A man (centre L) wearing a face mask receives items he ordered online in a residential area in Xicheng district in Beijing on June 17, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 444,368 with the global confirmed cases reaching 8,199,838 as of 9 pm BJT on Tuesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Current status (data as of 9 pm BJT, June 16):

China has unveiled the results of the phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which shows promising results in both safety and efficacy, according to the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).

Chile's Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported a substantial rise in the total number of people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after making changes to its record-keeping system.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said in a televised speech on late Tuesday that he has been infected with the novel coronavirus.

South Australia has taken the first steps in reopening its borders to the rest of the country. The state's borders were reopened to travelers from Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory at midnight on Tuesday night, meaning entrants from those states will no longer be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

An upscale restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey is making its customers feel relaxed inside of a safe zone, which looks like a bell jar, fully protected and sterilized against COVID-19.