France's foreign minister on Friday accused the United Kingdom of blackmailing the European Union over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine </a>deliveries.&nbsp;

"The United Kingdom has taken great pride in vaccinating well with the first dose except they have a problem with the second dose," Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio, as reported by news agency AFP.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-pm-johnson-suggests-pubs-might-require-customers-to-produce-vaccine-certificate-373216/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"You are vaccinated when you have had both doses. Today there are as many people vaccinated with both in France as the United Kingdom," he said.

He added that Britain is "handicapped" now because it hurried to vaccinate people with the first dose, but now faces a shortage of the second one, thereby using "blackmail" tactics.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-accuses-russia-of-using-its-sputnik-v-covid-19-vaccine-as-propaganda-tool-373370">France accuses Russia of using its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine as 'propaganda' tool</a>

"You can't be playing like this, a bit of blackmail, just because you hurried to get people vaccinated with a first shot, and now you're a bit handicapped because you don't have the second one," the foreign minister said.&nbsp;

The comments came in the backdrop of EU-UK row on an AstraZeneca plant in the Netherlands, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson argues is part of the British supply chain.

Reacting to this, the EU warned the UK on Thursday that it would ban coronavirus vaccines export to the country and other nations with plenty of drugs if they don't commit their deliveries to the bloc.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

France's foreign minister on Friday accused the United Kingdom of blackmailing the European Union over coronavirus vaccine deliveries. "The United Kingdom has taken great pride in vaccinating well with the first dose except they have a problem with the second dose," Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio, as reported by news agency AFP.

France's foreign minister on Friday accused the United Kingdom of blackmailing the European Union over coronavirus vaccine deliveries. "The United Kingdom has taken great pride in vaccinating well with the first dose except they have a problem with the second dose," Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio, as reported by news agency AFP. Watch | "You are vaccinated when you have had both doses. Today there are as many people vaccinated with both in France as the United Kingdom," he said. He added that Britain is "handicapped" now because it hurried to vaccinate people with the first dose, but now faces a shortage of the second one, thereby using "blackmail" tactics. Also read | France accuses Russia of using its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine as 'propaganda' tool "You can't be playing like this, a bit of blackmail, just because you hurried to get people vaccinated with a first shot, and now you're a bit handicapped because you don't have the second one," the foreign minister said. The comments came in the backdrop of EU-UK row on an AstraZeneca plant in the Netherlands, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson argues is part of the British supply chain. Reacting to this, the EU warned the UK on Thursday that it would ban coronavirus vaccines export to the country and other nations with plenty of drugs if they don't commit their deliveries to the bloc.

France hits out at UK over 'blackmail' of coronavirus vaccine deliveries

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North Korea launched at least two projectiles suspected to be ballistic missiles on Thursday, officials in South Korea, Japan, and the United States said | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-may-have-fired-ballistic-missile-into-the-sea-reports-say-372966">READ MORE</a>

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British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has revised down the efficacy figure for its two-dose Covid vaccine following a clinical trial held across the United States, Peru and Chile | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/astrazeneca-says-covid-vaccine-76-effective-in-updated-us-trial-data-372964">READ MORE</a>

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Anger with Nike Inc erupted on Chinese social media late on Wednesday after China`s netizens spotted a statement from the sporting goods giant saying it was "concerned" about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang and that it does not use cotton from the region | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-nike-faces-social-media-storm-in-china-over-xinjiang-statement-372985">READ MORE</a>

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The Olympic torch relay set off from Fukushima on Thursday, beginning a four-month countdown to the Summer Games in Tokyo, delayed from 2020 and the first-ever organised during a global pandemic | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/olympics-torch-relay-starts-in-fukushima-as-north-korea-launches-missiles-372983">READ MORE</a>

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North Korea may have fired ballistic missile into the sea, reports say North Korea launched at least two projectiles suspected to be ballistic missiles on Thursday, officials in South Korea, Japan, and the United States said | READ MORE Biden to hold first press conference after breaking 100-year record without one After seven weeks into his Oval Office tenure, Joe Biden will give his first formal press conference as president today, at 1:15 p.

