LONDON (Sputnik) - Prominent businesses will provide various discounts and perks to induce UK citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and boost the country's vaccination drive, the government said on Sunday.
"Uber, Bolt, Deliveroo and Pizza Pilgrims are among the household names who will be offering discounts and incentives to customers who get a COVID-19 vaccine and help protect the country from the virus, as we continue the cautious return to normality," the government said in a statement.
Uber, for example, will be giving discounts for its Uber rides as well as meals on Uber Eats for vaccinated young people. Other offers may include vouchers or discount codes for those who book vaccination via the NHS, social media contests and promotional offers for restaurants.
The United Kingdom so far has administered over 85.1 million vaccine doses, with 88.6% of the country's adult population receiving at least one jab and 72.5% having got both shots already.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The world is going through an education crisis as millions of children remain out of schools due to the pandemic, the United Nations chief said on Sunday.
"We are in the middle of an education crisis. 156 million students are still affected by school closures due to #COVID19, and 25 million may never return," Antonio Guterres tweeted.
The post-COVID-19 recovery therefore should invest in teaching staff and innovative educational systems, he noted.
TOKYO (Sputnik) - Over 10,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Japan on Sunday, even though fewer tests are usually taken on weekend, the NHK broadcaster reported.
The country is witnessing a spike in infections. Tokyo's daily cases topped 3,000 for the first time on July 28, before hitting 4,000 three days later.
In total, the country has logged over 937,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 15,211 deaths.
The prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Osaka as well as Olympic host Tokyo have been put under a state of emergency until August 31.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia registered 22,804 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 23,807 the day before, taking the overall tally to 6,288,677, the federal response centre said on Sunday.
"Over the past day, 22,804 COVID-19 cases were confirmed across 85 Russian regions, including 1,959 cases (8.6%) without clinical symptoms", the centre said, adding that the rate of increase stands at 0.36%.
TOKYO (Sputnik) - Eight people related to the Olympic Games have had their accreditation revoked for violating safety regulations, the CEO of the organizing committee, Toshiro Muto, said.
On Saturday, 21 new coronavirus cases were registered at the Tokyo Olympics. There are no athletes among those who tested positive. On Sunday, 18 new positive tests, including one among athletes, were reported. The total number of Olympics-related infections stands at over 260.
Muto told reporters on Sunday that the burden on the healthcare system is "minimal" and as one week remains until the end of the Olympics, the organizers will do everything to ensure safe Paralympics.
