The latest on the coronavirus pandemic

Pennsylvania counted another 2,900 coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily increase since the pandemic began.

Health authorities in the state said that another 47 deaths had also been recorded, bringing the total number of fatalities there to 8,937.

The new numbers came as infections continued to rise across the United States.

Maryland added 1,198 new cases on Thursday, its second consecutive day of announcing over 1,000 infections. The Navy-Tulsa football game, scheduled for Saturday in Annapolis, was postponed after positive tests at the Naval Academy.

In El Paso, Texas, 1,920 cases were announced – a decline from the 3,100 recorded the day before, but still above the region’s seven-day rolling average.

The cases are announced one day after the US recorded 102,831 new coronavirus cases – its highest number yet, and the first time the nation has reached the six-figure milestone in daily infections.

New cases have increased 21% over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

New York City is reporting 633 new daily Covid-19 cases on a seven-day average, which is well above its self-established threshold of 550 cases, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio 

The rise continues to be an area of concern, de Blasio said, adding that while testing is part of why the number is ticking up, “we want to see that number go down.”

The daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected Covid-19 is at 95, under the 200 threshold and down slightly from yesterday, he said.

The confirmed positivity level of those patients in 23.7%. The percent of people who tested positive for Covid-19 citywide is at 1.43% which is “a better report,” de Blasio said.

The mayor described the rates as a “level we can work with” but one the city wants to “push down.”

“At least it shows again a levelling off in the city,” de Blasio added. 

On the reported spread of the virus in Staten Island, the mayor said the situation there “is different than what we saw in Brooklyn and Queens,” which he said were “extended areas, interconnected areas, a bigger phenomenon, a bigger trend.”

“This is more isolated, less of an uptick for sure,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) shared three key messages with member states ahead of its 73rd World Health Assembly next week: Covid-19 can be beaten, don’t backslide on other critical health goals and prepare for the next pandemic.

This year, the annual assembly will meet virtually – resuming on November 9.

It can be beaten

The WHO said although this is a global crisis, “many countries and cities have successfully prevented or controlled transmission with a comprehensive, evidence-based approach.”

“For the first time, the world has rallied behind a plan to accelerate the development of the vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics we need, and to ensure they are available to all countries on the basis of equity,” the organization said.

Maintain focus on other health goals

It added that there must not be backsliding on critical health goals.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is a sobering reminder that health is the foundation of social, economic and political stability,” it said, adding that this pandemic is a reminder of the importance of the organization’s overall efforts to increase health coverage and better protect populations from health emergencies.

The statement praised member states for implementing initiatives to expand immunizations and to tackle things like cervical cancer and eye care.

The WHO will discuss a 10-year-plan for addressing neglected tropical diseases as well as efforts to address other issues, including meningitis and maternal, infant and young child nutrition.

Prepare for next pandemic now

Thirdly, the release added that member states “must prepare for the next pandemic now.”

“We’ve seen this past year that countries with robust health emergency preparedness infrastructure have been able to act quickly to contain and control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” it said.

In the upcoming session, the WHO will consider a draft resolution that strengthens member states preparedness for future health emergencies.

“This resolution calls on the global health community to ensure that all countries are better equipped to detect and respond to cases of Covid-19 and other dangerous infectious diseases,” WHO said.

Spring lockdowns helped stop hospitals from overflowing and drove down Covid-19 infection rates, saving countless lives in the process. Now, after states reopened and the summer surge erased much of the progress made during shutdowns, the US is in the throes of what doctors say will be the worst coronavirus surge yet.

But there’s little appetite for more shutdowns. Instead, here’s what some governors and mayors are doing to try to get a grip on the pandemic:

Most states now have mask mandates

A growing number of cities and at least 33 states require masks to be worn inside public places or under specific circumstances.

Michigan is one of many states grappling with an onslaught of new Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. So last week, the state ordered residents to wear masks in any gathering of two or more people at places such as stores, offices and schools, the state’s health department said.

Local officials enact curfews

Some cities and counties are now under nightly curfews, including Miami-Dade County, Florida; El Paso County, Texas; and Pueblo, Colorado, which have all seen rampant spikes in new Covid-19 infections.

“What we are facing in Pueblo is a public health disaster, which threatens lives and our economy,” Mayor Nicholas Gradisar said Thursday in announcing a two-week curfew.

Meanwhile, El Paso County, Texas, has implemented a two-week curfew, said Judge Ricardo Samaniego, the top government official in the county. Samaniego said all hospitals and intensive care units in the El Paso area had already hit 100% capacity.

