Coronavirus outbreak to be far more deadly this year, warns WHO

The WHO issued a grim warning that the second year of Covid-19 was set to be far more deadly, as Japan extended a state of emergency amid growing calls for the Olympics to be scrapped.

As per details, the mood also darkened in Japan where the COVID-19 state of emergency took in another three regions just 10 weeks before the Olympics.

Reportedly, several campaigners submitted a petition with over 350,000 signatures calling for the Olympics to be cancelled.

In Japan, the areas under emergency orders includes Tokyo, Hiroshima, Okayama and northern Hokkaido.

Moreover, in Taiwan too with the capital indefinitely closing down entertainment venues, libraries and sports centers in a bid to contain the spread of virus.

The island has been a global leader in containing the pandemic, with just 1,290 confirmed cases and 12 deaths.

However, the move to combat a fourth wave putting Japan's medical system under strain comes with public opinion is firmly opposed to holding the Games this summer.

More than 161.32 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 3,487,298​  have died since the virus first emerged in late 2019.

India meanwhile started deploying Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the first foreign-made shot to be used in the country that has been reeling from a deadly surge in cases and deaths.