COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 12 November

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 12 November

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

Top stories: new lockdowns on the way in parts of Europe; Moderna Inc offers COVID-19 vaccines to African Union; Angela Merkel urges people to get vaccinated.



1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 252 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.08 million. More than 7.36 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

A growing COVID-19 cluster in China's Dalian has spurred the northeastern port city to limit outbound travel, cut offline school classes and close a few cultural venues after being told by national authorities to contain the outbreak more quickly.

Austria is days away from placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on lockdown, as daily infections are at a record high and intensive-care units are increasingly strained, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said on Thursday.

People coming to work in offices in the Philippines will have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested