Russia's main coronavirus hotspots Moscow and Saint Petersburg reached new pandemic highs for Covid-19 deaths on Monday, as the country battles a surging third wave driven by the Delta variant.

The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus has become widespread in most countries but it has not yet reached Lebanon, the caretaker health minister’s advisor, Mohammed Haidar, said on Sunday.

“Its presence in more than 100 nations might lead to its arrival in Lebanon through expats,” Haidar warned.

Moscow on Sunday recorded 144 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the worst toll in a Russian city since the start of the pandemic, news reports said quoting official data.

Africa is facing a vicious coronavirus resurgence, with unprecedented hospital admissions and fatalities pushing health facilities to the brink as the continent falls far behind in the global vaccination drive.

The Israeli health ministry reimposed a requirement Friday for masks to be worn in enclosed public places following a surge in Covid cases since it was dropped 10 days ago. 

Russia on Thursday reported more than 20,000 new coronavirus infections and 568 deaths, a peak not seen since January, as the country battles a surging outbreak of the Delta variant worsened by a sluggish jab drive.

Israel announced Wednesday a delay to the renewed entry of individual tourists and said it could take other steps to counter the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus despite the country's high vaccination rate.

Sydneysiders were largely banned from leaving the city Wednesday as Australian authorities rushed to stop a growing outbreak of the highly contagious Delta Covid-19 variant from spreading to other regions.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned Tuesday of a "new outbreak" of coronavirus in Israel after a rise in infections he said was likely due to returning travelers carrying the Delta variant.

The U.S. government won't meet its goal of administering one or more doses of a Covid vaccine to 70 percent of U.S. adults by July 4, White House Covid response team coordinator Jeffrey Zients conceded Tuesday.