PARIS (AFP) – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– Waiving vaccine patents –

International support grows for a US proposal to waive patents on much-needed vaccines, but the chief of Pfizer says he is “not at all” in favour and the German government says patent protection “must remain”.

– India’s grim new records –

Health ministry numbers show record jumps both in deaths and new cases in India, with 3,980 people dying in the past 24 hours as well as 412,262 new infections, dashing hopes that the catastrophic surge in the country is easing.

Experts say the real toll could be considerably higher.

– Jabs for kids –

Moderna says its vaccine is 96 percent effective among youths aged 12 to 17, according to the results of its first clinical trials.

And Germany will aim to offer vaccines to children aged 12 and over by the end of August once they are approved for younger people by the European regulator.

– One shot Sputnik –

Health officials in Russia approve a single-dose version of the Sputnik V vaccine.

– One million Swedish cases –

Sweden announces it has recorded over one million cases, nearly a tenth of the population, giving it one of the highest caseloads in Europe.

– Better forecast in Britain –

The Bank of England says Britain’s economy will rebound more sharply than expected this year, by 7.25 percent, on easing coronavirus curbs.

– US jobless down –

New applications for unemployment aid in the US dropped below 500,000 last week for the first time since the pandemic began as vaccines helped businesses rehire.

– Vaccines for Olympics –

Pfizer-BioNTech announce a deal with the International Olympic Committee to provide vaccines to competitors and staff at the Tokyo Games.

– World Cup qualifiers off –

FIFA confirms that the African World Cup qualifiers scheduled for June have been postponed until September.

– Over 3.2 million dead –

The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 3,244,598 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in late 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.

The US is the worst-affected country with 579,280 deaths, followed by Brazil with 414,399, India 230,168, Mexico 218,007 and Britain 127,570.