Coronavirus: Latest global developments

HERE are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

- UK drops vaccine passport plan -

The UK government drops a plan to make people in England show vaccine passports to enter crowded events and places such as nightclubs, the health minister says.

The government had previously said these would be introduced at the end of this month, despite opposition from businesses in the sector and from some Conservative MPs.

Health minister Sajid Javid announces the U-turn, saying the government does not view the move as necessary in the current virus situation, citing high vaccine uptake.

- Iraq receives over 100,000 vaccines -

Iraq receives a donation of more than 100,000 AstraZeneca doses against COVID-19 from Italy via vaccine-sharing facility Covax, according to the UN children's agency UNICEF.

More than four million people in Iraq, or around 10 percent of its 40 million inhabitants, have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab.

- Gorillas at US zoo test positive -

Several gorillas at Zoo Atlanta in the southern US state of Georgia have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the zoo says.

The western lowland gorillas were tested after keepers saw them coughing and showing other symptoms.

- Bangladesh schools reopen after 19-month shutdown -

Children in Bangladesh flood back into classrooms as schools reopen after 18 months, one of the world's longest coronavirus shutdowns.

The resumption comes after UNICEF warned that prolonged school closures during the Covid-19 crisis were worsening inequities for millions of children across South Asia.

- Over 4.6 million dead -

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,622,410 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Sunday.

At least 224,207,440 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.