(Reuters) – Over 1.5 million people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 with one death reported every nine seconds on a weekly average, as vaccinations are set to begin in December in a handful of developed nations.

Half a million deaths occurred in just the last two months, indicating that the severity of the pandemic is far from over. Nearly 65 million people globally have been infected by the disease and the worst affected country, United States, is currently battling a third wave of coronavirus infections.

In the last week alone, more than 10,000 people in the world died on average every single day, which has been steadily rising each passing week. Many countries across the world are now fighting second and third waves even greater than the first, forcing new restrictions on everyday life. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

The novel coronavirus caused more deaths in

The world passed the grim milestone of 1.5 million global coronavirus deaths on Thursday, as several nations planned to deliver much hoped-for vaccines early next year to break the cycle of lockdowns and restrictions.

But even as the latest positive news about a vaccine was announced, with the Moderna candidate showing it confers immunity for at least three months, several countries marked new Covid-19 records.

Italy registered 993 deaths, topping its previous record of 969 earlier in the year when it was the first European country to be affected by the pandemic.

Daily covid infections per world region since February 2 Photo: AFP / Bertille LAGORCE

Iran, the Middle East’s hardest hit country, passed one million cases even as authorities considered easing restrictions and Britain recorded over 60,000 deaths.

The world’s hardest-hit country, the United States, recorded its highest daily death toll — 2,731 — since March, as the number

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, during her remarks Tuesday at a news conference in Mobile touting a multi-faceted agreement for Brookley Aeroplex property, also promoted the state’s $50 million investment in a new medical school for the University of South Alabama.

A question has now surfaced in Mobile in the past two days: What is the project?

“Today’s news, on top of my announcement to invest $50 million of public school college authority bond money (for a new medical school) is further proof that great things are happening in Alabama’s Port City and the future has never been brighter,” Ivey said.

Indeed, the state is investing $50 million for a new medical school building for the University of South Alabama. But few details have been released on any details about the project such as where a new building will be constructed, what type of medical training will be provided within a

Speranza emphasized that the distribution of the vaccines would depend on regulatory approval which was still pending from the European Medicines Agency.

The first vaccines are expected to arrive in January with Pfizer’s vaccine expected to get first EMA approval by Dec. 29 and Moderna by Jan. 12. Priority will be given first to Italy’s front-line health care workers, then residents of nursing homes, then to elderly over 80 before moving to other groups like people with medical risks, law enforcement, teachers and prison workers.

Speranza said the

Greenlane Renewables Inc. (“Greenlane“) (TSXV:GRN) today announced that over the course of the last two weeks the company has received $4.5 million in gross proceeds from the exercise of 7,303,000 share purchase warrants, which entitled the warrant holders the right to purchase common shares of Greenlane at either $0.26 or $0.70.

As a reminder, the Company issued share purchase warrants in connection with its financing that closed June 3, 2019, which entitled each holder the right to purchase one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.26 per share for a two-year period ending June 3, 2021. The Company also issued share purchase warrants in connection with its financing that closed February 19, 2020, which entitled each holder the right to purchase one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.70 per share for a one-year period ending February 19, 2021.

Out

(Reuters) – Britain has secured two million doses of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, to be available in Europe as early as the spring, the government said on Sunday, in addition to the 5 million doses it secured from the U.S. company two weeks ago.

The new deal came a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson named Nadhim Zahawi, a junior business minister, to be minister responsible for the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

Britain now has access to enough doses of Moderna’s vaccine candidate for around 3.5 million people. Overall, it has access to 357 million doses of vaccines from seven developers, according to government statement.

“With a wide range of vaccine candidates

The United States reported more than 205,000 new COVID-19 cases and 1,400 deaths on Friday as the number of confirmed infections in the country soared past 13 million. 

Over 30 states saw increases in new daily COVID-19 cases before the Thanksgiving holiday, leading experts to fear a post-holiday surge that could be compounded by the rest of the holiday season.

“We will not get a reprieve because then Christmas comes and then New Year comes,” Rush University Medical Center’s Dr. Meeta Shah said. “So, if we’re just stacking surge upon surge upon surge, I am significantly worried about that.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is due to hold an emergency meeting Tuesday in an attempt to fast track a potential coronavirus vaccine, while big cities like Los Angeles attempt to slow the spread of the virus with new lockdown orders.

Spiraling cases put more than 90,000 people in