An employee of the World Health Organisation (WHO) supervises the arrival of the first batch of coronavirus vaccines, at Khartoum airport in the Sudanese capital, on March 3, 2121. (Photo: AFP)

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 2,558,784 with the global confirmed cases reaching 115,117,893 as of 8:30 am BJT on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Current status (data as of 8:30 am BJT, Mar 4):

Japan's government is planning to stop overseas spectators coming to the Summer Olympics due to worries they will spread the coronavirus, a report said on Wednesday, as many Japanese remain opposed to holding the Games during the pandemic.

A total of 3,810,316 people in France have been diagnosed with COVID-19 after 26,788 positive cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, the biggest daily increase since Feb. 24, official figures showed on Wednesday.

Spain's total COVID-19 deaths surpassed 70,000 on Wednesday after the Ministry of Health reported that 446 people had lost their lives to the virus in the past 24 hours.

The Governor of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo Joao Doria announced on Wednesday that starting on Saturday most store, bar and restaurant operations will be banned for two weeks, as a night curfew goes into effect, to prevent the collapse of the hospital system.

Chile's government on Wednesday again urged the public to protect themselves to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, one year after the South American country detected its first case of the coronavirus.