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Now, the South-East Asian nation is not only trying to control its most serious outbreak, it’s dealing with a simultaneous crisis, with tens of thousands of people under lockdown running out of food.

The Cambodian government has declared areas with the most coronavirus cases to be “red zones” and banned people from leaving their homes except for medical reasons. That means people in these zones are not even allowed to go out to buy food and other basic necessities.

Most of the red zones are in the capital Phnom Penh and the nearby city of Takhmao.

Many of those who have broken the rules have been beaten with rattan canes or arrested — actions police have defended “to save lives”.

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The number of global deaths that can be traced back to COVID-19 has risen above 3 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University published on Saturday.

The virus that surfaced in late 2019 in central China and the ensuing pandemic has infected more than 100 million people, leaving billions more under crippling lockdowns and ravaging the global economy.

How has the virus spread more recently?

Over 1 million people have died in the three months since mid-January when the death toll reached the last grim milestone.

It took eight months to reach 1 million dead and less than four months after that to reach the second million.

The pandemic continues to ravage populations around the world as more virulent variants appear and spread quickly, with some increasing the virulence of the virus.

COVID-19 deaths have continued to rise despite months-long vaccination campaigns.

However, richer countries have been slammed for hoarding vaccine doses, while countries with large populations such as India and Brazil struggle to bring down even deadlier surges in infection rates.

While the count is based on figures supplied by government agencies around the world, the real toll is believed to be significantly higher because of poor testing and many inaccurately recorded deaths, especially during the first months of the outbreak.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic been felt around the world?

Global cases and deaths continue to rise, but not uniformly across the world.

Some countries such as the UK and Portugal that had previously been hit by rampant surges have since managed to bring their case numbers down and even emerge from strict lockdowns.

Other countries have seen their earlier efforts decimated by newer, more contagious variants, such as the B117 strain first discovered in the UK.

India — with a population of over 1.3 billion — reported a record-breaking 200,000 new daily infections on Thursday after having successfully brought an earlier wave under control.

Germany, which had been praised during the first few months of the pandemic for its handling of the crisis, reported almost 30,000 new cases — among a population of just over 80 million — in one day on Thursday.

Brazil has also been particularly badly hit by the pandemic.

The country has registered a total of 361,884 COVID-19 deaths with daily deaths reaching up to 4,000.

The situation is likely down to a combination of the P1 strain — which appears to have a bigger effect on younger people — running rampant and the refusal by President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration to enforce a strict lockdown.

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Belgium topped 20,000 deaths on Sunday, while Germany’s toll reached 40,000 with Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the worst is yet to come as the country waits for the vaccinations to take effect.

More than 80 percent of the beds in the country’s intensive care units are occupied.

Germany was just one of the countries that announced new restrictive measures last week, extending and tightening a nationwide lockdown.

“We must further reduce our social contacts in order to fight [the pandemic],” Merkel said when she announced the measures, which will be in place until at least January 31.

Now, under even tighter new rules, people in areas that are considered hotspots for the virus will not be allowed to travel more than 15 km from their homes without a good reason.

And those arriving in the country who have come from a destination deemed to be high risk will need to provide two negative test results, with a mandatory five-day quarantine even in cases where the first test is negative.

Belgium is in first place in the world for mortality relative to population, with a rate of 1,725 deaths per million inhabitants.

Half of the 20,000 COVID-related deaths it reported on Sunday were residents of retirement homes, according to official data.

In the United Kingdom, where the death toll exceeded 80,000 on Saturday, a third lockdown was announced in England and a second in Scotland, while similar measures are in place in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The NHS is “currently facing the most dangerous situation we can remember,” warned Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England. “If the virus continues on this course, hospitals will be in real difficulty, and that will be very soon,” he added.

Many Europeans are pinning their hopes on the vaccination programs currently gaining pace on the continent, but some countries, like France, have been criticized for the slow rollout of the jabs.

Since the first COVID-19 related death was announced by China on January 11, 2020, the virus has claimed more than 1.9 million lives worldwide and plunged the planet into an unprecedented economic crisis.