North Korea may have fired ballistic missile into the sea, reports say North Korea launched at least two projectiles suspected to be ballistic missiles on Thursday, officials in South Korea, Japan, and the United States said | READ MORE Biden to hold first press conference after breaking 100-year record without one After seven weeks into his Oval Office tenure, Joe Biden will give his first formal press conference as president today, at 1:15 p.m. ET | READ MORE AstraZeneca says Covid vaccine 76% effective in updated US trial data British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has revised down the efficacy figure for its two-dose Covid vaccine following a clinical trial held across the United States, Peru and Chile | READ MORE Nike faces social media storm in China over Xinjiang statement Anger with Nike Inc erupted on Chinese social media late on Wednesday after China`s netizens spotted a statement from the sporting goods giant saying it was "concerned" about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang and that it does not use cotton from the region | READ MORE Olympics torch relay starts in Fukushima as North Korea launches missiles The Olympic torch relay set off from Fukushima on Thursday, beginning a four-month countdown to the Summer Games in Tokyo, delayed from 2020 and the first-ever organised during a global pandemic | READ MORE From prison camp to ballot box: North Korean defector seeks British election win Sixteen years after she was left to die unremembered outside a labour camp in North Korea, Jihyun Park will enter the British political history books if she wins office in local elections this May | READ MORE Prince Harry takes role fighting 'avalanche of misinformation' Britain's Prince Harry -- who is often at war with the British press -- was on Wednesday announced as a commissioner for a US study into misinformation online | READ MORE

Morning news brief: N Korea fires missile, AstraZeneca updates vaccine efficacy, and more

British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has revised down the efficacy figure for its two-dose Covid vaccine following a clinical trial held across the United States, Peru and Chile.

The company now says its vaccine is 76 per cent effective rather than 79 per cent effective at preventing any kind of symptomatic Covid.&nbsp;The vaccine has been dogged by questions over its effectiveness and possible side-effects.

This month, more than a dozen countries temporarily suspended giving out the vaccine after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder in a very small number of people. The European Union's drug regulator, however, said last week the vaccine was clearly safe, but people remain sceptical about its safety.

The updated 76 per cent efficacy rate compares with rates of about 95 per cent for vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

US health officials earlier in the week publically rebuked the drugmaker for using "outdated information" when calculating that the vaccine was 79 per cent effective.

AstraZeneca reiterated on Wednesday that the shot, developed with Oxford University, was 100 per cent effective against severe or critical forms of the disease. It also said the vaccine showed 86 per cent efficacy in adults 65 years and older.

The latest trial data was based on 190 infections and 32,449 participants in the United States, Chile and Peru, as compared to the earlier interim data -- 141 infections through February 17.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is, however, seen as crucial in tackling the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, not just due to limited vaccine supply but also because it is easier and cheaper to transport than rival shots. It has been granted conditional marketing or emergency use authorisation in more than 70 countries.

British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has revised down the efficacy figure for its two-dose Covid vaccine following a clinical trial held across the United States, Peru and Chile.

British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has revised down the efficacy figure for its two-dose Covid vaccine following a clinical trial held across the United States, Peru and Chile. The company now says its vaccine is 76 per cent effective rather than 79 per cent effective at preventing any kind of symptomatic Covid. The vaccine has been dogged by questions over its effectiveness and possible side-effects. This month, more than a dozen countries temporarily suspended giving out the vaccine after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder in a very small number of people. The European Union's drug regulator, however, said last week the vaccine was clearly safe, but people remain sceptical about its safety. The updated 76 per cent efficacy rate compares with rates of about 95 per cent for vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. US health officials earlier in the week publically rebuked the drugmaker for using "outdated information" when calculating that the vaccine was 79 per cent effective. AstraZeneca reiterated on Wednesday that the shot, developed with Oxford University, was 100 per cent effective against severe or critical forms of the disease. It also said the vaccine showed 86 per cent efficacy in adults 65 years and older. The latest trial data was based on 190 infections and 32,449 participants in the United States, Chile and Peru, as compared to the earlier interim data -- 141 infections through February 17. The AstraZeneca vaccine is, however, seen as crucial in tackling the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, not just due to limited vaccine supply but also because it is easier and cheaper to transport than rival shots. It has been granted conditional marketing or emergency use authorisation in more than 70 countries.

AstraZeneca says Covid vaccine 76% effective in updated US trial data

China`s CanSino Biologics Inc (CanSinoBIO) has proposed supplying "tens of million of doses" of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX, a senior company executive said.

