French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced strict measures to combat the virus including bringing forward the night curfew which will now come into effect from 6pm onwards.

Watch:

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The new curfew guidelines will come into effect from Saturday. Castex said schools will remain open however if the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-strain-of-coronavirus-not-from-uk-detected-in-france-355567">infection </a>rates rose he would put the country back in lockdown.

"Our situation of course remains worrying, although it has stabilised in general in recent days. We remain at a high plateau, with a fluctuating daily average of around 16,000 new infections per day," the French PM said.

Castex said the pressure on hospitals in the country remains "stable" but it is at a "high rate".&nbsp;

"We will have to immediately decide for a new lockdown because we have to, as we have incessantly done so from the beginning of this crisis, prepare for all possibilities," Castex asserted.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-confirms-two-clusters-of-uk-coronavirus-variant-355556">France</a> has also decided to tighten border control with all travellers required to show a negative test before departing and to present negative results to board a plane or a boat.

France currently has over 2.9 million coronavirus cases with over 69,4500 fatalities.

Meanwhile, the UK imposed a travel ban on travellers from South American countries and Portugal over concerns of the new COVID-19 variant identified in Brazil.

The ban which came into effect from Friday which includes over ten countries in the South American belt. The new travel ban applies to people who have travelled from, or through, the South American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile in the last ten days.

"I've taken the urgent decision... following evidence of a new variant in Brazil," transport secretary Grant Shapps said, adding,"This measure does not apply to British and Irish nationals and third country nationals with residence rights."

PM Boris Johnson has expressed concerns about the Brazilian variant as Britain continues to ramp up efforts to contain the UK variant of the virus in the country.

Britain has been hit hard with the virus with over 3.2 million infections and over 86,160 deaths.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced strict measures to combat the virus including bringing forward the night curfew which will now come into effect from 6pm onwards.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced strict measures to combat the virus including bringing forward the night curfew which will now come into effect from 6pm onwards. Watch: The new curfew guidelines will come into effect from Saturday. Castex said schools will remain open however if the infection rates rose he would put the country back in lockdown. "Our situation of course remains worrying, although it has stabilised in general in recent days. We remain at a high plateau, with a fluctuating daily average of around 16,000 new infections per day," the French PM said. Castex said the pressure on hospitals in the country remains "stable" but it is at a "high rate". "We will have to immediately decide for a new lockdown because we have to, as we have incessantly done so from the beginning of this crisis, prepare for all possibilities," Castex asserted. France has also decided to tighten border control with all travellers required to show a negative test before departing and to present negative results to board a plane or a boat. France currently has over 2.9 million coronavirus cases with over 69,4500 fatalities. Meanwhile, the UK imposed a travel ban on travellers from South American countries and Portugal over concerns of the new COVID-19 variant identified in Brazil. The ban which came into effect from Friday which includes over ten countries in the South American belt. The new travel ban applies to people who have travelled from, or through, the South American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile in the last ten days. "I've taken the urgent decision... following evidence of a new variant in Brazil," transport secretary Grant Shapps said, adding,"This measure does not apply to British and Irish nationals and third country nationals with residence rights." PM Boris Johnson has expressed concerns about the Brazilian variant as Britain continues to ramp up efforts to contain the UK variant of the virus in the country. Britain has been hit hard with the virus with over 3.2 million infections and over 86,160 deaths.

France tightens coronavirus border controls; UK bans South American arrivals

Ahead of president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration in the United States, the centre of Washington was put on lockdown with over 20,000 armed National Guard troops on the streets days after the violence in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/inside-the-capitol-for-impeachment-national-guard-in-every-corner-356655">Capitol </a>which stunned the nation.

Watch:

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Police chief Robert Contee said the country's capital was facing &nbsp;"a major security threat" with downtown Washington off-limits to traffic.

Amid the unprecedented security, reports said the US Secret Service is contemplating shutdown of the entire National Mall running from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial where people traditionally gather to celebrate the inauguration of a new president.

US officials had earlier warned of armed protests in Washington and all 50 states by pro-<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-the-city-that-made-donald-trump-ends-ties-with-him-356776">Trump </a>supporters with some law enforcement officials saying that the violence to spill beyond Washington.

US airlines United Airlines, Delta and American have announced that they will not allow travellers flying to Washington area airports to check firearms on their flights.

National railroad service Amtrak informed that it was deploying additional police officers on its trains.

However, Vice President Mike Pence assured the nation that his administration will ensure a "safe inauguration".

"We're going to ensure that we have a safe inauguration and that president-elect Joe Biden, vice president-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in as the new president and vice president," Pence said in his first public appearance since the January 6 violence at the Capitol.

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that he was "concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in DC and at state capitol buildings around the country."

Ahead of president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration in the United States, the centre of Washington was put on lockdown with over 20,000 armed National Guard troops on the streets days after the violence in Capitol which stunned the nation.

Ahead of president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration in the United States, the centre of Washington was put on lockdown with over 20,000 armed National Guard troops on the streets days after the violence in Capitol which stunned the nation. Watch: Police chief Robert Contee said the country's capital was facing "a major security threat" with downtown Washington off-limits to traffic. Amid the unprecedented security, reports said the US Secret Service is contemplating shutdown of the entire National Mall running from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial where people traditionally gather to celebrate the inauguration of a new president. US officials had earlier warned of armed protests in Washington and all 50 states by pro-Trump supporters with some law enforcement officials saying that the violence to spill beyond Washington. US airlines United Airlines, Delta and American have announced that they will not allow travellers flying to Washington area airports to check firearms on their flights. National railroad service Amtrak informed that it was deploying additional police officers on its trains. However, Vice President Mike Pence assured the nation that his administration will ensure a "safe inauguration". "We're going to ensure that we have a safe inauguration and that president-elect Joe Biden, vice president-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in as the new president and vice president," Pence said in his first public appearance since the January 6 violence at the Capitol. FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that he was "concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in DC and at state capitol buildings around the country."

Ahead of Biden's inauguration, Washington on lockdown amid security threat

President-elect Joe Biden will propose injecting $1.9 trillion into the US economy when he takes office next week, as evidence mounts that the recovery from the sharp downturn caused by Covid-19 is flagging.

With his fellow Democrats narrowly controlling both houses of Congress, Biden has a shot at passing what would be the United States' third massive pandemic aid package.

Dubbed the American Rescue Plan, the proposal released Thursday includes a host of measures aimed at revitalizing the world's largest economy.

Biden aims to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, help struggling state and local governments, safely reopen schools, roll out a massive Covid-19 vaccination campaign and raise the size of stimulus checks Congress approved last month.

"The return on these investment in jobs, racial equity will prevent long-term economic damage, and the benefits will far surpass the cost," Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. "In this moment of crisis... we cannot afford inaction."

