BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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KIEV -- A total of 39,014 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,051 deaths have been reported in Ukraine as of Wednesday, while 17,409 patients have recovered, according to the country's health ministry.
In the last 24 hours, 940 new patients have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a new record in Ukraine.
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BERLIN -- Germany will focus on the "immediate handling" of the COVID-19 pandemic during its presidency of the Council of the European Union starting July, the government said Wednesday.
"The coronavirus had to be contained, the European economy rebuilt and social cohesion in Europe strengthened," the government announced after approving the agenda for the presidency.
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MINSK -- Belarus reported 458 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking its total to 59,945.
The country also reported 1,448 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 40,136, according to the country's health ministry.
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KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Wednesday reported 846 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 41,879 and the death toll to 337, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The new cases included 490 Kuwaiti nationals and 356 residents of other nationalities, the statement said.
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TOKYO -- The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed on Wednesday 55 new COVID-19 cases in the capital, topping 50 for the first time in Tokyo since early May, with the total now standing at 5,895 cases.
The spike in COVID-19 cases in the capital has triggered concerns about a broader resurgence of infections in Japan, with the rise coming after the government lifted its COVID-19 induced state of emergency declaration on May 25.
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BEIJING -- China's inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate has started its phase-3 clinical trial globally in the United Arab Emirates, according to the vaccine developer China National Biotec Group.
The clinical trial was officially initiated after a cooperation agreement was signed Tuesday, during a videoconference jointly held in Beijing, Wuhan and Abu Dhabi, the company said, adding that it is the first time that China's self-developed vaccine has carried out phase-3 clinical research internationally.
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MOSCOW -- Russia tallied 7,176 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 606,881, the country's coronavirus response center said in a statement on Wednesday.
The death toll grew by 154 to 8,513, while 368,822 people have recovered, including 12,393 over the last 24 hours, according to the statement. Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, reported 811 newly confirmed cases, taking its tally of infections to 216,906. Enditem
