Asia passed the grim milestone of 1 million coronavirus-linked deaths on March 11, a Reuters tally showed, as a spike in Omicron variant infections spreads across the region after starting in nations such as Japan and South Korea.

The Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, announced record Covid-19 infections on July 31, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease.

China’s Sinovac Biotech defended the safety and efficacy of the company’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine, after researchers in Brazil released late-stage clinical data showing efficacy that was much lower than initially announced.

Countries across the globe shut their borders to Britain on Dec. 21 due to fears about a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, causing travel chaos and raising the prospect of food shortages days before Britain is set to leave the European Union.

Healthcare workers in Britain and Thailand started taking part in a trial to determine whether two anti-malarial drugs can prevent COVID-19, including one that U.S. President Donald Trump says he has been taking.

China’s National Health Commission stated today that the coronavirus has infected 5,974 individuals, resulting in 132 deaths and 103 people being cured.