COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic

This weekly COVID-19 news round-up brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.

Top COVID-19 news stories: North Korea reports COVID-19 outbreak; US passes 1 million confirmed COVID-19 deaths; Shanghai plans to ease restrictions from 1 June.





1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 521.4 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 6.26 million. More than 11.65 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Shanghai, China, has set out plans for the return of more normal life from 1 June and the end of a COVID-19 lockdown.

Omicron sub-variants and a relaxing of COVID-19 public health measures are driving a current surge in infections in southern Africa, a World Health Organization official announced on 12 May.

Japan plans to extend up to $100 million in aid to developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region to help them better battle the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on 13 May.

Switzerland has authorized the use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged