More than four million people have now died of Covid-19 infections, the WHO said on Wednesday (Jul 7), as many richer nations prepared to loosen restrictions even as countries in Asia battle surging infections.
Indonesia has become a global hotspot, with hospitals having to turn away patients, authorities forced to import oxygen supplies and a record 1,040 deaths reported on Wednesday.
The government has expanded restrictions across the archipelago following earlier clampdowns on the capital Jakarta and some other areas.
The new restrictions apply to dozens of cities and extend across the vast nation of nearly 270 million people, which has been hammered by the highly infectious Delta variant that was first detected in India.
Delta-fuelled outbreaks have also led to the imposition of restrictions in Australia, including in its biggest city Sydney where lockdown orders on more than five million residents were on Wednesday extended by at least another week.
Australia has largely kept its outbreaks in check since the pandemic began, but the government is under increasing pressure over the slow rollout of vaccines.
The Tokyo Olympics, already delayed by a year, also remain plagued by coronavirus fears, with authorities and organisers trying to find ways to safely host one of the biggest sporting events in the world just over two weeks before it begins.
Officials announced Wednesday that the Olympic torch relay had been scrapped on Tokyo's roads to prevent crowds.
And with infections on the rise, the government is expected to extend restrictions this week that will likely affect the number of fans that can attend Olympic events.
But in London, the Euro 2020 football tournament's semi-finals and final are set to be held this week with 60,000 fans permitted at Wembley Stadium, despite Britain facing a new surge in infections.
Mass vaccinations, however, have stopped a resultant surge in hospital admissions or deaths.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the end of most virus restrictions, such as face masks and indoor social distancing, in England. Other UK nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – are moving more slowly.
(Compiled)