China has four locally developed COVID-19 vaccines approved for public use and pledged earlier to supply 10 million doses to COVAX without specifying the time frame of delivery. CanSinoBIO, Sinovac Biotech Ltd and China National Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (Sinopharm) have applied to join the initiative.

Pierre Morgon, senior vice president at CanSinoBIO, said the firm made the proposal in December to supply vaccines between late 2021 and the end of 2022.

"We are happy to go beyond 2022 if there was still an expectation to do so," he told Reuters in an interview, adding it made its offer at a middle single digit U.S. dollar per dose.

"I can`t tell you the exact number, but I can tell you, it`s a very competitive price," Morgon said.

The offering to COVAX, which is backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the lowest price in the "tiered pricing mechanism" that CanSinoBIO uses in markets outside China, where richer countries are subject to higher prices.

There is a more than threefold factor difference between the highest price offer and the lowest, Morgon said.

Its vaccine, jointly developed with China`s military research institute, is approved for use in China, Pakistan, Hungary and Mexico.

The three Chinese vaccine makers are still awaiting decisions on whether they can be included in the WHO`s Emergency Use Listing, a prerequisite to join COVAX.

China`s CanSino Biologics Inc (CanSinoBIO) has proposed supplying "tens of million of doses" of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX, a senior company executive said.

China`s CanSino Biologics Inc (CanSinoBIO) has proposed supplying "tens of million of doses" of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX, a senior company executive said. China has four locally developed COVID-19 vaccines approved for public use and pledged earlier to supply 10 million doses to COVAX without specifying the time frame of delivery. CanSinoBIO, Sinovac Biotech Ltd and China National Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (Sinopharm) have applied to join the initiative. Pierre Morgon, senior vice president at CanSinoBIO, said the firm made the proposal in December to supply vaccines between late 2021 and the end of 2022. "We are happy to go beyond 2022 if there was still an expectation to do so," he told Reuters in an interview, adding it made its offer at a middle single digit U.S. dollar per dose. "I can`t tell you the exact number, but I can tell you, it`s a very competitive price," Morgon said. The offering to COVAX, which is backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the lowest price in the "tiered pricing mechanism" that CanSinoBIO uses in markets outside China, where richer countries are subject to higher prices. There is a more than threefold factor difference between the highest price offer and the lowest, Morgon said. Its vaccine, jointly developed with China`s military research institute, is approved for use in China, Pakistan, Hungary and Mexico. The three Chinese vaccine makers are still awaiting decisions on whether they can be included in the WHO`s Emergency Use Listing, a prerequisite to join COVAX.

CanSinoBIO offered tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to COVAX, exec says

Hong Kong and Macau have has suspended Covid vaccinations from a single batch of Pfizer/BioNTech shots over defective packaging, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, several centres around the Asian financial hub were told to stop using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Hong Kong and Macau on Wednesday said they were suspending the use of the coronavirus vaccine after being informed of a packaging problem with a batch of vials.

"For the sake of precaution, the current vaccination must be suspended during the period of investigation," Hong Kong's government said in a statement.&nbsp;

Both Chinese cities said&nbsp;their decision came after they were contacted about the issue by Fosun, the Chinese pharmaceutical company that is distributing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in China.

Vials with the lot number 210102 were found to have defective packaging, authorities said, adding they decided to act out of an abundance of caution until their investigation is concluded.

(with inputs)

Hong Kong and Macau have has suspended Covid vaccinations from a single batch of Pfizer/BioNTech shots over defective packaging, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

Hong Kong and Macau have has suspended Covid vaccinations from a single batch of Pfizer/BioNTech shots over defective packaging, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday. On Wednesday, several centres around the Asian financial hub were told to stop using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Hong Kong and Macau on Wednesday said they were suspending the use of the coronavirus vaccine after being informed of a packaging problem with a batch of vials. "For the sake of precaution, the current vaccination must be suspended during the period of investigation," Hong Kong's government said in a statement. Both Chinese cities said their decision came after they were contacted about the issue by Fosun, the Chinese pharmaceutical company that is distributing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in China. Vials with the lot number 210102 were found to have defective packaging, authorities said, adding they decided to act out of an abundance of caution until their investigation is concluded. (with inputs)

Hong Kong halts batch of Pfizer vaccines over defective packaging

Russian President Vladimir Putin has got vaccinated against COVID-19 with an unspecified Russian-made vaccine.