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According to the university, the number of coronavirus cases in the world now reaches 80,027,056, 1,753,313 people have died, 45,145,454 have recovered. The largest number of infections – 18,771,885 – was detected in the United States. A total of 330,345 people with coronavirus have died in the United States. India ranks second in terms of the number of cases, with 10,169,118 detected cases and 147,343 deaths. India is followed by Brazil, where 7,448,560 people were infected and 190,488 patients died.

Russia, according to Johns Hopkins University, ranks fourth in terms of the number of coronavirus cases. According to the federal operational headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, 3,021,964 coronavirus cases have been detected in Russia, 2,426,439 people recovered, 54,226 died.

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“The vaccine has been delivered to all regions of Russia. Vaccination has begun. Before that we carried out test supplies to see how the logistic chains work. All regions are ready to get the vaccine and start using it,” Murashko told the presidium of the government’s coordination council for struggle against the coronavirus on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier set the task of holding vaccination across the nation. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin added that the vaccination must be voluntary and free of charge. In the first place it must be available to school teachers, medics and social workers. Mishustin said that 480,000 doses of the vaccine are to be distributed among Russian regions in December.

According to the latest statistics, over 72.9 million people have been infected worldwide and more than 1.6 million deaths have been reported.

To date, 2,707,945 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 2,149,610 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 47,968 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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The Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine will be distributed at 70 clinics around Moscow, but it has been made available first to doctors and other medical workers, teachers and social workers, as the government has deemed these groups to be at the highest risk of exposure to the disease.

But the age for those receiving the vaccine has been capped at 60, while people with certain underlying health conditions, pregnant women and those who have had a respiratory illness in the past two weeks have also been excluded from vaccination.

“Over the first five hours, 5,000 people signed up for the jab — teachers, doctors, social workers, those who are today risking their health and lives the most,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his personal website on Friday, ahead of the vaccination drive kickoff.

Moscow has been the epicenter of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak, registering 7,993 new cases in the city overnight, up from 6,868 a day before. The numbers are well above the daily tallies of around 700 seen in early September.

Despite a resurgent second wave, the government has not reimposed strict lockdown measures, choosing to keep restaurants open, albeit with an 11:00 p.m. curfew, and only encouraged people to work from home, without restricting people’s movements.

“The government and the authorities have repeated that the situation is under control and that they don’t want to lock the country down perhaps because of this vaccine that they’re rolling out,” said Emily Sherwin, a DW correspondent in Moscow.

Russia has already sold samples of its Sputnik V vaccine to Serbia, Hungary 
and Venezuela

Vaccine concerns

The Sputnik V vaccine will be administered in two injections, with the second dose expected to be given 21 days after the first.

Russia has so far developed two COVID-19 vaccines, Sputnik V which is backed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and a separate one developed by Siberia’s Vector Institute. Final trials for both vaccines have not been completed.

Scientists have raised concerns about the speed at which Russia has given the regulatory go-ahead for vaccine distribution and, in particular, that it has launched a mass vaccination effort before full trials to test its safety and efficacy had been completed.

Analysts said Russia’s swift vaccination drive has a political component to it.

“The vaccination can be compared with the space race,” Ilya Graschenkov, a political scientist and head of the Center for the Development of Regional Politics, told DW.

“The main thing is to stake a claim on being first — the first country to produce a vaccine and the first to start vaccinating people,” Graschenkov added.

Russia has already delivered its vaccine samples to countries such as Hungary, Serbia and Venezuela, while negotiating production deals with India and China.

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Almost 2,00 new businesses opened up in the second quarter of the year in Brussels as well as 11,000 in Flanders. This is according to Unizo, the association that supports the self-employed and SMEs in the region.

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Parts of the country will move into the highest level of a reformed three-tier system in which some restrictions will be tightened up to prevent the further spread of coronavirus in the country.

The news comes in advance of an expected announcement to MPs on Monday by prime minister Boris Johnson who will outline the government’s plans to tackle the virus during the winter – including arrangements for how families can celebrate Christmas.

