In this file photo taken on August 04, 2020, a woman walks past a store displaying a sign before closing down permanently following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, in Arlington, Virginia, US. (File photo: AFP) 

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 708,301 with the global confirmed cases reaching 18,837,392 as of 9 pm BJT on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Current status (data as of 9 pm BJT, August 6):

The Beijing municipal government will accelerate its preparations to reopen the Xinfadi wholesale market, the source of a cluster of COVID-19 infections, the city's leading group on epidemic prevention said on Wednesday.

Hong Kong announced Thursday a decision to expand its community testing scheme to more districts in a bid to screen COVID-19 patients faster, as another 95 cases were reported on Thursday, taking the total in Hong Kong to 3,849.

As Africa’s confirmed coronavirus cases near 1 million, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that “we cannot at all exercise fatigue” in the pandemic response.

Colleges in the US are offering various education programs in China for Chinese students who are unable or unwilling to travel abroad amid the surging COVID-19 outbreak and escalating bilateral tensions. 

The spread of the novel coronavirus is accelerating in Finland, health officials said Thursday, with new containment measures to be unveiled next week. Officials said an "autumn roadmap" will be published next week, setting out the new measures to be introduced if the virus continues to spread.