The Kremlin Tuesday told Russian news agencies that Putin was feeling well, however, declining to disclose details or provide photographs.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, earlier told reporters that the media would have to take the Kremlin's word for Putin's vaccination, adding the president did not like the idea of being vaccinated on camera.

"We are deliberately not saying which shot the president will get, noting that all three Russian (-made) vaccines are absolutely reliable and effective," said Peskov.

The Kremlin told Russian news agencies on Tuesday evening that the president had got the shot. "He has a full working day tomorrow," the RIA news agency's Kremlin pool cited the Kremlin as saying.

Apart from Sputnik V, Moscow has also given emergency approval to two others, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.

Putin said on Monday that the decision to get vaccinated was a purely voluntary one for Russians. He said that 4.3 million Russians had so far got two shots of a vaccine, that vaccine production for domestic use was a priority, and that output needed to be ramped up.

Over 200,000 Russians have so far died of COVID-19 -- making it the world's third highest death toll behind only the United States and Brazil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has got vaccinated against COVID-19 with an unspecified Russian-made vaccine. The Kremlin Tuesday told Russian news agencies that Putin was feeling well, however, declining to disclose details or provide photographs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has got vaccinated against COVID-19 with an unspecified Russian-made vaccine. The Kremlin Tuesday told Russian news agencies that Putin was feeling well, however, declining to disclose details or provide photographs. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, earlier told reporters that the media would have to take the Kremlin's word for Putin's vaccination, adding the president did not like the idea of being vaccinated on camera. "We are deliberately not saying which shot the president will get, noting that all three Russian (-made) vaccines are absolutely reliable and effective," said Peskov. The Kremlin told Russian news agencies on Tuesday evening that the president had got the shot. "He has a full working day tomorrow," the RIA news agency's Kremlin pool cited the Kremlin as saying. Apart from Sputnik V, Moscow has also given emergency approval to two others, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. Putin said on Monday that the decision to get vaccinated was a purely voluntary one for Russians. He said that 4.3 million Russians had so far got two shots of a vaccine, that vaccine production for domestic use was a priority, and that output needed to be ramped up. Over 200,000 Russians have so far died of COVID-19 -- making it the world's third highest death toll behind only the United States and Brazil.

Putin gets Covid vaccine; Kremlin refuses to share details

AstraZeneca has countered an assertion doing the rounds in Indonesia, clarifying its COVID-19 vaccine does not contain any pork-derived ingredients.

Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council, the Indonesia Ulema Council, said on its website Friday that the vaccine is "haram" because the manufacturing process uses "trypsin from the pork pancreas."

Still, the council approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use given the pandemic emergency.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-renews-backing-for-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-371857">Also read |&nbsp;WHO renews backing for AstraZeneca Covid vaccine</a>

To this end, AstraZeneca Indonesia spokesman Rizman Abudaeri said in a statement: "At all stages of the production process, this virus vector vaccine does not use nor come in contact with pork-derived products or other animal products."

Indonesia is grappling with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia – with 1,455,788 cases and 39,447 deaths as of Saturday. Authorities in the country on Friday approved the use of the vaccine after reviewing reports that it had caused blood clots among some recipients in Europe.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-countries-to-resume-astrazeneca-jabs-after-safe-verdict-371547">Also read |&nbsp;EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict</a>

AstraZeneca has countered an assertion doing the rounds in Indonesia, clarifying its COVID-19 vaccine does not contain any pork-derived ingredients. Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council, the Indonesia Ulema Council, said on its website Friday that the vaccine is "haram" because the manufacturing process uses "trypsin from the pork pancreas.