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi embraced Biden's plan, vowing to put it before lawmakers.

"We will get right to work to turn President-elect Biden's vision into legislation that will pass both chambers and be signed into law," they said in a joint statement.

But this is just the first step, and the officials said Biden intends to present a second "recovery" plan to lawmakers soon after his inauguration on Wednesday aimed at spurring hiring and fighting climate change.

"We'll use taxpayers' dollars to rebuild America. We'll buy American products, supporting millions of American manufacturing jobs, enhancing our competitive strength in an increasingly competitive world," Biden said.

The government on Thursday reported a spike in new jobless claim filings in the first week of 2021 to nearly a million, its highest level since August, while official data last week showed the economy shed jobs in December.

Biden, 78, will take office after a tumultuous transition that saw a violent mob invade the US Capitol, egged on by outgoing President Donald Trump, as lawmakers were meeting to certify the Democrat's election victory.

His stimulus proposal builds on two massive relief packages Congress approved in 2020, both increasing and extending through September unemployment benefits that have helped tens of millions of people pay their bills after losing their jobs during the pandemic.

It additionally calls for devising a way to maintain those programs if unemployment stays high, and also continues expanded government food assistance as the country struggles with some of its highest hunger levels in modern times.

But controversy could await the plan's provision of $350 billion in funding to state and local governments, which Republican lawmakers blocked throughout last year.&nbsp;

Also potentially challenging is the president-elect's move to increase the size of stimulus checks Americans received in the December package to $2,000, which would fulfill a campaign promise.

But with only the slimmest of majorities in Congress -- including an evenly split Senate where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris could have a tie-breaking vote -- Democrats will have to woo some Republicans if anyone in their party breaks ranks.

One Democratic senator has already expressed hesitation over increasing the payments, but earlier this week Republican Senator Marco Rubio told Biden he would back the additional aid.

The proposal also calls for $160 billion to fight Covid-19, including through a national vaccination campaign, and $170 billion for schools, with the goal of getting most institutions with students in kindergarten through eighth grade open in the first 100 days of his administration.

Prior to the release of the specifics, Michael Feroli of JP Morgan predicted Congress could pare Biden's plan down to the $900 billion range, matching the measure approved last month.

Even the smaller amount would boost GDP growth this year to 5.3 percent and in 2022 to 2.6 percent, he said, a "remarkable expected turnaround" aided also by negligible inflation and the Federal Reserve's maintenance of low borrowing rates.

Other aspects of Biden's plan include expanding tax credits aimed at fighting poverty and helping working parents afford childcare, plus extending a moratorium on evictions.

The plan offers flexible credits and grants for the small businesses that are major employers but have struggled to survive as states imposed restrictions to stop the virus.

President-elect Joe Biden will propose injecting $1.9 trillion into the US economy when he takes office next week, as evidence mounts that the recovery from the sharp downturn caused by Covid-19 is flagging.

President-elect Joe Biden will propose injecting $1.9 trillion into the US economy when he takes office next week, as evidence mounts that the recovery from the sharp downturn caused by Covid-19 is flagging. With his fellow Democrats narrowly controlling both houses of Congress, Biden has a shot at passing what would be the United States' third massive pandemic aid package. Dubbed the American Rescue Plan, the proposal released Thursday includes a host of measures aimed at revitalizing the world's largest economy. Biden aims to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, help struggling state and local governments, safely reopen schools, roll out a massive Covid-19 vaccination campaign and raise the size of stimulus checks Congress approved last month. "The return on these investment in jobs, racial equity will prevent long-term economic damage, and the benefits will far surpass the cost," Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. "In this moment of crisis... we cannot afford inaction." Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi embraced Biden's plan, vowing to put it before lawmakers. "We will get right to work to turn President-elect Biden's vision into legislation that will pass both chambers and be signed into law," they said in a joint statement. But this is just the first step, and the officials said Biden intends to present a second "recovery" plan to lawmakers soon after his inauguration on Wednesday aimed at spurring hiring and fighting climate change. "We'll use taxpayers' dollars to rebuild America. We'll buy American products, supporting millions of American manufacturing jobs, enhancing our competitive strength in an increasingly competitive world," Biden said. The government on Thursday reported a spike in new jobless claim filings in the first week of 2021 to nearly a million, its highest level since August, while official data last week showed the economy shed jobs in December. Biden, 78, will take office after a tumultuous transition that saw a violent mob invade the US Capitol, egged on by outgoing President Donald Trump, as lawmakers were meeting to certify the Democrat's election victory. His stimulus proposal builds on two massive relief packages Congress approved in 2020, both increasing and extending through September unemployment benefits that have helped tens of millions of people pay their bills after losing their jobs during the pandemic. It additionally calls for devising a way to maintain those programs if unemployment stays high, and also continues expanded government food assistance as the country struggles with some of its highest hunger levels in modern times. But controversy could await the plan's provision of $350 billion in funding to state and local governments, which Republican lawmakers blocked throughout last year. Also potentially challenging is the president-elect's move to increase the size of stimulus checks Americans received in the December package to $2,000, which would fulfill a campaign promise. But with only the slimmest of majorities in Congress -- including an evenly split Senate where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris could have a tie-breaking vote -- Democrats will have to woo some Republicans if anyone in their party breaks ranks. One Democratic senator has already expressed hesitation over increasing the payments, but earlier this week Republican Senator Marco Rubio told Biden he would back the additional aid. The proposal also calls for $160 billion to fight Covid-19, including through a national vaccination campaign, and $170 billion for schools, with the goal of getting most institutions with students in kindergarten through eighth grade open in the first 100 days of his administration. Prior to the release of the specifics, Michael Feroli of JP Morgan predicted Congress could pare Biden's plan down to the $900 billion range, matching the measure approved last month. Even the smaller amount would boost GDP growth this year to 5.3 percent and in 2022 to 2.6 percent, he said, a "remarkable expected turnaround" aided also by negligible inflation and the Federal Reserve's maintenance of low borrowing rates. Other aspects of Biden's plan include expanding tax credits aimed at fighting poverty and helping working parents afford childcare, plus extending a moratorium on evictions. The plan offers flexible credits and grants for the small businesses that are major employers but have struggled to survive as states imposed restrictions to stop the virus.

Biden unveils $1.9 trillion economic plan as US recovery buckles

Johnson &amp; Johnson expects to release critical results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial in as little as two weeks — a potential boon in the effort to protect Americans from the coronavirus — but most likely won’t be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of unanticipated manufacturing delays.

