doses right now to vaccinate as fast as we should,” said Margareth Dalcolmo, a pulmonologist and researcher at leading public health institute Fiocruz.

Brazil still has to vaccinate 80 million people from high-priority groups, including the elderly, indigenous people and health workers.

Vaccine doses meanwhile continue to arrive in a trickle — although the government maintains it will be able to vaccinate all adults by the end of the year.

Brazil has lost more lives to COVID-19 than any country except the United States — more than 430,000 — and has one of the highest death tolls per capita in the world.

Though the current wave has eased somewhat since April, the virus is still killing a staggeringly high number of people in the country — nearly 2,000 a day.