• South Korea's coronavirus infections are back "in full swing" and spreading nationwide
• Germany's public health agency declared the popular tourist Croatian counties of Sibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia coronavirus risk regions.
• The British government came under fresh pressure on Thursday over its botched policy for grading exams cancelled during the coronavirus lockdown.

Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 22.5 million, death toll at 786 622

More than 22.5 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 786 622 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. 

South Korea Covid-19 infections 'in full swing' after protest outbreak

South Korea's coronavirus infections are back "in full swing" and spreading nationwide after members of a church attended a political demonstration, authorities said on Thursday, threatening one of the world's Covid-19 success stories.

The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 288 new cases as of midnight on Wednesday, marking a week of triple-digit daily increases, although down slightly from the previous day's 297.

"This is a grave situation that could possibly lead to a nationwide pandemic," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing.Without aggressive contact tracing, the country could experience the types of spikes and continued infections witnessed in the United States and Europe, said KCDC deputy director Kwon Jun-wook.

"Consider the Covid-19 pandemic now to be in full-swing."

 - REUTERS

EU, CureVac in talks on 225 mln doses of potential Covid-19 vaccine

The European Commission said on Thursday it had concluded exploratory talks with CureVac regarding the purchase of 225 million doses of the German biotech firm's potential Covid-19 vaccine.

"Today we concluded talks with the European company CureVac to increase the chances of finding an effective coronavirus vaccine," EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said.

The EU will now begin talks on a contract with CureVac aimed at securing the supply of its potential vaccine for all 27 EU member states should the shot prove safe and effective against Covid-19.

 - REUTERS

Germany adds parts of Croatia to list of coronavirus risk areas

Germany's public health agency on Thursday declared the Croatian counties of Sibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia, which are popular with tourists, coronavirus risk regions, as Europe battles rising coronavirus cases during the summer season.

Croatia is the country with the third-highest number of infections among people returning to Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), after Kosovo and Turkey.

Concerns are growing in Germany about rising infections. The RKI on Thursday published data showing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany climbed by 1 707 to 228 621, marking their biggest daily increase since 26 April.

The RKI also added the Valcea region of Romanian to its coronavirus risk list, having previously designated several other parts of Romania as high-risk.

 - REUTERS

Ukraine reports record rise in virus cases

Ukraine on Thursday reported a record daily increase in coronavirus infections, exceeding 2 000 new cases for the first time.Health authorities recorded 2 134 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing Ukraine's total to 98 537.

Heath Minister Maksym Stepanov told a briefing that there had also been a record death toll of 40 deaths over the past day, taking the total number of fatalities to 2 184.

Cases have risen sharply in recent days in the ex-Soviet country, with the previous daily record of 1 967 cases reported on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly complained that people are ignoring social distancing and other safety rules after strict lockdown restrictions were eased in May and June.

- AFP

UK accused of ignoring warnings over virus-hit exams

The British government came under fresh pressure on Thursday over its botched policy for grading exams cancelled during the coronavirus lockdown, as a new set of results showed a surge in top marks.

Schools minister Nick Gibb admitted he was warned weeks ago about the risks of using an algorithm to moderate assessments made by teachers, which the government abandoned this week after an uproar.

He insisted the model, which was intended to protect against potential widespread grade inflation, was fair but said it was implemented incorrectly.

The government said it would revert to teacher assessments after pupils took to the streets in protest at last week's A-level results, sat by 17 and 18-year-olds.

- AFP

Japan awards Covid-19 relief work to Deloitte affiliate after Dentsu controversy      

The Japanese government has signed a contract with a Deloitte-linked consulting group to distribute coronavirus relief payouts following public anger over a previous deal involving advertising giant Dentsu.

Lawmakers and other critics questioned how taxpayers’ money was spent under the previous subcontracting scheme, and whether a small non-profit organisation was a front that would protect Dentsu from public scrutiny.

The contract for the second round of payouts was awarded to Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory on Friday for about $404 million, according to a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) document seen by Reuters on Thursday.

Government officials have said the selection process for Service Design and Dentsu was fair and legitimate, and that no preferential treatment was given.

- REUTERS