In Florida, anyone in Miami-Dade County must wear a mask in public when social distancing is not possible or when there is no physical barrier present, according to an order from County Mayor Carlos Giménez. Miami-Dade said the mask mandate is good for business, too.

Restaurants must collect diners’ personal info

In Michigan, restaurant diners and bar patrons must provide their phone numbers for contact tracing in case they get exposed to someone with coronavirus, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.

New York state announced similar rules in September. At least one member of each party dining at a restaurant indoors must provide contact information in case a contact tracer needs to reach them, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said.

Capacity slashed at stores and places of worship

Some states are also clamping down on crowd sizes, both indoors and outdoors.

Connecticut, which had been one of the most successful states at handling the pandemic, will limit restaurants to 50% capacity, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday.

Religious ceremonies in Connecticut are limited to 50% capacity or 100 people, whichever is smaller. Indoor event spaces are limited to 25 people, outdoor event spaces to 50 people, and theaters to 100 people.

Illinois is now under “resurgence mitigations” after test positivity rates soared in all regions of the state. As of Wednesday, all indoor restaurant and bar service is banned, and all meetings, gatherings or social events are limited to 25% capacity or a total of 25 guests, whichever is fewer.

In Colorado, health officials have backtracked on Denver’s reopening. Restaurants are now limited to 25% capacity indoors, or no more than 50 people total per room. Places of worship are capped at 25% capacity or 50 people, and retail stores are now limited to 25% capacity.

Read more:

Related article No one wants more shutdowns, but Covid-19 keeps raging. So some states have enacted these new rules

A cyclist passes a bar in Oslo, Norway, on September 23.

Norwegians are being urged to “stay at home as much as possible” to curb a “sharp rise” in Covid-19 infections, according to the Norwegian government on Thursday as it announced new restrictions.

The new measures, to be rolled out from Saturday, will place some limits on social gatherings, hospitality and education but are much less drastic than restrictions seen elsewhere in Europe.

Bars and restaurants will close at midnight and universities and colleges will be encouraged to reduce in-person learning in order to decrease the use of public transportation.

Private, indoor gatherings will be limited to 20 people, while organized indoor events will be limited to 50 without seats or 200 with seats. This comes after private households were told at the end of October to limit at-home gatherings to five guests.

Travelers arriving from the European Union’s “red list” of countries must present a certificate of a negative Covid-19 test, or they could be denied entry into Norway.  

Although data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows Norway currently has one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, cases have risen sharply in the last two weeks, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. 

Norwegian Health Minister Bent Høie said, “If this development continues, it will create major challenges for our health service, as we see happening in country after country in Europe.”

Norway has recorded at total of 22,575 coronavirus cases so far, including 56 new cases in the last day, with a death toll of 284, according to the latest government data released Wednesday.

The election is yet to be decided, but one thing is certain: the next President will have to deal with both the coronavirus pandemic and America’s massive unemployment problem.

Another 751,000 Americans claimed first-time jobless benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, the US Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s down slightly from the previous week.

Additionally, 362,883 workers who are ineligible for regular state benefits, such as the self-employed or gig workers, claimed aid under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

In total, first-time claims stood at 1.1 million last week without seasonal adjustments.

Continued jobless claims, which count workers who have applied for benefits for at least two weeks in a row, stood at 7.3 million – slightly down from the previous week.

Read more as this story is updated:

Related article Another 751,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week

A woman rides her bike in the district of St Michel on November 3 in Paris.

Paris will ban all food delivery and takeouts, as well as the sale of alcohol and the outdoor consumption of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., the French capital’s police force said in a Thursday statement. The new restrictions will come into effect on Friday.

Across France, concern is growing over hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) capacity. As of Wednesday, 4,080 Covid-19 patients were in intensive care, French health officials said. The last time there was this number of patients in ICU was in late April.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said France had seen a “considerable escalation” in new coronavirus cases. “France accounted for the third-highest number of new cases globally, with more than 275,000 cases reported in the past week (4,200 cases per million population): that is a 27% increase from the previous week,” WHO said Tuesday.

A Houston Texans player has tested positive for Covid-19, the football team said on Thursday. The player has immediately self-isolated and contract-tracing has begun.

The team facility will be closed for the day, with all operations to be conducted virtually and the National Football League’s intensive coronavirus protocols to be followed.

The Texans are scheduled to face the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday in Jacksonville, Florida.

People walk through an empty shopping center in Leeds, England, on November 4.

The UK government will extend government wage assistance for businesses until March next year in light of the worsening coronavirus pandemic and England’s second lockdown.