If the vaccine can strongly protect people against COVID-19, as some outside scientists expect, it would offer big advantages over the two vaccines authorized in the United States. Unlike those products, which require two doses, Johnson &amp; Johnson’s could need just one, greatly simplifying logistics for local health departments and clinics struggling to get shots in arms. What’s more, its vaccine can stay stable in a refrigerator for months, whereas the others have to be frozen.

But the encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the company’s production. In the company’s $1 billion contract signed with the federal government in August, Johnson &amp; Johnson pledged to have 12 million doses of its vaccine ready by the end of February, ramping up to a total of 100 million doses by the end of June.

Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and won’t catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Carlo de Notaristefani, lead manufacturing adviser for Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine development program, acknowledged a delay but said the company might be able to catch up with initial production goals by March.

“I agree there was a problem,” de Notaristefani said. But he added, “Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals is not a black box where you turn the key and start counting.”

Any delay could be critical because the federal government has secured only enough vaccine doses to inoculate 200 million of the roughly 260 million eligible adults in the first half of this year. With the nation in the grip of its largest surge of the coronavirus to date and the death toll escalating to as high as 4,000 a day, Americans desperate to be vaccinated are lining the sidewalks outside vaccination centers.

Fears about the virus have only escalated with the scientific discovery last month that the country has been seeded with a new, highly contagious variant. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it would no longer hold back vaccine stocks for second doses in order to get more people at least partly vaccinated more quickly.

Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson &amp; Johnson’s chief scientific officer, said he expected to see clinical trial data showing whether his company’s vaccine is safe and effective in late January or early February. But he declined to provide details about the company’s production capacity.

“We are not ready to release the numbers month by month at the moment, as we are in the discussion with the FDA,” he said.

If the data is positive and the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the vaccine for emergency use, he added, “hopefully somewhere in March we’ll be able to contribute” to the nation’s vaccination drive.

That Johnson &amp; Johnson’s timetable has slipped is not unusual given the frantic pace of vaccine development amid the worst pandemic in a century. But the delay also highlights the unrealistic promises of Operation Warp Speed.

The premise of the program was that the federal government would front the costs of development and manufacturing so that vaccine makers could mass-produce doses even before the vaccines were proved to work. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for Warp Speed, said in December that Johnson &amp; Johnson’s vaccine would be a “game changer” in the pandemic.

But at a Tuesday news conference, Slaoui said that instead of 12 million doses envisioned in the contract by the end of February, the company was likely to have in the “single-digit” millions. He also said the company was “trying to make that number get as close to a double-digit number as possible, and then a larger number in March and a much larger number in April.” Another person familiar with the company’s progress said it was poised to deliver only perhaps 3 million or 4 million doses of its vaccine by the end of next month.

In a statement, a Johnson &amp; Johnson spokesman said: “We are confident we can meet our contractual obligations to supply our vaccine candidate to the US&nbsp;government.”

De Notaristefani, Operation Warp Speed’s manufacturing chief, said the government’s contracts with vaccine makers were written at a time of great uncertainty, with the understanding that unforeseen obstacles could throw off the timetables. “Numbers are never cast in stone when you start a new process,” he said, adding that the company had to transfer its manufacturing from the Netherlands to a plant in Baltimore. “I really think that technically they couldn’t do it earlier.”

Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said that state health officials were clearly excited about Johnson &amp; Johnson’s one-dose vaccine.

“You can get it, and you’re done,” he said. “Everybody is eager to have it out there. It has a lot of potential.”

But even if Johnson &amp; Johnson’s vaccine pans out, Plescia said, it won’t be enough. He predicted that state health departments would need a total of four vaccines in the next six months if they hope to reach their goals of offering a vaccine to every American who wants one.

“Or else the public is going to get very frustrated, because they’re ready for it to be opened up, and there isn’t adequate supply to do that,” Plescia said.

Johnson &amp; Johnson is by no means alone in its manufacturing delays. Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chief executive, told investors in the fall that his company had agreed to deliver 40 million doses of its vaccine to the federal government in 2020, assuming it proved successful in clinical trials. In the end, the company had only half that many ready to ship.

No one — including company executives — knows whether Johnson &amp; Johnson’s vaccine will work. But Lynda Coughlin, a virus expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who is not involved in the trial, said that the design of the vaccine and the results from early trials made her optimistic.

“Hopefully the results from Johnson &amp; Johnson are just really going to knock it out of the park,” she said.

Johnson &amp; Johnson’s COVID vaccine is fundamentally different from the authorized vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Those two consist of genetic molecules encased in oily bubbles. Johnson &amp; Johnson built its vaccine from a virus that causes common colds, known as an adenovirus.

Testing the vaccine on monkeys, the researchers found that a single shot was enough to protect the animals from infection. When they tried out different formulations of the vaccine in early clinical trials, they were pleased to see that the vaccine prompted a strong antibody response with a single dose.

On Wednesday, Johnson &amp; Johnson researchers and their colleagues published the full details of these early clinical trials in the New England Journal of Medicine. They reported that when they checked the blood of volunteers 71 days after receiving a single dose, their levels of coronavirus antibodies were still high. In some cases they were still increasing.

As results of the early clinical trials emerged over the summer, the company had to make a high-stakes decision: proceed with a clinical trial of two doses, which had the most likelihood of success, or try one with a single dose, which would be far more useful for getting shots to the masses — if it worked. The company decided to roll the dice with a single-shot trial.

“We know from vaccination campaigns that the simpler the logistics, the more successful the program,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, a virus expert at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who pioneered adenovirus vaccines in the early 2000s and collaborated with Johnson &amp; Johnson researchers on the trial.

If many people began developing immunity from a single-shot dose, it might become harder for the virus to move from person to person, bringing down the high rates of new cases and easing the burden of the pandemic.

“A vaccine that is one dose would have a tremendous, tremendous public health impact, of course for low-income countries, but also in high-income countries,” said Ruth Faden, a professor of biomedical ethics at Johns Hopkins University.

While other vaccine developers moved quickly into late-stage trials, Johnson &amp; Johnson deliberately moved more slowly so it could focus on ramping up manufacturing of its vaccine. At a facility in the Netherlands, researchers grew cells in which their adenoviruses could multiply. Adjusting the chemistry in giant vats, the scientists found a recipe for producing the vaccine at a fast, reliable rate.

Johnson &amp; Johnson also began working early with other companies to prepare to manufacture the vaccine across the world. In April, it announced a partnership with Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions to manufacture the vaccine for the United States. Researchers from Johnson &amp; Johnson began visiting Emergent BioSolutions starting that month to help it prepare for producing the adenoviruses.

“It was much more than a paper exercise: ‘Here’s the recipe, follow this,’” said Remo Colarusso, vice president at Janssen Supply Chain. “This is complex manufacturing.”

