COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 23 February

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 111.7 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 2.47 million.

Current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place in Philippine capital Manila until mass vaccinations start, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesperson said yesterday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a path out of lockdown for England, that will see most restrictions lifted by June.

Viet Nam has said health workers, diplomats and military personnel would be among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines, when the country's inoculation programme starts next month.

The US House of Representatives Budget Committee has approved legislation with $1.9 trillion in new COVID-19 relief.

Indian pharmaceutical companies Bharat Biotech and Biological E. Ltd said yesterday that they could quickly rework their COVID-19 vaccines to fight new variants, once their genetic sequence is known.

Pfizer says it expects to deliver more than 13 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine a week to the United States by the middle of next month.

New Zealand has reported three new locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19, just days after a brief lockdown was lifted in Auckland.

Egypt has received 300,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm). It's the second shipment Egypt has received of the Sinopharm vaccine.

2. Pandemic could widen Europe's wealth differences

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to widen wealth gaps in Europe, unless policymakers help end the health crisis globally, support economies and invest in greener economies, the International Monetary Fund has said.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised EU governments' response for putting more than 3 trillion euros into fiscal support for firms and households.

“But the path to recovery is ... uneven ... because of the difference in starting positions, economic structure and capacity to respond, causing inequalities to grow both across and within countries,” she said during a speech to the European Parliament.

3. US passes 500,000 COVID-19 deaths

The United States has passed 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, just over a year since the first confirmed death.

President Joe Biden ordered the US flag to be flown at half-staff on public buildings and grounds until sunset on Friday.

“On this solemn occasion, we reflect on their loss and on their loved ones left behind,” Biden said in the proclamation. “We, as a Nation, must remember them so we can begin to heal, to unite, and find purpose as one Nation to defeat this pandemic.”

More than 28 million cases have been recorded in the US, according to a Reuters tally of public health data. Daily cases and hospitalizations have fallen to their lowest levels since before Thanksgiving.