“The government will continue to help pay people’s wages up to 80% of the normal amount” in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, announced the British finance minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday.

Sunak said the government would review the “furlough scheme” policy in January “to decide whether economic circumstances are improving enough to ask employers to contribute more.”

“This Treasury is, has been and will always be the Treasury for the whole of the United Kingdom” he added.

The extension to March 2021 will mark one year since the furlough scheme was introduced at the beginning of the UK’s initial coronavirus lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Bank of England is pumping another £150 billion ($195 billion) into the UK economy after warning of a double-dip recession because of the coronavirus pandemic and an uncertain outlook because of Brexit.

England re-entered a national lockdown on Thursday, with restaurants, bars and non-essential businesses closed until December 2. The United Kingdom reported its second-largest daily increase in Covid-19 cases on Wednesday with 25,177 new infections recorded in 24 hours.

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, attends a news conference in Atlanta on October 21.

As the United States recorded its five highest days of coronavirus cases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said this is the perfect time to develop a strategy to better detect asymptomatic cases.

By the CDC’s estimate, 40% of people with Covid-19 show no symptoms.

Redfield’s tweet described a weekend meeting with fellow White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Deborah Birx and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to discuss testing and mitigation efforts in Utah. On Tuesday, Utah was among 21 states that saw their peak seven-day average for new daily cases.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas Tsai of the Harvard Global Health Institute told CNN in an email the time to develop a national testing strategy to identify asymptomatic Covid-19 infections passed a few months ago.

“The time to develop a national testing strategy to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 infections was a few months ago, but that ship has sailed,” Tsai said. “Now is the time to implement a testing strategy focused on screening of asymptomatic individuals.” 

Track Covid-19 cases in the US here:

Austria reported a daily record of 7,416 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

The country entered its second national lockdown this week, with new restrictions including a curfew between 8pm and 6am and the closure of leisure and culture facilities.

The nation has confirmed 132,515 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to the Ministry of the Interior. There have been 1,268 deaths due to the virus. 

The five highest single-day coronavirus case totals in the US have all come within the past seven days, according to CNN’s tally based on the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

Wednesday marked the first time cases have reached six figures – with 102,831 new infections reported – and it is now the highest single-day reporting since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The US also recorded 1,097 more coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday.

Track Covid-19 cases in the US here:

A health care professional in Abuja, Nigeria, works on a sample during a community Covid-19 testing campaign on April 15.

African countries continue to be spared the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic – with just under two million cases and 43,700 deaths across the continent – but the World Health Organization’s regional director says she’s very concerned by the knock-on effects on other health services.

Moeti cited preliminary WHO research that shows an extra 1.32 million children missed their first measles vaccination from January to August compared to last year. Highly contagious, measles is particularly worrying to public health officials who say any dropoff in vaccine drives could easily lead to more outbreaks.

WHO analysis also shows that in Nigeria there were 310 maternal deaths in health facilities in August – nearly double the amount recorded in 2019 – with more than 362,000 pregnant women missing antenatal care between March and August.

Moeti said that as countries have emerged from lockdowns, some delays are being overcome and many routine services, including immunization drives are being restored, urging the work to continue.

“Together, authorities, partners and communities must do more to protect the hard-fought gains made over many years in improving access to care and health outcomes in African countries,” Moeti said.

A thermographic image of passengers is displayed on a screen at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, on August 1.

South Korea will ban organizations from storing facial images on thermal cameras that scan for temperatures amid the Covid-19 pandemic, after the government said it found cases of images stored without consent.  

The new regulation applies to all public and private facilities that have installed thermal cameras, according to government authorities. The storage function should be disabled and, if it cannot be disabled, stored images and personal information must be deleted at least once a day.

Kim asked operators and facilities using thermal cameras to follow the rules while continuing efforts to prevent coronavirus from spreading.  

A health care professional works at a Covid-19 testing station in Erkheim, Germany, on November 4.

Countries across Europe are reporting record high numbers of new Covid-19 cases, as hospitalizations and intensive care admissions climb. Meanwhile, new lockdown restrictions are imposed in some parts of the continent this week. Here is what you need to know:

Greece

Greece will enter a three-week national lockdown starting on Saturday after the country saw almost 10,000 new coronavirus cases in just five days, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced Thursday. He said the exponential increase in coronavirus cases and increase in hospitalizations and patients in ICUs made this drastic measure necessary.

United Kingdom

England’s new lockdown began at midnight, with the country struggling to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Across the UK, health authorities have recorded more than 1.1 million coronavirus cases and 47,000 virus-related deaths so far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. It has the fifth-highest number of deaths in the world.