By the fall, Emergent BioSolutions was growing cells that were spewing out new adenoviruses. When Johnson &amp; Johnson announced the start of its final Phase 3 trial, executives began making aggressive projections. “We are now committed to make more than 1 billion doses during 2021 and more after that,” Stoffels said at a September news conference.

The company then secured more deals to provide the vaccine to countries around the world.

In 2021, Johnson &amp; Johnson has promised to supply 200 million doses to Covax, an international partnership seeking to distribute coronavirus vaccines to nations that would not otherwise be able to afford them. It will supply another 300 million to Covax in 2022.

Soon after Johnson &amp; Johnson started its trial, cases surged around the world. All the Phase 3 clinical trials of COVID vaccines accelerated because trials end only after a specified number of volunteers — from both the placebo and vaccinated groups — get sick. In November, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine trials both delivered impressive results, with efficacy rates around 95%.

The FDA authorized both vaccines for the United States, and other countries soon followed suit. But these two vaccines had some major shortcomings that soon became impossible to ignore. Both vaccines have to be kept in a deep freeze to prevent them from degrading. Once they reach a hospital or clinic, they have to be used before they spoil. In New York City and elsewhere, unused vaccines have ended up in the trash.

Once data collection is complete at the end of January or early February, an advisory board will review the data and report its analysis on safety and efficacy to Johnson &amp; Johnson. FDA regulators are already evaluating manufacturing data weeks ahead of when Johnson &amp; Johnson is expected to apply for emergency authorization. Hiccups as small as mold in part of a facility could spur further delays. 
&nbsp;

Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial in as little as two weeks — a potential boon in the effort to protect Americans from the coronavirus — but most likely won’t be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of unanticipated manufacturing delays.

Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial in as little as two weeks — a potential boon in the effort to protect Americans from the coronavirus — but most likely won’t be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of unanticipated manufacturing delays. If the vaccine can strongly protect people against COVID-19, as some outside scientists expect, it would offer big advantages over the two vaccines authorized in the United States. Unlike those products, which require two doses, Johnson & Johnson’s could need just one, greatly simplifying logistics for local health departments and clinics struggling to get shots in arms. What’s more, its vaccine can stay stable in a refrigerator for months, whereas the others have to be frozen. But the encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the company’s production. In the company’s $1 billion contract signed with the federal government in August, Johnson & Johnson pledged to have 12 million doses of its vaccine ready by the end of February, ramping up to a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and won’t catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Carlo de Notaristefani, lead manufacturing adviser for Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine development program, acknowledged a delay but said the company might be able to catch up with initial production goals by March. “I agree there was a problem,” de Notaristefani said. But he added, “Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals is not a black box where you turn the key and start counting.” Any delay could be critical because the federal government has secured only enough vaccine doses to inoculate 200 million of the roughly 260 million eligible adults in the first half of this year. With the nation in the grip of its largest surge of the coronavirus to date and the death toll escalating to as high as 4,000 a day, Americans desperate to be vaccinated are lining the sidewalks outside vaccination centers. Fears about the virus have only escalated with the scientific discovery last month that the country has been seeded with a new, highly contagious variant. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it would no longer hold back vaccine stocks for second doses in order to get more people at least partly vaccinated more quickly. Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer, said he expected to see clinical trial data showing whether his company’s vaccine is safe and effective in late January or early February. But he declined to provide details about the company’s production capacity. “We are not ready to release the numbers month by month at the moment, as we are in the discussion with the FDA,” he said. If the data is positive and the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the vaccine for emergency use, he added, “hopefully somewhere in March we’ll be able to contribute” to the nation’s vaccination drive. That Johnson & Johnson’s timetable has slipped is not unusual given the frantic pace of vaccine development amid the worst pandemic in a century. But the delay also highlights the unrealistic promises of Operation Warp Speed. The premise of the program was that the federal government would front the costs of development and manufacturing so that vaccine makers could mass-produce doses even before the vaccines were proved to work. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for Warp Speed, said in December that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine would be a “game changer” in the pandemic. But at a Tuesday news conference, Slaoui said that instead of 12 million doses envisioned in the contract by the end of February, the company was likely to have in the “single-digit” millions. He also said the company was “trying to make that number get as close to a double-digit number as possible, and then a larger number in March and a much larger number in April.” Another person familiar with the company’s progress said it was poised to deliver only perhaps 3 million or 4 million doses of its vaccine by the end of next month. In a statement, a Johnson & Johnson spokesman said: “We are confident we can meet our contractual obligations to supply our vaccine candidate to the US government.” De Notaristefani, Operation Warp Speed’s manufacturing chief, said the government’s contracts with vaccine makers were written at a time of great uncertainty, with the understanding that unforeseen obstacles could throw off the timetables. “Numbers are never cast in stone when you start a new process,” he said, adding that the company had to transfer its manufacturing from the Netherlands to a plant in Baltimore. “I really think that technically they couldn’t do it earlier.” Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said that state health officials were clearly excited about Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine. “You can get it, and you’re done,” he said. “Everybody is eager to have it out there. It has a lot of potential.” But even if Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine pans out, Plescia said, it won’t be enough. He predicted that state health departments would need a total of four vaccines in the next six months if they hope to reach their goals of offering a vaccine to every American who wants one. “Or else the public is going to get very frustrated, because they’re ready for it to be opened up, and there isn’t adequate supply to do that,” Plescia said. Johnson & Johnson is by no means alone in its manufacturing delays. Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chief executive, told investors in the fall that his company had agreed to deliver 40 million doses of its vaccine to the federal government in 2020, assuming it proved successful in clinical trials. In the end, the company had only half that many ready to ship. No one — including company executives — knows whether Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine will work. But Lynda Coughlin, a virus expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who is not involved in the trial, said that the design of the vaccine and the results from early trials made her optimistic. “Hopefully the results from Johnson & Johnson are just really going to knock it out of the park,” she said. Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine is fundamentally different from the authorized vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Those two consist of genetic molecules encased in oily bubbles. Johnson & Johnson built its vaccine from a virus that causes common colds, known as an adenovirus. Testing the vaccine on monkeys, the researchers found that a single shot was enough to protect the animals from infection. When they tried out different formulations of the vaccine in early clinical trials, they were pleased to see that the vaccine prompted a strong antibody response with a single dose. On Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson researchers and their colleagues published the full details of these early clinical trials in the New England Journal of Medicine. They reported that when they checked the blood of volunteers 71 days after receiving a single dose, their levels of coronavirus antibodies were still high. In some cases they were still increasing. As results of the early clinical trials emerged over the summer, the company had to make a high-stakes decision: proceed with a clinical trial of two doses, which had the most likelihood of success, or try one with a single dose, which would be far more useful for getting shots to the masses — if it worked. The company decided to roll the dice with a single-shot trial. “We know from vaccination campaigns that the simpler the logistics, the more successful the program,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, a virus expert at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who pioneered adenovirus vaccines in the early 2000s and collaborated with Johnson & Johnson researchers on the trial. If many people began developing immunity from a single-shot dose, it might become harder for the virus to move from person to person, bringing down the high rates of new cases and easing the burden of the pandemic. “A vaccine that is one dose would have a tremendous, tremendous public health impact, of course for low-income countries, but also in high-income countries,” said Ruth Faden, a professor of biomedical ethics at Johns Hopkins University. While other vaccine developers moved quickly into late-stage trials, Johnson & Johnson deliberately moved more slowly so it could focus on ramping up manufacturing of its vaccine. At a facility in the Netherlands, researchers grew cells in which their adenoviruses could multiply. Adjusting the chemistry in giant vats, the scientists found a recipe for producing the vaccine at a fast, reliable rate. Johnson & Johnson also began working early with other companies to prepare to manufacture the vaccine across the world. In April, it announced a partnership with Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions to manufacture the vaccine for the United States. Researchers from Johnson & Johnson began visiting Emergent BioSolutions starting that month to help it prepare for producing the adenoviruses. “It was much more than a paper exercise: ‘Here’s the recipe, follow this,’” said Remo Colarusso, vice president at Janssen Supply Chain. “This is complex manufacturing.” By the fall, Emergent BioSolutions was growing cells that were spewing out new adenoviruses. When Johnson & Johnson announced the start of its final Phase 3 trial, executives began making aggressive projections. “We are now committed to make more than 1 billion doses during 2021 and more after that,” Stoffels said at a September news conference. The company then secured more deals to provide the vaccine to countries around the world. In 2021, Johnson & Johnson has promised to supply 200 million doses to Covax, an international partnership seeking to distribute coronavirus vaccines to nations that would not otherwise be able to afford them. It will supply another 300 million to Covax in 2022. Soon after Johnson & Johnson started its trial, cases surged around the world. All the Phase 3 clinical trials of COVID vaccines accelerated because trials end only after a specified number of volunteers — from both the placebo and vaccinated groups — get sick. In November, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine trials both delivered impressive results, with efficacy rates around 95%. The FDA authorized both vaccines for the United States, and other countries soon followed suit. But these two vaccines had some major shortcomings that soon became impossible to ignore. Both vaccines have to be kept in a deep freeze to prevent them from degrading. Once they reach a hospital or clinic, they have to be used before they spoil. In New York City and elsewhere, unused vaccines have ended up in the trash. Once data collection is complete at the end of January or early February, an advisory board will review the data and report its analysis on safety and efficacy to Johnson & Johnson. FDA regulators are already evaluating manufacturing data weeks ahead of when Johnson & Johnson is expected to apply for emergency authorization. Hiccups as small as mold in part of a facility could spur further delays.

