COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan reports a record 13 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 59. (South China Morning Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand Thailand reports a record 47 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 920. (Bangkok Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia Victoria enters a seven-day circuit breaker lockdown until June 3 at 11:59 p.m. AEST in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 after the outbreak reaches 26 cases. During the lockdown, all public and private gatherings are banned, schools are closed, restaurants and cafés are only allowed to offer takeout or delivery services, and masks must be worn outside homes. (ABC Australia)
COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji Fiji reports a record 46 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the national total to 360. (RNZ)
COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary Hungary reports its first two cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia Indonesia surpasses 50,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Beritasatu)
COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo Kosovo signs an agreement with Pfizer to buy 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, with the vaccine rollout expected to begin on June 15. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania COVID-19 pandemic in Australia Victoria enters a seven-day circuit breaker lockdown until June 3 at 11:59 p.m. AEST in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 after the outbreak reaches 26 cases. During the lockdown, all public and private gatherings are banned, schools are closed, restaurants and cafés are only allowed to offer takeout or delivery services, and masks must be worn outside homes. (ABC Australia) COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji Fiji reports a record 46 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the national total to 360. (RNZ)
COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan Pakistan reports its first case of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India. (Arab News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan reports a record 19 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 78. (Taiwan News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces the further easing of the COVID-19 restrictions. Hotels in Ireland can reopen from June 2, followed by cinemas, gyms, outdoor service at restaurants and pubs from June 7. Meanwhile, indoor services of two establishments will be reopened on July 5, and international travel will be resumed on July 17 through EU Digital COVID Certificate. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved in the United Kingdom. (The Guardian)
European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine The European Medicines Agency authorizes the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 12 to 15 years old, becoming the first vaccine to be approved for children in the European Union. (France 24)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the fourth vaccine to be approved in the United Kingdom. (The Guardian)
Victoria enters a seven-day circuit breaker lockdown until June 3 at 11:59 p.m. AEST in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 after the outbreak reaches 26 cases. During the lockdown, all public and private gatherings are banned, schools are closed, restaurants and cafés are only allowed to offer takeout or delivery services, and masks must be worn outside homes. (ABC Australia)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia reports a record for the fifth consecutive day of 9,020 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 558,534. The country also reports a record 98 deaths in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 2,650. (The Vibes) (The Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan reports a record 21 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 99. (Taiwan News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Sky News)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The United States reports nearly 11,976 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest in the country since March 23, 2020. (CNBC)
COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam Vietnam discovers a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that combines the mutations from Lineage B.1.617 and Lineage B.1.1.7. (The Independent)
Seven people, including actor Joe Lara and his wife Gwen Shamblin Lara, are killed in a plane crash in Smyrna, Tennessee. (Chicago Tribune)
2021 Copa América, COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina CONMEBOL announces that Argentina will no longer host the Copa América tournament, two weeks before its commencement, due to the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (The Seattle Times)
CONMEBOL announces that Argentina will no longer host the Copa América tournament, two weeks before its commencement, due to the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (The Seattle Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan Afghanistan reports a record of 929 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 71,690. (Big News Network)
COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya Kenya extends its nightly curfew and ban on political gatherings and processions that could turn into superspreader events for 60 days as part of an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (News24)
COVID-19 pandemic in Spain King Felipe VI receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Royal Central)
COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand Thailand surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Bangkok Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic France begins implementing a seven-day quarantine and pre-departure testing for EU nationals, French residents, and anyone travelling to the United Kingdom for essential reasons in order to prevent the spread of the Lineage B.1.617 variant that originated in India as all non-essential travel to the UK is currently banned. (Evening Standard)
COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic China reimposes travel restrictions in Guangdong province that require anyone travelling by plane, train, bus, or private vehicle after 10:00 p.m. to present nucleic acid test results from within the past 72 hours amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Voice of America)
COVID-19 pandemic in Palau Palau announces their first recorded case of COVID-19 in a fully vaccinated person who travelled from Guam on May 9 and tested positive after 21 days in quarantine. (RNZ International)
COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City implements social distancing measures for the next two weeks following an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city. (VnExpress International)
The World Health Organization announces a new system of naming the COVID-19 variants using the Greek alphabet in order to avoid stigmatizing countries where variants are first detected. According to the new system, B.1.1.7 becomes Alpha, B.1.351 becomes Beta, and P.1 becomes Gamma. Meanwhile B.1.617, which split into sub-lineage B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, is called Kappa and Delta respectively. (France 24)
Variants of SARS-CoV-2 The World Health Organization announces a new system of naming the COVID-19 variants using the Greek alphabet in order to avoid stigmatizing countries where variants are first detected. According to the new system, B.1.1.7 becomes Alpha, B.1.351 becomes Beta, and P.1 becomes Gamma. Meanwhile B.1.617, which split into sub-lineage B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, is called Kappa and Delta respectively. (France 24)
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany Germany lowers its COVID-19 alert level from "very high" to "high" as the number of new infections continues to decline. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China In Guangzhou, hundreds of flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport are canceled and the Liwan District is placed under lockdown following an outbreak of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, believed to be the first community outbreak of this variant in the country. (The Guardian)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysian movement control order Malaysia begins phase one of its 14-day total lockdown that only allows essential economic sectors and manufacturing services to operate in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 following a sharp increase in the number of cases since April. (Malay Mail)
COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore Singapore begins a vaccination rollout for more than 400,000 students over the age of 12 in schools and institutes of higher learning amid concerns about COVID-19 infections in children. (The Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom records no daily deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test for the first time since March 2020. (BBC News)
COVID-19 vaccine The World Health Organization issues an emergency use authorization for Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine, becoming the second Chinese-made vaccine to be approved on an emergency basis after BBIBP-CorV and thereby making it eligible for use as part of the COVAX initiative. (BBC News)
In Guangzhou, hundreds of flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport are canceled and the Liwan District is placed under lockdown following an outbreak of the Lineage B.1.617 variant, believed to be the first community outbreak of this variant in the country. (The Guardian)
The World Health Organization issues an emergency use authorization for Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine, becoming the second Chinese-made vaccine to be approved on an emergency basis after BBIBP-CorV and thereby making it eligible for use as part of the COVAX initiative. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia reports a record 126 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the first time that daily deaths exceeded 100. This thereby brings the nationwide death toll to 2,993. (The Malaysian Reserve)
COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritius Mauritius approves the usage of the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Chile Chile reports their first case of the "black fungus" infection. (The Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji Fiji reports a record 28 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 508. The Ministry of Health confirms that most cases were linked to the Navy cluster, when an officer attended a funeral and later infected his co-workers aboard the ship. (RNZ International)
COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signs a deal with Biological E. Limited to buy 300 million doses of their locally-made COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently in phase III clinical trials. (Hindustan Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia Indonesia reports a record 11,092 new recoveries from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 1,691,593. (Asian News International)
COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, COVID-19 vaccination in Italy Italy opens vaccinations for anyone over the age of 12 after the European Medicines Agency approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people between the ages of 12 and 15. (Medical Xpress)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia surpasses 3,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Malay Mail)
Fiji reports a record 28 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 508. The Ministry of Health confirms that most cases were linked to the Navy cluster, when an officer attended a funeral and later infected his co-workers aboard the ship. (RNZ International)
The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signs a deal with Biological E. Limited to buy 300 million doses of their locally-made COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently in phase III clinical trials. (Hindustan Times)
A Mil Mi-8 helicopter crashes in the Alay District in Kyrgyzstan, injuring 13 people. (AKIpress News Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan Afghanistan reports a record 36 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 3,104. (Anadolu Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia Some lockdown restrictions are lifted in regional Victoria as health authorities are confident that the current outbreak is limited to the state capital of Melbourne. Restrictions will remain in place in Greater Melbourne for another week. A 5 km (3.1 mi) travel limit is extended to 10 km (6.2 mi), and QR check ins at public places are now mandatory. (The Guardian)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia Malaysia surpasses 600,000 cases of COVID-19. (Today)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malta Malta reports its first case of the "Delta" B.1.617.2 variant, which was originally discovered in India. (The Malta Independent)
COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan surpasses 10,000 cases of COVID-19. (Focus Taiwan)
COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam The Ministry of Health approves the emergency use of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine, making it the third vaccine to be authorized for use in the country. (VnExpress International)
Some lockdown restrictions are lifted in regional Victoria as health authorities are confident that the current outbreak is limited to the state capital of Melbourne. Restrictions will remain in place in Greater Melbourne for another week. A 5 km (3.1 mi) travel limit is extended to 10 km (6.2 mi), and QR check ins at public places are now mandatory. (The Guardian)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people between the ages of 12 and 15, making it the first vaccine to be approved for use in teenagers in the UK. (The Independent)
The Ministry of Health approves the emergency use of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine, making it the third vaccine to be authorized for use in the country. (VnExpress International)
The Singapore Grand Prix, originally scheduled for October 3, is cancelled due to pandemic-related travel restrictions imposed on Singapore. (Seven News)
A coal mine collapse and subsequent flood leaves seven miners trapped in Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico. Rescue operations are currently underway. (Sky News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China China becomes the first major country to authorize the emergency use of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine for children as young as three years old. (Bloomberg News) COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (Ada Derana) COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan reports a record 38 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 225. (South China Morning Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China China becomes the first major country to authorize the emergency use of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine for children as young as three years old. (Bloomberg News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka surpasses 200,000 cases of COVID-19. (Ada Derana)
COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan Taiwan reports a record 38 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 225. (South China Morning Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela Venezuela reaches an agreement to buy doses of the Russian EpiVacCorona vaccine, as well as manufacture the vaccine locally. (Reuters)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports 2020–21 PGA Tour After completion of the third round of the Memorial Tournament, Jon Rahm is notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Rahm was leading the tournament by 6 strokes before having to withdraw due to Tour protocols. (CBC News)
An outbreak is declared at a gold mine in Yukon after three people tested positive for COVID-19. (CBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh Bangladesh approves the emergency use of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine, becoming the second Chinese-made vaccine to be approved in the country. (Dhaka Tribune)
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada COVID-19 pandemic in Yukon An outbreak is declared at a gold mine in Yukon after three people tested positive for COVID-19. (CBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Haryana Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is currently serving prison time in Rohtak, tests positive for COVID-19. (India TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in India COVID-19 pandemic in Haryana Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is currently serving prison time in Rohtak, tests positive for COVID-19. (India TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in Yukon An outbreak is declared at a gold mine in Yukon after three people tested positive for COVID-19. (CBC News)
