Police on bicycles patrol in Melbourne on June 2, 2021 with the coronavirus lockdown of Australia's second-biggest city to be extended by another seven days, authorities announced as they attempt to stamp out a cluster of cases in Melbourne. (Photo: AFP)

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 3,566,233 with the global confirmed cases reaching 171,216,662 as of 7 pm BJT on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Current status (data as of 7 pm BJT, June 2):

The World Health Organization on Tuesday greenlighted COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinovac for emergency use, which is a prerequisite to become a provider for COVAX.

Swiss firm Lonza said Wednesday it will open a new production line for the drug substance in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, making it possible to churn out hundreds of millions more jabs per year.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday announced that Germany would support Libya's COVID-19 vaccination campaign with a fund of 5 million euros (6.1 million US dollars).

India's state-owned Haffkine BioPharma has entered into a technology transfer pact with the country's vaccine producer Bharat Biotech to produce 228 million doses per annum of COVID-19 vaccine, the government's Press Information Bureau said Wednesday.

Iran on Wednesday reported 11,620 new COVID-19 cases, raising the country's total infections to 2,935,443. The pandemic has so far claimed 80,488 lives in Iran, up by 161 in the past 24 hours, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education said.