Johnson & Johnson expects vaccine results soon but lags in production

Chinese authorities on Friday allowed one British expert from the World Health Organization's (WHO) <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-rebranding-of-wuhan-despite-unanswered-crucial-questions-356780">coronavirus</a> probe team to enter the country after he re-tested&nbsp;negative for the disease.

Watch:

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Two <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-stops-two-who-covid-19-probe-experts-after-they-develop-igm-antibodies-356678">WHO </a>members were held back in Singapore after they tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. The 13-member WHO team arrived in Wuhan on Thursday and were put on quarantine for two weeks. The team, however, began virtual meetings with Chinese officials from the hotel.

Peter Daszak, a zoologist, said: "Team now undergoing the mandatory 14 days quarantine &amp; being treated very well by our hosts. Work begins today, day 1 in teleconference. Meetings with China team."

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Finally here in Wuhan! Team now undergoing the mandatory 14 days quarantine &amp; being treated very well by our hosts. Work begins today, day 1, in teleconf. mtgs w/ China team. <a href="https://t.co/gi7Mjr1iBf">https://t.co/gi7Mjr1iBf</a>
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Chinese officials have ensured heavy security around the hotel and cordoning off the area as experts begin their work into the origins of the virus.

The WHO experts are due to visit the market including hospitals and research institutes where the first human cases of the disease were detected in late 2019.

China had earlier barred entry of WHO officials which had attracted the UN bodies chief Tedros' ire.

China has been hit by new surges in the northern part of the country in recent weeks over a year after the outbreak. At least 20 million people are in some form of lockdown in north China with Hebei province becoming the new focus of attention.

China had reported the first case of the virus to the WHO on December 31, 2019 with the first official death reported on January 11, 2020. On Thursday, China reported the first death due to the virus in eight months shocking several in the country.

China has placed the official death count due to the virus at 4,635.

Chinese authorities on Friday allowed one British expert from the World Health Organization's (WHO) coronavirus probe team to enter the country after he re-tested negative for the disease.

Chinese authorities on Friday allowed one British expert from the World Health Organization's (WHO) coronavirus probe team to enter the country after he re-tested negative for the disease. Watch: Two WHO members were held back in Singapore after they tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. The 13-member WHO team arrived in Wuhan on Thursday and were put on quarantine for two weeks. The team, however, began virtual meetings with Chinese officials from the hotel. Peter Daszak, a zoologist, said: "Team now undergoing the mandatory 14 days quarantine & being treated very well by our hosts. Work begins today, day 1 in teleconference. Meetings with China team." Finally here in Wuhan! Team now undergoing the mandatory 14 days quarantine & being treated very well by our hosts. Work begins today, day 1, in teleconf. mtgs w/ China team. https://t.co/gi7Mjr1iBf — Peter Daszak (@PeterDaszak) January 15, 2021 × Chinese officials have ensured heavy security around the hotel and cordoning off the area as experts begin their work into the origins of the virus. The WHO experts are due to visit the market including hospitals and research institutes where the first human cases of the disease were detected in late 2019. China had earlier barred entry of WHO officials which had attracted the UN bodies chief Tedros' ire. China has been hit by new surges in the northern part of the country in recent weeks over a year after the outbreak. At least 20 million people are in some form of lockdown in north China with Hebei province becoming the new focus of attention. China had reported the first case of the virus to the WHO on December 31, 2019 with the first official death reported on January 11, 2020. On Thursday, China reported the first death due to the virus in eight months shocking several in the country. China has placed the official death count due to the virus at 4,635.

China allows entry to WHO COVID-19 probe official after negative test

Brazil's Amazonas has announced a curfew to slow the spread of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-tightens-coronavirus-border-controls-uk-bans-south-american-arrivals-356847">coronavirus </a>with authorities warning dire situation across the vast state.

Watch:

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Amazonas on Thursday announced a 10-day curfew to combat the virus.