AstraZeneca has countered an assertion doing the rounds in Indonesia, clarifying its COVID-19 vaccine does not contain any pork-derived ingredients. Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council, the Indonesia Ulema Council, said on its website Friday that the vaccine is "haram" because the manufacturing process uses "trypsin from the pork pancreas." Still, the council approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use given the pandemic emergency. Also read | WHO renews backing for AstraZeneca Covid vaccine To this end, AstraZeneca Indonesia spokesman Rizman Abudaeri said in a statement: "At all stages of the production process, this virus vector vaccine does not use nor come in contact with pork-derived products or other animal products." Indonesia is grappling with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia – with 1,455,788 cases and 39,447 deaths as of Saturday. Authorities in the country on Friday approved the use of the vaccine after reviewing reports that it had caused blood clots among some recipients in Europe. Also read | EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict

AstraZeneca clarifies its vaccine has no pork-derived ingredients

Britain has hit a COVID-19 vaccination milestone with more than half of all adults having had at least one injection, health secretary Matt Hancock said on Saturday, making it the world’s first major economy to achieve that level of innoculation.

Britain’s vaccine roll-out, which has raced ahead of those in the European Union and the United States, means the country is on track to ease lockdown measures and re-open the economy in line with its plan, Hancock said.

“The vaccination programme is our route out of the pandemic,” Hancock told Sky News on Saturday. Official data showed 26.9 million had received a first dose of vaccine, up from 26.3 million the previous day.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Friday, tweeted “Let’s keep going” after the announcement that half of all adults had had a first shot.

Yet worries were also growing about a new wave of infections in continental Europe as cases rise in countries including Germany and France. A scientist who advises the government warned on Saturday that holidays abroad were “extremely unlikely” for most Britons this summer due to the risk of importing new variants of COVID-19.

Asked if infection rates elsewhere in Europe concerned him, Hancock said Britain had to stay vigilant but saw no threat to plans to gradually re-open shops, pubs and restaurants from April 12. “There is no sign that we won’t be able to make progress as set out in the roadmap,” Hancock said.

Britain’s vaccination roll-out, using the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs, is one of the fastest in the world. Israel tops the world in terms of the proportion of its population it has vaccinated, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Chile, then the UK.

By comparison, 23% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, and less than a 10th of the EU population has been vaccinated.

<h2>ON TRACK FOR TARGETS</h2>

Britain’s government has said it is aiming to give at least one shot to everyone aged over 50 by mid-April and to every adult by the end of July, targets which Hancock said would be met.

Famous London landmarks like Westminister Abbey and the Science Museum as well as local mosques and football stadiums have hosted vaccine clinics.

The state-run health service also said that 2.1 million people, or 4% of the population, have had a second dose and almost 95% of people aged over 60 have been vaccinated.

The EU meanwhile is trying to get its vaccine programme back on track after at least 13 countries temporarily suspended the use of the AstraZeneca shot last week over safety concerns.

The European Medicines Agency has since said the benefits of protecting people outweighed the possible risks from the vaccine, but the damage to the AstraZeneca jab’s reputation could further slow the pace of the roll-out.

The struggle to secure vaccine supplies has left Britain and the EU at loggerheads over vaccine exports. The EU threatened to ban shipments to Britain on Wednesday.

Come April, Britain has warned its roll-out will slow due to a supply crunch caused by a delayed shipment from India and the need to retest one batch of vaccines.

Britain has hit a COVID-19 vaccination milestone with more than half of all adults having had at least one injection, health secretary Matt Hancock said on Saturday, making it the world’s first major economy to achieve that level of innoculation.

