Japan on Friday reported 233,769 new coronavirus cases, down 4,966 from Thursday.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has tested positive for the coronavirus and is isolating at home.

The setting is straight from a spy thriller: Crystal waters below, snow-capped Swiss Alps above and in between, a super-secure facility researching the world’s deadliest pathogens.

North Korea said on Friday all of its fever patients have recovered, its first such claim since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the isolated economy.

Significant differences in lethality of coronavirus variants and the uneven spread of the virus suggest that it is an artificial creation, Chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said on Thursday.

Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 17,126 over the past day to 18,653,867, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Thursday.

Japan on Thursday reported 238,735 new coronavirus cases, down 11,095 from Wednesday.

New coronavirus cases fell 9% globally last week while deaths remained stable.

Resurging COVID-19 has hit many close aides to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, raising concern about day-to-day operations and the risk of him getting infected.