COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 8 February

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 8 February

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: COVID-19 disrupts health services in 90% of countries - WHO; India approves Russia's one-shot vaccine; Nigeria receives 2 million vaccine doses from COVAX scheme.



1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 397.7 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.75 million. More than 10.24 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

India has approved Russia's one-shot Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine for people who have not yet received a vaccine, the shot's Indian manufacturer said on Monday. India currently uses AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in tandem with local firm Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and has inoculated more than 75% of its 950 million adult population.

Australia's COVID-19 hospital cases and people admitted to intensive care continued to trend lower on Tuesday as authorities urged people to get their vaccine boosters to prevent serious illness and deaths from the coronavirus.

Hong Kong SAR will limit public gatherings to two