BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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DHAKA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh reached 271,881 on Friday as over 2,700 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

According to the figure reported by the DGHS under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2,766 new COVID-19 positive cases and 34 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

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BRUSSELS -- The European Union (EU) reached on Friday its first agreement to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19 once it is proven to be safe and effective, the European Commission said in a press release.

The deal, made with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, would secure the purchase of at least 300 million doses on behalf of the EU member states. The products could also be donated to lower and middle income countries or redirected to other European countries, said the press release.

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VIENNA -- Austria, a country with a population of nearly 9 million, has carried out over 1 million COVID-19 tests since the beginning of the pandemic, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said Friday.

"We have exceeded a historic mark," said Anschober at a press conference. "We currently have more tests than ever before."

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KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Friday reported 699 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 75,185 and the death toll to 494, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,951 patients are receiving treatment, including 115 in ICU, the statement added.

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BEIJING -- China will continue to work with Pakistan to fight COVID-19 and expand cooperation on assistance with medical supplies, experience exchanges, traditional Chinese medicine and vaccine development, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press conference when asked for a briefing on cooperation between China and Pakistan in the fight against COVID-19.

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HONG KONG -- Hong Kong on Friday revised down the official forecast on the gross domestic product (GDP) for this year weighed on by the COVID-19 outbreak, but pledged more efforts to help the economy bounce back after the epidemic is brought under control.

Andrew Au, an economist of the government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), predicted the GDP would drop 6 percent to 8 percent year-on-year in 2020 as the economic outlook is still highly uncertain.

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MANILA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 153,660 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 6,216 new daily cases on Friday.

The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 71,405 after 1,038 more patients recovered.

The death toll also increased to 2,442 after 16 more patients died.

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MOSCOW -- Russia registered 5,065 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 912,823, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Friday.

Meanwhile, 114 new deaths were reported, taking the nationwide toll to 15,498.

Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, reported 688 newly confirmed cases, taking its tally of infections to 250,991, the center said.

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JAKARTA -- The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 2,307 within one day to 135,123, with the death toll adding by 53 to 6,021, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, 2,060 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 89,618.

The virus has spread to all the country's 34 provinces.

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SOFIA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria have topped 14,069 after 176 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours, official figures showed Friday morning.

Meanwhile, two patients have died, bringing the nationwide toll to 484, while the number of recoveries from COVID-19 rose by 422 to 8,901, the health ministry said. Enditem

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