By Seda Sevencan
ISTANBUL (AA) – Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.
– Coronavirus and other developments in Turkey
Turkey has administered over 49 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to the latest official figures.
More than 34.05 million people have received their first doses, while over 15 million have been fully vaccinated, a Health Ministry count showed.
It also confirmed 5,846 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 510 symptomatic patients.
Turkey's overall case tally is now over 5.42 million, while the nationwide death toll has reached 49,687 with 53 new fatalities.
One in every four people in Turkey is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as 15 million people have now received both vaccine doses, said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
As part of normalization measures amid falling COVID-19 numbers, Turkey is set to open up sporting events with careful safety measures to limited numbers of fans.
Meanwhile, at least seven people were arrested in southeastern Turkey over their alleged links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group, a security official said.
– COVID-19 updates worldwide
Over 3 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered so far worldwide, figures compiled by Our World in Data, a tracking website, showed.
China urged all countries to refrain from “excessive hoarding” and curbs on exports of COVID-19 vaccines.
The US pharmaceutical company Moderna said its coronavirus vaccine has proven effective in lab tests in combatting several variants circulating worldwide, including the highly transmissible Delta strain.
Iran reported that the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, first discovered in India, was detected in more than 10 people.
Russia confirmed 652 more COVID-19 fatalities — the maximum since the beginning of the pandemic — pushing the death toll to 134,545, Russia's coronavirus emergency task force said.
Hong Kong suspended flights with the UK over the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.
– Other global developments
Israel’s foreign minister inaugurated the country’s embassy in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Israeli forces demolished a shop and an apartment in the Silwan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local residents.
Dozens of Palestinian families rallied in front of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, against government plans to vote on extending the family reunification law.
Human Rights Watch is calling on Egyptian authorities to stop the country’s “execution frenzy.”
EU legislators agreed to create a new European Union asylum agency, the European Commission announced.
China accused the US of being the “biggest destroyer” of world order, a day after Russia slammed rules-based order promoted by the West.
In an unprecedented ruling, South Africa’s Constitutional Court sentenced former President Jacob Zuma to 15 months in jail for contempt of court.
The Kenyan government announced that 3 million Kenyans in the country’s north are at risk of starvation due to a severe drought sweeping the region.
