Britain's health minister on Monday blamed out-of-date software for the fact that almost 16,000 positive coronavirus tests went missing from official figures, and admitted it had affected contact tracing efforts.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having a "devastating impact" on mental health services globally, the World Health Organization said Monday, ahead of a large fundraising push.   

The United Kingdom passed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus infections on Sunday, official figures showed, in the latest grim milestone for the European country worst-hit by the pandemic.

Paris was preparing on Sunday to be placed under maximum coronavirus alert as alarming Covid-19 infection numbers appeared to leave the French government little choice but to tighten restrictions in and around the capital.

Yemenis who were airlifted to Jordan to undergo treatment for critical illnesses earlier this year were brought home on Sunday on a flight into the rebel-held capital Sanaa, the United Nations said.

Mask-clad Muslims circled Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths on Sunday, as Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage with extensive health precautions adopted after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus.

Deaths from the novel coronavirus in India passed 100,000 on Saturday, official data showed as the pandemic continued to rage across the world's second most populous country.

President Donald Trump was treated Friday for Covid-19 with a high-dose of the experimental antibody drug developed by the US biotech firm Regeneron. 

Spain's government published a decree extending drastic restrictions across the capital on Thursday, with partial lockdown measures to come into play within 48 hours, despite fierce opposition from Madrid's regional authorities.

After a tense standoff lasting days, the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday evening said it had reached agreement with most of Spain's regions on the imposition of tough restrictions in areas where the virus is spreading rapidly. 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for an "immediate infusion" of $15 billion to a global pool for the procurement and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines at a virtual summit hosted by the world body.