Coronavirus: latest global developments

The pandemic has killed at least 521,384 people worldwide since it surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally on Friday based on official sources. 

The United States is the hardest-hit country with 128,740 deaths. It is followed by Brazil with 61,884, Britain with 43,995, Italy with 34,818 and France with 29,875 fatalities.

- Latin America passes Europe -

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Latin America on Friday passes Europe in number of cases with more than 2.73 million officially declared infections. 

- New US record cases ahead of July 4 -

Pandemic epicentre the United States posts a record 53,069 new daily cases.

Amid a surge of cases in southern and western states, Florida and other so-called "Sun Belt" states have been forced to re-shut restaurants, bars and beaches as the nation prepares for the Independence Day weekend.

- EU authorises remdesivir -

The EU's executive Commission authorises the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat the new coronavirus, in what it describes as "a first medicine to treat COVID-19".

It gave the green light following the advice of the European Medicines Agency which has given its conditional authorisation for the treatment of patients above 12 years of age who are suffering pneumonia and require extra oxygen.

- England gives quarantine exemptions -

Travellers from more than 50 countries including France, Italy and Spain -- but not the United States -- can stop self-isolating on arrival in England from July 10, the UK government announces.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will each announce their own separate rules depending on how they work in England.

Peru on Thursday passed the 10,000-death mark.

- North Korea remains closed -

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signals the country will keep its borders closed for the foreseeable future and maintain tough isolation measures, warning against the "hasty" relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures, according to state media. 

Pyongyang insists it has not had a single case of COVID-19, but closed its borders in late January as the virus spread in neighbouring China.

- Current COVID-19 more contagious -

The genetic variation of the novel coronavirus rampaging in the world today is more contagious than the original that emerged in China late last year, according to a new study published in the journal Cell on Thursday.

The lab-based research suggests this current mutation is more transmissible between people in the real world compared to the previous iteration, but this yet to be proven.

- Football teams flee Melbourne -

Stadiums in Australia's second city biggest Melbourne, which has seen a flare up of coronavirus, have been abandoned by all 10 of its Australian Rules teams who decide to temporarily relocate elsewhere from the key hub for the country's most popular spectator sport.