COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 29 July

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 195.9 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.18 million. More than 3.97 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

New South Wales, Australia, has recorded its largest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

Johnson & Johnson said yesterday the US Food and Drug Administration has extended the shelf life of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine from 4.5 to 6 months.

American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks has been ruled out of the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19, which has, in turn, led to members of the Australian team being put into isolation.

It comes as a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson confirmed that two people attending from overseas have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Neither case was said to be serious.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told his government to open the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme to anyone who wants a vaccine.

Federal agencies across the US have mandated masks at federal buildings in COVID-19 hotspots, following new instructions issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

It comes as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that two-thirds of US counties had COVID-19 transmission rates high enough to warrant indoor mask-wearing.

Cambodia is set to introduce a lockdown in eight provinces bordering Thailand from midnight tonight. It's hoped the measure will prevent the spread of the Delta variant in the country.

New Zealand's health regulator has given provisional approval for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It's only been using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in its inoculation programme so far.

Alberta, Canada, is dropping its quarantine requirement for close contacts of COVID-19 cases. It comes as the neighbouring state of British Columbia reintroduces mandatory mask-wearing.

Restrictions could be tightened in Viet Nam's major cities in response to rising COVID-19 cases, authorities said yesterday.

Fully vaccinated arrivals to England from the European Union and United States will not need to quarantine from next week. Devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales said they would follow suit.

The move is seen as a major boost for airlines and travel companies, although some warned that more was needed and criticised the move as coming too late.

"It's the right thing, it should be done, but like I said it is little bit too late," easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren told LBC.

France is not included in the exemption, with the UK government citing the presence of the Beta variant there.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned that COVID-19 continues to hit the Americas hard. Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador and Paraguay are all among the countries with the world's highest weekly death rates.

The last week saw more than 1.26 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 29,000 deaths reported in the region.

"As COVID continues to circulate, too many places have relaxed the public health and social measures that have proven effective against this virus," PAHO Director Carissa Etienne told a briefing.

And with just 16.6% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean fully vaccinated against COVID-19, there are significant hurdles still to overcome.

"The good news is that vaccines work against the variants, including Delta, in terms of preventing severe disease and death. The bad news is that we do not have yet enough vaccines to stop community transmission," Etienne added.