Johnson’s “Covid winter plan” is expected to strengthen some existing restrictions in order to maintain progress in getting the virus under control, according to Downing Street. It has also been suggested that the 10 pm curfew currently in place could be amended to 11 pm to allow customers to finish their meals and drinks at pubs and restaurants.

The plan will also set out how households can spend time together at Christmas, including households being allowed to mix for a week over the festive break with some restrictions expected to be kept in place.

The plan is set to be signed off by the Cabinet on Sunday with MPs being given a vote on the new proposed changes to the existing tiered system before the end of the national lockdown on December 2.

The UK government will be braced for opposition from its own MPs over implementing further restrictions after a rebellion saw 32 Tory MPs vote against the government’s tiered system in October. In the wake of the revolt, some 50 MPs formed the COVID Recovery Group (CRG), a backbench grouping of Conservative MPs who oppose the use of blanket restrictions.

In a letter to Johnson on Saturday released by the CRG on Sunday, 70 MPs expressed their concerns about plans for further restrictions.

“We welcome your assurances that the national lockdown will end on 2nd December. As everyone will know, like the disease, lockdowns and restrictions cause immense harm,” the group said.

“We cannot support this approach further unless the Government demonstrates the restrictions proposed for after 2nd December will have an impact on slowing the transmission of Covid, and will save more lives than they cost”.

In a series of posts, Tory MP Steve Baker, a member and deputy chair of the CRG, also tweeted on Sunday: “Today, the lockdown cure prescribed runs the very real risk of being worse than the disease.

“We are especially concerned about outside sport, the 10pm curfew, closure of non-essential retail, gyms and personal care businesses, restrictions on worship, care home visits, hospitality and the inclusion of children under 12 in the ‘Rule of 6′”.

He added: “The burden is on the Government to demonstrate the necessity and proportionality of each restriction”.

An Opinium poll for The Observer newspaper published on Saturday found that the majority of the public would prefer a lockdown at Christmas over new restrictions imposed in January.

According to the poll, 54 per cent of those polls said they favoured a Christmas lockdown rather than in January compared to 33 per cent who disagreed.

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Mogens Jensen announced he was stepping down on Wednesday on social media, saying he no longer had the support of a parliament majority.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also faced opposition calls to resign, as the Danish government faces its greatest crisis during the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, the government ordered that the country’s entire mink population should be slaughtered because of a mutation in the coronavirus that could affect the effectiveness of future vaccines against COVID-19.

The drastic order came after analysis from the Danish Health Institute and health authorities, which had identified cluster variants in the coronavirus in the fur animals.

Authorities drafted the military and police to help Denmark’s 1,100 mink farmers cull their 17 million mink, one of the world’s biggest populations of the animals.

Denmark breeds mink for their fur and farmers had claimed that the order would end their business.

The Danish government later found it had no legal basis for the announcement, and could only cull mink where the infection had been detected or in the immediate area.

Several of the left and centre parties that give the Social Democratic government of Mette Frederiksen a parliamentary majority promptly withdrew their confidence in the government.

“I want the prime minister to acknowledge that when she makes a mistake, it’s her responsibility,” added opposition leader Jakob Elleman-Jensen of the Liberal Party.

“She made the decision and she did not intervene and stop it when she became aware that it was illegal, the case, therefore, does not stop with Mogens Jensen’s departure,” he added on Twitter.

Denmark’s opposition has also asked for an independent investigation into the government’s actions to determine if they knowingly broke the law

“My ministry has made mistakes in connection with the government announcement of the decision to put down all mink in Denmark,” Jensen said in a Facebook post.

“I regretted this earlier, I regret it again and take responsibility for this, especially I regret this to the many mink farmers who have been in a very unhappy situation.

“There has only been one purpose: to stop the Covid-19 infection in and from mink because it poses a threat to public health.”

The first cases of coronavirus in minks were detected in June and the government then ordered the slaughter of all animals on the affected farms, while increasing control measures in the rest of the facilities.

This week, Denmark did gain the necessary support in Parliament to push through a legal reform which will prohibit mink breeding until 31 December 2021.

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