Poland

Poland on Thursday set another daily record for coronavirus infections, with 27,143 new infections in one day and 367 deaths. The total number of infections in Poland has reached 466,679, with the death toll currently at 6,842. On Saturday, Poland will implement further restrictions on schools and businesses to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Germany

Germany has reported 19,990 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the country’s disease control and prevention agency said on Thursday – its highest single-day tally since the pandemic began. The related death toll also rose by 118, according to the Robert Koch Institute. Germany went into a partial lockdown on Monday with entertainment venues, bars, cafés, and restaurants shutting down, apart from takeout and delivery services.

Czech Republic

In neighboring Czech Republic, the health ministry reported 15,729 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday – the country’s highest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began. Health authorities also reported 220 more virus-related deaths.

France

As of Wednesday, 4,080 Covid-19 patients were being treated in intensive care units in France, according to data from health officials. The last time there was this number of patients in ICU was in late April.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said France has seen a “considerable escalation” in new coronavirus cases. “France accounted for the third-highest number of new cases globally, with more than 275,000 cases reported in the past week (4,200 cases per million population): that is a 27% increase from the previous week,” WHO said Tuesday.

Russia

Russia reported more than 19,000 coronavirus cases for the first time on Wednesday – a new record for daily increases – according to the latest data from the country’s coronavirus response center. Russia has recorded a total of 1,693,454 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with at least 29,217 deaths officially reported by authorities.

China says it will “temporarily” ban travelers from Belgium, India, the Philippines and the UK from entering the country in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The same announcement was made by the Chinese Embassy in the UK on Wednesday and in India and the Philippines on Thursday – applying to all non-Chinese nationals in both countries.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Thursday that it is a “temporary measure” based on changes in the pandemic.

“China has referred to the practices of many countries and adjusted its approach to relevant people coming to China based on changes in the pandemic situation. This is reasonable and consistent with international practice, and I believe people can understand it,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

The change of seasons usually ushers in predictable cold symptoms many people have grown accustomed to dealing with several times a year. But seasonal sniffles, colds and flu have a harder time spreading when people are social distancing, wearing masks, and following other pandemic protocols.

“It’s the fact you’re keeping your distance, wearing a mask, washing your hands more, that you’re attentive that someone might have the illness and not know it,” said Wen, who is a professor of public health at George Washington University.

Wen pointed to Australia’s milder flu season during its winter months as further indication that “the same precautions used to protect against coronavirus also reduced instances of the flu.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has noted that Australia had the fewest number of flu cases “in memory” during its winter flu season, from April to September.

Fauci credited the flu shot, wearing masks, avoiding crowds, keeping physically distanced and frequent hand-washing as the actions that may have protected people in the Southern Hemisphere this winter.

“If you look at the data over many years about flu vaccines, they’re not perfect,” said Fauci, speaking with Washington, DC, radio station WTOP on September 17. “We know from the data that flu shots not only prevent infections; they prevent people who do get infected from getting serious progressive disease sometimes resulting in hospitalization.”

If you haven’t already gotten your flu shot, the time is now, according to experts. The start of flu season in the Northern Hemisphere is usually November, Wen said, and it’s best to get vaccinated before November.

Read more:

A man gets a flu shot at a health facility in Washington, DC January 31, 2020.

Related article Pandemic restrictions could make for a lighter flu season

A waiter packs away chairs in London's Soho area on November 4.

An English police force issued a statement on Thursday as the country entered a nationwide lockdown, warning the public that breaking restrictions is “unacceptable.”

The lockdown began at midnight, with the country struggling to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“People recklessly ignoring the regulations should expect to receive a fixed penalty notice,” Hewitt added. 

He said a minority of people had ignored the rules throughout the pandemic, but assured that police would “continue to engage with people proportionately, fairly and with common sense.”

Total case count: The UK has recorded more than 1.1 million coronavirus cases and 47,000 virus-related deaths so far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. It has the fifth-highest number of deaths in the world.

South Korean officials announced new Covid-19 restrictions for two cities in South Chungcheong Province on Thursday, as cases continue to rise.

The two cities have reported 78 confirmed cases in the past week from public facilities like bath houses, karaoke centers and bars. The number of infections is expected to grow as more family members and colleagues of confirmed cases contract the virus, according to a statement issued by the province. 

Stricter regulations are effective Thursday starting 6 p.m. local time. Fewer people will be allowed into various indoor facilities, and eating food will be banned in high-risk places.

Medical personnel care for a patient with Covid-19 at a hospital in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on October 30.

The Czech Republic reported 15,729 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, according to its health ministry – the country’s highest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began.

