Paris (AFP)

New measures, new reports and highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

- Japan: "impurities" in Moderna vaccines -

Japan announced Thursday to suspend the use of 1.63 million doses of the vaccine of the American biotech Moderna against the coronavirus, after reports of the presence of impurities in three batches distributed in the country.

The Japanese pharmaceutical group Takeda, which imports and distributes Moderna's vaccine in Japan, said in a statement that it had received "reports from several vaccination centers that foreign bodies were found" in sealed vaccine vials.

- Russia: daily death record -

Russia on Thursday recorded a new daily record of deaths (820) linked to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, vaccination remaining sluggish and containment measures absent despite the wave of the Delta variant.

- Australia: more than 1,000 cases in 24 hours -

Australia recorded more than a thousand coronavirus infections on Thursday, a first since the start of the pandemic due to the spread of the Delta variant in Sydney.

The wave that began in Sydney in mid-June has more than 15,000 infections and is spreading to smaller towns, causing the return of restrictions and lockdowns in southwest Australia.

State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian nevertheless announced a slight easing of restrictions for people vaccinated from mid-September.

- New Zealand: Ardern defends the zero Covid strategy -

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defended her "zero Covid" strategy on Thursday, as the spread of the much more contagious Delta variant is undermining the effectiveness of a hitherto successful policy.

After six months without any case of local contamination, a case of this variant was discovered in Auckland last week, generating the largest outbreak in the country since the start of the pandemic, with a total of 277 cases recorded on Thursday.

- France: 3rd dose on September 13 in nursing homes -

In France, elderly residents of nursing homes will be able to receive a third dose of vaccine from September 13, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday.

- Iran: Raïssi promises to step up the fight against Covid -

Iranian President Ebrahim Raïssi on Thursday promised to step up the fight against Covid-19 and improve the economic situation, in a televised speech at the first meeting of his government, denouncing conditions that are not "not worthy" of Iran.

- More than 4.46 million dead -

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 4,461,431 people around the world since the end of December 2019, according to a report established Thursday at 10:00 GMT by AFP from official sources.

The United States is the most affected country with 632,272 deaths, ahead of Brazil (576,645), India (436,365), Mexico (255,452) and Peru (198,031).

The WHO estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that calculated from official figures.

burs-ang / cds / lch

© 2021 AFP