COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 27 April

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 147.8 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 3.12 million. More than 1.03 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

New daily COVID-19 cases remain above 300,000 in India, Reuters reports. 2,771 new fatalities were also reported on Tuesday.

Japan is set to open a mass vaccination centre in Tokyo next month, officials announced today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a 'full lockdown' starting from Thursday that will require Turks to largely stay at home until at least 17 May.

The army and Red Cross will be sent to the Canadian province of Ontario amid a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the country's public safety minister announced yesterday.

New COVID-19 cases fell 16% in the United States last week to around 409,000. It represents the biggest drop in weekly new cases since February, according to a Reuters analysis.

Regulators in Egypt have approved China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

The European Union has announced it's taking legal action against AstraZeneca, reports the BBC. The European Commission said it was suing the vaccine manufacturer for not respecting its supply contract and not having a 'reliable' plan to ensure timely deliveries. AstraZeneca said the action was 'without merit'.

2. WHO warning on vaccination programmes

The World Health Organization has marked the launch of World Immunization Week with a warning about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine vaccination programmes.

"New WHO data show that as a result of COVID-19, 60 immunization campaigns are currently suspended in 50 countries," Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.

"That means about 228 million children are vulnerable – right now – to deadly, vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, yellow fever and polio."

Gaps in vaccination coverage are already having an impact, he explained, with severe measles outbreaks seen in countries including Pakistan, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

3. United States to share AstraZeneca vaccine doses

The White House has announced that the US will share up to 60 million doses of its supply of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, reports the BBC.

The doses will begin to be distributed in the coming weeks when the Food and Drug Administration finishes its safety review.

The jab is not yet approved for use in the United States, but the country has a stockpile of doses. President Joe Biden had already pledged to share about four million doses of the vaccine with neighbours Canada and Mexico - where the vaccine is already approved.