New Zealand has no active COVID-19 cases after the country's final patient was given the all clear and released from isolation, health authorities said Monday.

Most people arriving in Britain from Monday will have to self-isolate for two weeks under a new coronavirus restriction that has been roundly condemned by the ailing aviation sector.

The global death toll from the coronavirus neared 400,000 on Sunday with fatalities accelerating in Latin America, as oil-producing countries agreed to extend output cuts to offset a collapse in prices caused by the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is now "under control" in France, the head of the government's scientific advisory council said Friday, as the country cautiously lifts the lockdown imposed in March to contain the outbreak.

Patients with high blood pressure admitted to hospital with coronavirus infections are twice as likely to die as those without the condition, researchers said on Friday.

The US recorded 1,021 new coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker Thursday at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Friday).

This brings the total number of deaths in the country to 108,120, with more than 1.87 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Baltimore-based university said.

Brazil's death toll from the new coronavirus surpassed Italy's to become the third-highest in the world Thursday, as the UN's secretary-general called for a "people's vaccine" to stem the pandemic.

Brazil and Mexico reported record daily coronavirus death tolls as governments in Latin America battled to fortify defenses against the accelerating pandemic with fresh lockdown orders and curfews.

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche said Thursday the US authorities had given it emergency clearance for a test identifying patients most at risk of a dangerous immune response to coronavirus infection.

Italy reopened to travelers from Europe on Wednesday, three months after the country went into coronavirus lockdown, with all hopes pinned on reviving the key tourism industry as the summer season begins.