Amazonas governor Wilson Lima said the state was "in the most critical moment of the pandemic" where the health system has been pushed to a breaking point in capital Manaus..

In Manaus, demonstrators formed a human chain to block a road outside a hospital with soaring cases hospitals have run out of beds and oxygen supplies.&nbsp;

Manaus recorded 198 deaths on Wednesday setting a new record for the fourth day even as military personnel delivered 400 oxygen cylinders to Amazonas over the last five days with some patients transferred to other states.

The curfew in the state will begin on Friday from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.

Brazil has recorded more than 205,000 deaths due to COVID-19 which is the second-highest after the United States. The country has recorded&nbsp;8.3 million infection cases so far.

Another Latin American country Mexico has been hit by its deadliest week of pandemic yet with nearly 1,000 daily deaths recorded officially and the health system reaching a breaking point.

Mexico has recorded 128 million cases and 6,930 deaths in seven days till Wednesday. Mexico has now recorded a total of 1.57 million COVID-19 infections and around 137,000 deaths which is the world's fourth-highest toll.

The country had begun mass immunisation on December 24 but it is constrained by limited supply. On Wednesday, 234,888 health workers received the first of two doses.

Brazil's Amazonas has announced a curfew to slow the spread of the coronavirus with authorities warning dire situation across the vast state. Watch: Amazonas on Thursday announced a 10-day curfew to combat the virus.

Brazil's Amazonas has announced a curfew to slow the spread of the coronavirus with authorities warning dire situation across the vast state. Watch: Amazonas on Thursday announced a 10-day curfew to combat the virus. Amazonas governor Wilson Lima said the state was "in the most critical moment of the pandemic" where the health system has been pushed to a breaking point in capital Manaus.. In Manaus, demonstrators formed a human chain to block a road outside a hospital with soaring cases hospitals have run out of beds and oxygen supplies. Manaus recorded 198 deaths on Wednesday setting a new record for the fourth day even as military personnel delivered 400 oxygen cylinders to Amazonas over the last five days with some patients transferred to other states. The curfew in the state will begin on Friday from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am. Brazil has recorded more than 205,000 deaths due to COVID-19 which is the second-highest after the United States. The country has recorded 8.3 million infection cases so far. Another Latin American country Mexico has been hit by its deadliest week of pandemic yet with nearly 1,000 daily deaths recorded officially and the health system reaching a breaking point. Mexico has recorded 128 million cases and 6,930 deaths in seven days till Wednesday. Mexico has now recorded a total of 1.57 million COVID-19 infections and around 137,000 deaths which is the world's fourth-highest toll. The country had begun mass immunisation on December 24 but it is constrained by limited supply. On Wednesday, 234,888 health workers received the first of two doses.

Brazil's Amazonas state runs out of oxygen supply amid soaring virus cases

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi on Friday.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 36 kilometres&nbsp;south of Mamuju which has roughly 110,000 inhabitants.&nbsp;

At least 34 people have been killed in the quake and several injured as people panicked and came out on the streets. Authorities said a hotel had collapsed after the quake struck at 2:18 am local time.

The authorities did not trigger a tsunami warning.

Indonesia often experiences volcanic activity due to its position on the &nbsp;Pacific "Ring of Fire". In 2018, a powerful earthquake leading to a tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island had led the death of at least 4,300 people.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake had struck off the coast of Sumatra leading to the death of 170,000 people and 220,000 in the region.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi on Friday. The epicentre of the earthquake was 36 kilometres south of Mamuju which has roughly 110,000 inhabitants.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi on Friday. The epicentre of the earthquake was 36 kilometres south of Mamuju which has roughly 110,000 inhabitants. At least 34 people have been killed in the quake and several injured as people panicked and came out on the streets. Authorities said a hotel had collapsed after the quake struck at 2:18 am local time. The authorities did not trigger a tsunami warning. Indonesia often experiences volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire". In 2018, a powerful earthquake leading to a tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island had led the death of at least 4,300 people. On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake had struck off the coast of Sumatra leading to the death of 170,000 people and 220,000 in the region.

Death toll rises to 34 in Indonesia earthquake

The global anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force(FATF) is set to evaluate<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pak-still-not-implementing-financial-sanction-on-un-listed-terrorists-fatf-337548"> Pakistan's</a> progress on the action plan goals on Thursday.

The group will meet virtually to discuss and evaluate Pakistan's efforts in curbing terror financing.&nbsp;

The joint group's assessment will be later presented in the Asia-Pacific joint group meeting as well as February's plenary session which takes the final call on Pak's listing.

Recently, FATF's international cooperation review group had noted that Pakistan had complied in 21 out of &nbsp;27 strategy points it had given the country. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-openly-flouts-fatf-terror-guidelines-352442">&nbsp;FATF </a>had issued an action plan in 2018 when Pakistan was first placed on the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pak-to-remain-in-grey-list-of-fatf-till-feb-2021-337494"> "grey list"</a>.&nbsp;

The anti-terror watchdog had asked Pakistan to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror financing by the end of 2019. The deadline was then pushed to 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ahead of the meeting, Pakistan last week had issued an arrest warrant against Jaish-e-Mohammad chief and UN-designated global terrorist <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistans-anti-terrorism-court-asks-police-to-arrest-jem-chief-masood-azhar-by-january-18-355642">Maulana Masood Azhar</a>. It was the first time Pakistan acknowledged the presence of the terror group's leader in its territory.

Islamabad also cracked down on Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) terrorist Zaki-ur-Rehman <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/after-lakhvi-conviction-us-asks-pakistan-to-further-hold-him-accountable-355661">Lakhvi</a>. The LeT chief was sentenced to 15 years of jail by Pakistan's anti-terrorism court for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks.&nbsp;

Indian external affairs spokesperson&nbsp;Anurag Srivastava had said that it has become a routine for Pakistan to come up with farcical actions prior to important meetings.

"The timing of these actions suggests the intention of conveying a sense of compliance ahead of the Asia-Pacific joint group meet &amp; FATF plenary meet in February," the MEA spokesman said.

"It's become routine for Pakistan to come up with farcical actions prior to important meetings. UN proscribed entities and designated terrorists act as proxies for Pakistani establishment to fulfil its anti-India agenda. It's for the international community to hold Pakistan to account and ensure that it takes credible action against terror groups, terror infrastructure and terrorists," it said.

The global anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force(FATF) is set to evaluate Pakistan's progress on the action plan goals on Thursday. The group will meet virtually to discuss and evaluate Pakistan's efforts in curbing terror financing.