Britain has hit a COVID-19 vaccination milestone with more than half of all adults having had at least one injection, health secretary Matt Hancock said on Saturday, making it the world’s first major economy to achieve that level of innoculation. Britain’s vaccine roll-out, which has raced ahead of those in the European Union and the United States, means the country is on track to ease lockdown measures and re-open the economy in line with its plan, Hancock said. “The vaccination programme is our route out of the pandemic,” Hancock told Sky News on Saturday. Official data showed 26.9 million had received a first dose of vaccine, up from 26.3 million the previous day. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Friday, tweeted “Let’s keep going” after the announcement that half of all adults had had a first shot. Yet worries were also growing about a new wave of infections in continental Europe as cases rise in countries including Germany and France. A scientist who advises the government warned on Saturday that holidays abroad were “extremely unlikely” for most Britons this summer due to the risk of importing new variants of COVID-19. Asked if infection rates elsewhere in Europe concerned him, Hancock said Britain had to stay vigilant but saw no threat to plans to gradually re-open shops, pubs and restaurants from April 12. “There is no sign that we won’t be able to make progress as set out in the roadmap,” Hancock said. Britain’s vaccination roll-out, using the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs, is one of the fastest in the world. Israel tops the world in terms of the proportion of its population it has vaccinated, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Chile, then the UK. By comparison, 23% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, and less than a 10th of the EU population has been vaccinated. ON TRACK FOR TARGETS Britain’s government has said it is aiming to give at least one shot to everyone aged over 50 by mid-April and to every adult by the end of July, targets which Hancock said would be met. Famous London landmarks like Westminister Abbey and the Science Museum as well as local mosques and football stadiums have hosted vaccine clinics. The state-run health service also said that 2.1 million people, or 4% of the population, have had a second dose and almost 95% of people aged over 60 have been vaccinated. The EU meanwhile is trying to get its vaccine programme back on track after at least 13 countries temporarily suspended the use of the AstraZeneca shot last week over safety concerns. The European Medicines Agency has since said the benefits of protecting people outweighed the possible risks from the vaccine, but the damage to the AstraZeneca jab’s reputation could further slow the pace of the roll-out. The struggle to secure vaccine supplies has left Britain and the EU at loggerheads over vaccine exports. The EU threatened to ban shipments to Britain on Wednesday. Come April, Britain has warned its roll-out will slow due to a supply crunch caused by a delayed shipment from India and the need to retest one batch of vaccines.

Britain hits milestone as half of all adults get first vaccine dose

Several European countries introduced new lockdown measures Saturday as they battled surging coronavirus infections, while Tokyo Olympics organisers were forced to announce an "unavoidable" ban on overseas fans to keep the Games safe.

Residents in Poland, parts of France and Ukraine's capital Ukraine all faced new restrictions, with most shops shut and people urged to work from home.&nbsp;

Elsewhere in Europe, frustrations with Covid-19 curbs were spilling over, with scuffles breaking out at a large anti-restrictions protest in the German city of Kassel, and thousands joining similar demonstrations in Liestal, Switzerland and London.

"End the lockdown" and "Corona rebels", read signs held by demonstrators at the protest in Kassel, which was organised by a group that has drawn in activists from both the far-left and far-right as well as anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists.

In Africa, Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina reiterated his own vaccine scepticism, adding that it would be an untested herbal remedy he has previously touted "that will protect me and my family".&nbsp;

The pandemic is still speeding up worldwide, with the number of new Covid-19 infections rising globally by 14 percent over the past week, according to AFP data.&nbsp;

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan became the latest world leader to test positive -- two days after receiving China's Sinopharm vaccine.&nbsp;

The former cricketing legend is self-isolating with mild symptoms, his spokesman said.

- France's 'lockdown-lite' -

More than a third of France's population is now under a renewed lockdown as the country, along with several European neighbours, battles a third wave of the virus. &nbsp;

But the curbs are lighter than those enforced at the height of the pandemic last year, with schools remaining open and hairdressers, shoemakers and chocolate shops added to an expanded list of businesses allowed to accept customers.

The government has also scrapped the forms once required to justify all trips outside the home, which were widely derided as an example of excessive French bureaucracy.

On the sunny banks of the River Seine, some Parisians questioned whether the restrictions could really be described as a "lockdown" at all. &nbsp;

"I can't see any change, apart from the closed shops," said a resident named Philippe, strolling with his daughter in the midst of cyclists and joggers.&nbsp;

- AstraZeneca row escalates -

The row over AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine meanwhile shows no signs of abating, with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen threatening to halt exports of the jab if the bloc does not receive its deliveries first.

The Anglo-Swedish pharma giant has delivered only 30 percent of the 90 million vaccine doses it had promised for the first quarter of the year, blaming production delays at its EU plants.

"We have the option of banning a planned export. That's the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries," von der Leyen told Germany's Funke media group.

European officials are furious that AstraZeneca has fallen short on the continent while fully delivering on its UK commitments -- something that has allowed the recently-departed EU member to give half of its adult population at least one jab as of Saturday.

AstraZeneca has also had to contend with worries that its jab may cause blood clots, with more than a dozen countries pausing its use recently.

Several European countries including Germany and Italy resumed AstraZeneca vaccinations Friday after an all-clear from EU regulators and the World Health Organization.

But Scandinavian nations Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland have all said they want more information before deploying the vaccine again.

