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| - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: India posts a global record of 314,835 new infections in the past 24 hours -- the most of any country since the pandemic began -- as hospitals send out desperate warnings that patients could die without fresh oxygen supplies. Tokyo Olympics organisers report the first infection from the nationwide torch relay as the pandemic continues to play havoc with the Games, which are scheduled to take place this summer. Fake doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been sold in Mexico and Poland for as much as $2,500 a shot, the US drugmaker and an official confirm. An unvaccinated worker infected with a Covid variant sparks an outbreak at a US nursing home where nearly all the residents had been inoculated, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After an international mission to China turns up more questions than answers about the pandemic origins, the World Health Organization evaluates how to move forward through a diplomatic quagmire to solve the mystery. Christine Lagarde is expected to stress the European Central Bank's commitment to cheap money as Europe's biggest economies battle a surge in infections that could slow the eurozone recovery. French-Austrian vaccine developer Valneva announces it has launched a Phase 3 trial of its candidate vaccine -- the last testing stage before seeking regulatory approval. The US will offer tax credits to businesses that grant their employees time off to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or recover from its side effects. Around 4,000 guests will be allowed to attend next month's annual British music ceremony the Brit Awards as part of the government's pilot scheme easing restrictions for live events. One of Japan's biggest industrial events, the biennial Tokyo Motor Show that had been scheduled for the autumn, is cancelled for the first time ever because of the pandemic. French luxury goods group Hermes says its sales jumped 38 percent in the first quarter of the year compared with 2020, bolstered by a strong performance in Asia and the sharp rise driven mainly by increased demand for the group's bags. Montreal-based world-famous circus troupe Cirque du Soleil announces four of its shows will return to the stage after more than a year on hiatus due to the pandemic. At least 3,060,859 people have died of Covid-19 around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP. The United States is the worst-affected country with 569,404 deaths, followed by Brazil with 381,475, Mexico with 213,597, India with 184,657 and Britain with 127,327. burs-eab/txw
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