Health authorities also reported 220 more virus-related deaths

The new figures raise the country’s total number of cases to 378,716, with 4,133 related deaths.

See CNN’s live tracker of cases worldwide:

A health worker in PPE coveralls collects a swab sample from a man for coronavirus testing, at Khajuri Khas, on October 28, in New Delhi, India.

The Indian capital New Delhi is experiencing a third wave of Covid-19 cases, according to the city’s chief minister. 

The city reported 6,842 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday – its highest 24-hour rise in Covid-19 infections for the second day in a row, according to the New Delhi Health Department. The day before, the city reported 6,725 new cases.

New Delhi’s total case count is now 409,938. Of this total, 37,369 patients are still active cases.

India recorded 50,210 fresh cases on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said – taking the country’s total to 8.36 million cases and 124,315 related deaths.

The United States recorded 102,831 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. 

It marked the first time the country’s daily new cases reached six figures – and is the highest single-day jump in infections since the pandemic began.

The US also recorded 1,097 more coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday.

Weekly high: It comes after the country reported more than 600,000 new cases in a week for the first time, as experts warn that the surge in infections could continue to worsen as winter arrives.

The US has now reported a total of 9.48 million confirmed cases and more than 233,000 related deaths.

CNN is tracking US cases live:

A health care worker waits to test a patient in Erkheim, Germany, on November 4.

Germany has reported 19,990 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the country’s disease control and prevention agency said on Thursday – its highest single-day tally since the pandemic began.

The related death toll also rose by 118, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Germany has now reported 597,583 total cases and 10,930 related deaths, according to RKI.

In an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19, more than 2,200 prisoners in New Jersey were released on Wednesday under a new law.

The law, passed by the state legislature in September, allows for sentencing credits to be rewarded to inmates within a year of completing their sentence during a public health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.

Another 1,167 people will be released on a rolling basis before March 4, 2021, New Jersey Department of Corrections spokesperson Matt Schuman told CNN.

How it works: Under the bill, inmates – including eligible juveniles – are awarded public health emergency credits that can cut up to eight months off their sentence during any declared emergency period.

Inmates serving sentences for murder, aggravated sexual assault or who have been deemed a repetitive, compulsive sex offender are not eligible for early release, according to the law.

This is the first bill of its kind in the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Read the full story:

Related article New Jersey releases more than 2,200 eligible inmates under nation's public health crisis sentencing law

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved a new test that can detect both Covid-19 and seasonal flu from one sample, the country’s health authority announced in a briefing yesterday. 

Through this method, patients can get results on COVID-19 and seasonal flu from a single test within three to six hours, said South Korean health official Yoon Tae-ho.

South Korea’s cases: On Thursday, South Korea reported 125 cases of coronavirus – the highest daily increase since Oct 23, according to the Korea Disease Control Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Of these 125 cases, 17 were imported.

The new figures raised the country’s total to 27,050 confirmed infections and 475 deaths, according to KDCA.

A medical worker collects a sample from a person for nucleic acid testing in Shufu County of Kashgar Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on October 26.

China’s far western Xinjiang region reported 10 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, according to the Xinjiang Municipal Health Commission.

The new cases include eight symptomatic cases and two asymptomatic cases, and were all reported in Shufu county in Kashgar city, the office said in a statement.

China keeps a separate count of symptomatic and asymptomatic cases and does not include asymptomatic carriers of the virus in the official tally of confirmed cases.

The latest figures follow a recent cluster in the region; on Tuesday, Shufu county alone reported 118 new cases, according to the Xinjiang Information Office. 

The outbreak began in late October, when an asymptomatic case was identified in Kashgar, prompting the city to launch a citywide mass testing program for millions of residents.

As of Wednesday midnight, Xinjiang has reported 339 asymptomatic cases and 72 symptomatic cases since October.

Australia has secured another 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, bringing the country’s total purchase to more than 134 million doses, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in a press release on Thursday. 

Forty million of the new doses will be supplied by Novavax, while Pfizer and BioNTech will supply 10 million doses, he said. 

Prime Minister Morrison said investing in different vaccines will be crucial to ensure the country gains early access to a vaccine.

“We aren’t putting all our eggs in one basket and we will continue to pursue further vaccines should our medical experts recommend them,” he added. 

Supply deals between countries and vaccine makers have so far favored developed countries and territories including Australia, the UK, US, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel, as well as the European Union.

Developing countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico have also secured vaccine deals, but the Serum Institute of India (SII) recently predicted it will take four to five years for the vaccine to reach everyone around the globe.