A man receives a dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine against the COVID-19, at a drive-through vaccination centre in Asuncion, Paraguay, on May 3, 2021. (Photo: AFP)

The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 3,223,436 with the global confirmed cases reaching 153,953,421 as of 9:30 am BJT on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Current status (data as of 9:30 am BJT, May 5):

Ministers of Tourism from the Group of 20, or the G20, on Tuesday pledged support for "safe international mobility initiatives" as a way to help relaunch the world's tourism sector. The "safe mobility" coordinates with regional and national initiatives, such as the EU-launched Digital Green Certificate, which shows a person has been fully vaccinated, has coronavirus immunity after recovering from an infection, or has recently tested negative for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The Iraqi authorities on Tuesday decided to impose a 10-day full curfew to curb the spread of coronavirus, while the Ministry of Health reported 6,143 new COVID-19 cases.

Chile's Health Ministry reported on Tuesday 3,198 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the lowest figure since March 3, when it was 3,053.

Cuba surpassed 1,000 new daily COVID-19 infections, reporting 1,019 cases for a total of 110,644 cases, the Ministry of Public Health reported on Tuesday, adding that there were also 11 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 686.

Britain is spending £29.3 million ($40.6 million, 33.8 million euros) on new coronavirus vaccine laboratories in an effort to "future-proof the country from the threat of new variants", the government said Wednesday.