Virus toll nears 200,000 as UN pushes for global vaccine effort

Half of humanity is still on some form of lockdown or stay-at-home order. [Image: AFP]

The global coronavirus death toll approached 200,000 on Saturday as the United Nations launched an international push for a vaccine to defeat the pandemic.

Governments around the world are struggling to limit the economic devastation unleashed by the virus, which has infected nearly 2.8 million people and left half of humanity under some form of lockdown.