Seeking to reassure their populations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his French counterpart Jean Castex both received a dose of AstraZeneca on Friday.

"I literally did not feel a thing. It was very good, very quick," said Johnson who became seriously ill from Covid-19 last year.

Brazil, meanwhile, said it was in talks with the US to import Covid-19 vaccines that Washington is not currently using and has already vowed to share with Mexico and Canada.

- Foreign fans banned from Olympics -

With more than 400 million vaccine doses already injected globally, organisers of the Tokyo Olympics had previously billed this summer's Games as a chance to provide "proof of humanity's triumph over the virus".

But on Saturday, Olympics chiefs announced that overseas fans would be banned as it remains too risky to invite large international crowds to Japan.

"We have to ensure a safe and secure environment for all the participants," said Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto. "It was an unavoidable decision."

The unprecedented ban will make the Tokyo Games the first ever without overseas spectators.

Several European countries introduced new lockdown measures Saturday as they battled surging coronavirus infections, while Tokyo Olympics organisers were forced to announce an "unavoidable" ban on overseas fans to keep the Games safe.

Several European countries introduced new lockdown measures Saturday as they battled surging coronavirus infections, while Tokyo Olympics organisers were forced to announce an "unavoidable" ban on overseas fans to keep the Games safe. Residents in Poland, parts of France and Ukraine's capital Ukraine all faced new restrictions, with most shops shut and people urged to work from home. Elsewhere in Europe, frustrations with Covid-19 curbs were spilling over, with scuffles breaking out at a large anti-restrictions protest in the German city of Kassel, and thousands joining similar demonstrations in Liestal, Switzerland and London. "End the lockdown" and "Corona rebels", read signs held by demonstrators at the protest in Kassel, which was organised by a group that has drawn in activists from both the far-left and far-right as well as anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists. In Africa, Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina reiterated his own vaccine scepticism, adding that it would be an untested herbal remedy he has previously touted "that will protect me and my family". The pandemic is still speeding up worldwide, with the number of new Covid-19 infections rising globally by 14 percent over the past week, according to AFP data. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan became the latest world leader to test positive -- two days after receiving China's Sinopharm vaccine. The former cricketing legend is self-isolating with mild symptoms, his spokesman said. - France's 'lockdown-lite' - More than a third of France's population is now under a renewed lockdown as the country, along with several European neighbours, battles a third wave of the virus. But the curbs are lighter than those enforced at the height of the pandemic last year, with schools remaining open and hairdressers, shoemakers and chocolate shops added to an expanded list of businesses allowed to accept customers. The government has also scrapped the forms once required to justify all trips outside the home, which were widely derided as an example of excessive French bureaucracy. On the sunny banks of the River Seine, some Parisians questioned whether the restrictions could really be described as a "lockdown" at all. "I can't see any change, apart from the closed shops," said a resident named Philippe, strolling with his daughter in the midst of cyclists and joggers. - AstraZeneca row escalates - The row over AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine meanwhile shows no signs of abating, with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen threatening to halt exports of the jab if the bloc does not receive its deliveries first. The Anglo-Swedish pharma giant has delivered only 30 percent of the 90 million vaccine doses it had promised for the first quarter of the year, blaming production delays at its EU plants. "We have the option of banning a planned export. That's the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries," von der Leyen told Germany's Funke media group. European officials are furious that AstraZeneca has fallen short on the continent while fully delivering on its UK commitments -- something that has allowed the recently-departed EU member to give half of its adult population at least one jab as of Saturday. AstraZeneca has also had to contend with worries that its jab may cause blood clots, with more than a dozen countries pausing its use recently. Several European countries including Germany and Italy resumed AstraZeneca vaccinations Friday after an all-clear from EU regulators and the World Health Organization. But Scandinavian nations Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland have all said they want more information before deploying the vaccine again. Seeking to reassure their populations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his French counterpart Jean Castex both received a dose of AstraZeneca on Friday. "I literally did not feel a thing. It was very good, very quick," said Johnson who became seriously ill from Covid-19 last year. Brazil, meanwhile, said it was in talks with the US to import Covid-19 vaccines that Washington is not currently using and has already vowed to share with Mexico and Canada. - Foreign fans banned from Olympics - With more than 400 million vaccine doses already injected globally, organisers of the Tokyo Olympics had previously billed this summer's Games as a chance to provide "proof of humanity's triumph over the virus". But on Saturday, Olympics chiefs announced that overseas fans would be banned as it remains too risky to invite large international crowds to Japan. "We have to ensure a safe and secure environment for all the participants," said Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto. "It was an unavoidable decision." The unprecedented ban will make the Tokyo Games the first ever without overseas spectators.

