Wearing a face mask on public transport in Switzerland became mandatory on Monday for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Previously, authorities had recommended passengers cover their mouth and nose only during rush hour, though most people seemed to ignore the instruction. “It is looking good, more than 95 per cent of people are wearing a mask,’’ Guido Schoch, director of public transport in Zurich, to local media, said. Schoch noted that...

Russia added 6,632 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, raising its total number of infections to 674,515, its coronavirus response centre said in a statement on Saturday. The death toll grew by 168 to 10,027, while 446,879 people have now recovered, including 8,986 over the last 24 hours, according to the statement. Moscow, the country’s worst-hit region, reported 680 new cases, taking its tally of infections to 224,210. As of Friday, 280,415 people were...

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is likely to launch the first COVID-19 vaccine by Aug. 15 in partnership with Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturing company Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), a letter said on Friday. “It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. “BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical...

New Zealand’s Health Minister has resigned, following a series of missteps during the COVID-19 pandemic. David Clark called a surprise news conference on Thursday, announcing he had stepped down from the role. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern demoted Clark in April after he was twice caught breaching the country’s coronavirus lockdown rules. He offered his resignation at the time; however Ardern said it would cause too much disruption. He also came under fire in recent weeks...