The global anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force(FATF) is set to evaluate Pakistan's progress on the action plan goals on Thursday. The group will meet virtually to discuss and evaluate Pakistan's efforts in curbing terror financing. The joint group's assessment will be later presented in the Asia-Pacific joint group meeting as well as February's plenary session which takes the final call on Pak's listing. Recently, FATF's international cooperation review group had noted that Pakistan had complied in 21 out of 27 strategy points it had given the country. FATF had issued an action plan in 2018 when Pakistan was first placed on the "grey list". The anti-terror watchdog had asked Pakistan to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror financing by the end of 2019. The deadline was then pushed to 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ahead of the meeting, Pakistan last week had issued an arrest warrant against Jaish-e-Mohammad chief and UN-designated global terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. It was the first time Pakistan acknowledged the presence of the terror group's leader in its territory. Islamabad also cracked down on Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) terrorist Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. The LeT chief was sentenced to 15 years of jail by Pakistan's anti-terrorism court for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. Indian external affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said that it has become a routine for Pakistan to come up with farcical actions prior to important meetings. "The timing of these actions suggests the intention of conveying a sense of compliance ahead of the Asia-Pacific joint group meet & FATF plenary meet in February," the MEA spokesman said. "It's become routine for Pakistan to come up with farcical actions prior to important meetings. UN proscribed entities and designated terrorists act as proxies for Pakistani establishment to fulfil its anti-India agenda. It's for the international community to hold Pakistan to account and ensure that it takes credible action against terror groups, terror infrastructure and terrorists," it said.

FATF to evaluate Pakistan's progress in terror financing

America's Federal Trade Commission(FTC) reached a settlement with Flo Health after it allegedly shared personal user data with third-party marketing services including <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-bans-stop-the-steal-phrase-ahead-of-joe-bidens-inauguration-356224">Facebook's </a>analytics division, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-to-pay-ftc-170-million-for-illegally-collecting-sharing-data-from-kids-on-youtube-247626">Google’s</a> analytics division, Google’s Fabric service, AppsFlyer, and Flurry.

The Flo app which tracks period and fertility among women has over 100 million users allegedly included information to third parties on whether users were ovulating.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-has-banned-donald-trump-indefinitely-says-mark-zuckerberg-355214">FTC</a> has proposed Flo Health, Inc to obtain an "independent review of its privacy practices" and get app users’ consent before sharing their health information. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection said: “Apps that collect, use, and share sensitive health information can provide valuable services, but consumers need to be able to trust these apps,” adding,"We are looking closely at whether developers of health apps are keeping their promises and handling sensitive health information responsibly.”

According to the complaint received by the FTC, Flo disclosed sensitive health information, such as a user’s pregnancy to third parties in the form of “app event”.

The FTC alleged that Flo violated the "EU-US Privacy Shield" and "Swiss-US Privacy Shield" frameworks.

The FTC also issued guidance to consumers about health apps, with tips for consumers on how to select and use these types of apps while reducing privacy risks.&nbsp;

The FTC asked Flo to notify affected users about the disclosure of their personal information and instruct any third party that received users’ health information to destroy data.

America's Federal Trade Commission(FTC) reached a settlement with Flo Health after it allegedly shared personal user data with third-party marketing services including Facebook's analytics division, Google’s analytics division, Google’s Fabric service, AppsFlyer, and Flurry.

America's Federal Trade Commission(FTC) reached a settlement with Flo Health after it allegedly shared personal user data with third-party marketing services including Facebook's analytics division, Google’s analytics division, Google’s Fabric service, AppsFlyer, and Flurry. The Flo app which tracks period and fertility among women has over 100 million users allegedly included information to third parties on whether users were ovulating. The FTC has proposed Flo Health, Inc to obtain an "independent review of its privacy practices" and get app users’ consent before sharing their health information. Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection said: “Apps that collect, use, and share sensitive health information can provide valuable services, but consumers need to be able to trust these apps,” adding,"We are looking closely at whether developers of health apps are keeping their promises and handling sensitive health information responsibly.” According to the complaint received by the FTC, Flo disclosed sensitive health information, such as a user’s pregnancy to third parties in the form of “app event”. The FTC alleged that Flo violated the "EU-US Privacy Shield" and "Swiss-US Privacy Shield" frameworks. The FTC also issued guidance to consumers about health apps, with tips for consumers on how to select and use these types of apps while reducing privacy risks. The FTC asked Flo to notify affected users about the disclosure of their personal information and instruct any third party that received users’ health information to destroy data.

America's FTC reaches settlement with Flo health app after breach in women's health data

Ahead of India's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/will-provide-covid-19-vaccine-free-to-people-of-delhi-if-centre-fails-to-do-so-kejriwal-356496">vaccination</a> drive on January 16, Odisha government said today that 1.90 lakhs health care workers will be vaccinated in the first phase as coronavirus vaccines arrived in the state.&nbsp;

Watch:

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Bhubaneswar municipal commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhary said that for the first phase of vaccination 9,000 health workers will be <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-bharat-biotech-to-supply-its-covid-19-vaccine-to-brazil-356520">vaccinated </a>with five locations under operation.

West Bengal also received its consignment of Serum Institute of India's "Covishield" vaccine which reached Siliguri. Rajashtan also received its coronavirus vaccine after it reached Jaipur.

The first batch of the vaccine reached Kerala after it arrived at Thiruvananthapuram from Pune even as the state reported 6,004 new coronavirus cases which included over 65,000 active cases.

Meanwhile, India's ministry of health said, "This is an initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come," adding, "any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded."

"Full initial procurement amount of 1.65 cr doses of&nbsp;"Covishield" &amp; "Covaxin"&nbsp;vaccines allocated to all states and Union territories in proportion of health care workers database," it said.

"There is no question of discrimination against any state in the allocation of vaccine doses," the MHA added.

The first <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-mistrust-could-threaten-limit-coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-356515">vaccine</a> consignment also reached Jammu as the director of health services said that it is the first time that such an activity will be undertaken for the general mass.&nbsp;

Dr Samiran Panda, ICMR's head of ECD division, said: "Herd immunity produced by vaccination is a good idea but when the virus mutates, immunity might not be working against it even if it is adrift."

With ANI inputs

Ahead of India's vaccination drive on January 16, Odisha government said today that 1.90 lakhs health care workers will be vaccinated in the first phase as coronavirus vaccines arrived in the state.

