A British regulatory agency approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Wednesday. It could be dispersed within days to the neediest people, government officials said.
South Korean lawmakers say intelligence officials briefed them on the North's tough pandemic rules, including a Pyongyang lockdown and an execution of an official caught breaking restrictions.
Previous spikes in South Korea were linked to outbreaks at churches and protests. Health officials say the current wave appears to have no links to any major groups or events.
When Kansas issued a mask mandate, 81 counties opted out. Researchers found coronavirus infection rates rose sharply in the opt-out counties, while falling in those that required masks.
Saudi Arabia, which is hosting this year's virtual summit, opened up the two-day meeting urging leaders to mount a global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A large and isolated region of northeastern Canada entered a two-week lockdown as coronavirus cases creep up in areas, including largely Indigenous communities, with limited access to intensive care.
President-elect Joe Biden's science advisers say they need to be able to talk to federal scientists and get access to data so there's no hold-up in vaccines and other COVID-19 response.