A woman wearing a face mask walks past an advertising billboard reading: "Berliners, wear whatever you want, as long as you wear a mask" amid the Covid-19 pandemic in Berlin on December 2, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 1,490,725 with the global confirmed cases reaching 64,433,937 as of 9:30 am BJT on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Current status (data as of 9:30 am BJT, December 3):

Turkish Volunteers given a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate in clinical trials have reported no major side effects, local media Hurriyet Daily News reported Monday, citing Turkish officials. The phase-3 trials of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine instarted on September 15 on health workers and volunteers at higher risk of infection at 25 centers across 12 provinces.

The US death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 2,700 in one day as of Wednesday evening, the highest since April, Johns Hopkins University said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed the government to begin large-scale vaccinations against the coronavirus next week. Medical workers and teachers, who are two high-risk groups, will be among the first to get shots, Putin said at an online meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and other senior officials.

The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in Germany increased by 487 in 24 hours and reached a new record on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll in the country to 17,123, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said.

In-person university classes will resume on Jan. 4, 2021, Brazil's Ministry of Education announced on Wednesday. According to an ordinance published in the Government Gazette and signed by Education Minister Milton Ribeiro, online and remote classes can continue to be used to complement the curriculum "in an exceptional way."