Ahead of India's vaccination drive on January 16, Odisha government said today that 1.90 lakhs health care workers will be vaccinated in the first phase as coronavirus vaccines arrived in the state. Watch: Bhubaneswar municipal commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhary said that for the first phase of vaccination 9,000 health workers will be vaccinated with five locations under operation. West Bengal also received its consignment of Serum Institute of India's "Covishield" vaccine which reached Siliguri. Rajashtan also received its coronavirus vaccine after it reached Jaipur. The first batch of the vaccine reached Kerala after it arrived at Thiruvananthapuram from Pune even as the state reported 6,004 new coronavirus cases which included over 65,000 active cases. Meanwhile, India's ministry of health said, "This is an initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come," adding, "any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded." "Full initial procurement amount of 1.65 cr doses of "Covishield" & "Covaxin" vaccines allocated to all states and Union territories in proportion of health care workers database," it said. "There is no question of discrimination against any state in the allocation of vaccine doses," the MHA added. The first vaccine consignment also reached Jammu as the director of health services said that it is the first time that such an activity will be undertaken for the general mass. Dr Samiran Panda, ICMR's head of ECD division, said: "Herd immunity produced by vaccination is a good idea but when the virus mutates, immunity might not be working against it even if it is adrift." With ANI inputs

Indian states Odisha, West Bengal receive Serum Institute of India's Covishield vaccine

As&nbsp;World Health Organization(WHO)&nbsp;experts arrived in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-province-declares-emergency-to-control-coronavirus-356360">China</a> on Thursday, the country reported first death due to coronavirus in eight months as the country continues to battle the virus.

Watch:

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The death occurred in China's Hebei province where several places have been put on lockdown amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. No deaths have been reported in mainland<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-covid-vaccine-sinovac-throws-up-four-different-efficacy-rates-356427"> China</a> since May last year with the official coronavirus death toll at 4,635.

China had reported its first virus death on January 11 last year after reporting the first case to the WHO on December 31, 2019. A 61-year-old man had succumbed to the virus who was a regular at Wuhan's wet market.

Hebei's capital city Shijiazhuang has become the new epicentre of the virus with authorities closing down schools, transport and shops in an attempt to combat the virus.

Xingtai town has been under lockdown since last week along with Langfang city. China's northeastern Heilongjiang province had declared "emergency" clamping down on travel.

At least 20 million people are under some form of lockdown in China's northern provinces.

Meanwhile, the WHO team of experts arrived in Beijing today to investigate the origins of the virus. China had earlier denied visas to the experts but later relented to give access to the scientists.

The virus has spread to almost all parts of the world ever since China first reported the first case to the WHO in December 2019. There are over 92 million infected cases worldwide with over 1.976 million fatalities recorded so far across the world.

As World Health Organization(WHO) experts arrived in China on Thursday, the country reported first death due to coronavirus in eight months as the country continues to battle the virus.

As World Health Organization(WHO) experts arrived in China on Thursday, the country reported first death due to coronavirus in eight months as the country continues to battle the virus. Watch: The death occurred in China's Hebei province where several places have been put on lockdown amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. No deaths have been reported in mainland China since May last year with the official coronavirus death toll at 4,635. China had reported its first virus death on January 11 last year after reporting the first case to the WHO on December 31, 2019. A 61-year-old man had succumbed to the virus who was a regular at Wuhan's wet market. Hebei's capital city Shijiazhuang has become the new epicentre of the virus with authorities closing down schools, transport and shops in an attempt to combat the virus. Xingtai town has been under lockdown since last week along with Langfang city. China's northeastern Heilongjiang province had declared "emergency" clamping down on travel. At least 20 million people are under some form of lockdown in China's northern provinces. Meanwhile, the WHO team of experts arrived in Beijing today to investigate the origins of the virus. China had earlier denied visas to the experts but later relented to give access to the scientists. The virus has spread to almost all parts of the world ever since China first reported the first case to the WHO in December 2019. There are over 92 million infected cases worldwide with over 1.976 million fatalities recorded so far across the world.

China reports first coronavirus death in eight months as WHO team arrives

After Twitter banned US President Trump from its platform, company CEO Jack Dorsey said, "I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-impeached-again-becomes-first-us-president-to-suffer-impeachment-twice-356536">Donald Trump</a>."

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"After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter. Was this correct?"

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I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> from Twitter, or how we got here. After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter. Was this correct?
— jack (@jack) <a href="https://twitter.com/jack/status/1349510769268850690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Twitter had permanently suspended Trump's account last week amid the Capital riots which led to a huge uproar on the internet as Trump accused the social media giant of silencing him. Twitter later also deleted Trump's tweets from the official @POTUS account.

"This concept was challenged last week when a number of foundational internet tool providers also decided not to host what they found dangerous," Dorsey said adding, "I do not believe this was coordinated. More likely: companies came to their own conclusions or were emboldened by the actions of others."

The company had earlier temporarily blocked the US president's account. Trump had a huge following on Twitter with over 88 million followers.&nbsp;

"This moment in time might call for this dynamic, but over the long term it will be destructive to the noble purpose and ideals of the open internet," Dorsey conceded.

"A company making a business decision to moderate itself is different from a government removing access, yet can feel much the same," he said.

Twitter moved to block Trump after two tweets in which the US president said his supporters would be "disrespected" as the violence in Capitol Hill led to a huge uproar nationwide. &nbsp;

In another tweet, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-becomes-the-first-us-president-to-be-impeached-for-a-second-time-356535">Trump</a> said he will not be attending Biden's inauguration on January 20 which is customary for a US president.

"These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeks," Twitter said.

Twitter had said Trump's tweets violated "Glorification of Violence Policy" as it moved to permanently suspend his account.

After Twitter banned US President Trump from its platform, company CEO Jack Dorsey said, "I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban Donald Trump." Watch: "After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter.

After Twitter banned US President Trump from its platform, company CEO Jack Dorsey said, "I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban Donald Trump." Watch: "After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter. Was this correct?" I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here. After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter. Was this correct? — jack (@jack) January 14, 2021 × Twitter had permanently suspended Trump's account last week amid the Capital riots which led to a huge uproar on the internet as Trump accused the social media giant of silencing him. Twitter later also deleted Trump's tweets from the official @POTUS account. "This concept was challenged last week when a number of foundational internet tool providers also decided not to host what they found dangerous," Dorsey said adding, "I do not believe this was coordinated. More likely: companies came to their own conclusions or were emboldened by the actions of others." The company had earlier temporarily blocked the US president's account. Trump had a huge following on Twitter with over 88 million followers. "This moment in time might call for this dynamic, but over the long term it will be destructive to the noble purpose and ideals of the open internet," Dorsey conceded. "A company making a business decision to moderate itself is different from a government removing access, yet can feel much the same," he said. Twitter moved to block Trump after two tweets in which the US president said his supporters would be "disrespected" as the violence in Capitol Hill led to a huge uproar nationwide. In another tweet, Trump said he will not be attending Biden's inauguration on January 20 which is customary for a US president. "These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeks," Twitter said. Twitter had said Trump's tweets violated "Glorification of Violence Policy" as it moved to permanently suspend his account.

I do not celebrate or feel pride in banning Trump: Twitter chief Jack Dorsey

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