New lockdowns in Europe, overseas fans banned at Tokyo Olympics

Brazil’s healthcare system is in its most severe crisis -- doctors are overwhelmed and patients are dying while they wait for intensive care beds in the wake of rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

The South American country is struggling to contain a surge of Covid-19 that has pushed hospitals in many areas to the brink of collapse.

All this while the country's Covid-sceptic president, Jair Bolsonaro, continues to spurn calls for a lockdown that would save lives.

It is being reported that the Covid intensive care units in virtually all of Brazil’s 26 states and the federal district containing the capital, Brasília, are now either at, or perilously close to capacity.

Brazil has registered nearly 12 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 292,752, second only to the US. It recorded 79,069 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 2,438 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Hard-hit Brazil has been struggling to secure enough vaccines for its 212 million people. It has so far issued at least one dose of vaccine to around 5.4 percent of the population -- far off pace to reach the health ministry's target of vaccinating all adults by the end of the year.

To this end, authorities said Saturday they were in talks with the United States to import Covid-19 vaccines that Washington is not currently using and has already vowed to share with Mexico and Canada.

The statement from the Brazilian foreign ministry came two days after the White House announced plans to send the US neighbors millions of doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is still awaiting regulatory approval in the United States.

The US, which has stockpiled a total of seven million doses of the two-dose vaccine, will send 2.5 million to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Brazil appeared to be referring to the same stockpile.

"Since March 13, the Brazilian government... has been negotiating with the US government to make it possible for Brazil to import vaccines from the surplus available in the United States," the foreign ministry said in a Tweet.&nbsp;

Brazil is currently using both the AstraZeneca vaccine -- recently given fresh stamps of approval from European regulators and the World Health Organization, following concerns over possible side effects -- and Chinese-developed CoronaVac.

(with inputs from agencies)

Brazil’s healthcare system is in its most severe crisis -- doctors are overwhelmed and patients are dying while they wait for intensive care beds in the wake of rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Brazil’s healthcare system is in its most severe crisis -- doctors are overwhelmed and patients are dying while they wait for intensive care beds in the wake of rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. The South American country is struggling to contain a surge of Covid-19 that has pushed hospitals in many areas to the brink of collapse. All this while the country's Covid-sceptic president, Jair Bolsonaro, continues to spurn calls for a lockdown that would save lives. It is being reported that the Covid intensive care units in virtually all of Brazil’s 26 states and the federal district containing the capital, Brasília, are now either at, or perilously close to capacity. Brazil has registered nearly 12 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 292,752, second only to the US. It recorded 79,069 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 2,438 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. Hard-hit Brazil has been struggling to secure enough vaccines for its 212 million people. It has so far issued at least one dose of vaccine to around 5.4 percent of the population -- far off pace to reach the health ministry's target of vaccinating all adults by the end of the year. To this end, authorities said Saturday they were in talks with the United States to import Covid-19 vaccines that Washington is not currently using and has already vowed to share with Mexico and Canada. The statement from the Brazilian foreign ministry came two days after the White House announced plans to send the US neighbors millions of doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is still awaiting regulatory approval in the United States. The US, which has stockpiled a total of seven million doses of the two-dose vaccine, will send 2.5 million to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Brazil appeared to be referring to the same stockpile. "Since March 13, the Brazilian government... has been negotiating with the US government to make it possible for Brazil to import vaccines from the surplus available in the United States," the foreign ministry said in a Tweet. Brazil is currently using both the AstraZeneca vaccine -- recently given fresh stamps of approval from European regulators and the World Health Organization, following concerns over possible side effects -- and Chinese-developed CoronaVac. (with inputs from agencies)

Brazil stares into the abyss as Covid-19 surge pushes hospitals to brink of collapse

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has -- yet again -- backed the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The health agency has also urged countries to maintain the roll-out after reviewing reports of blood clots.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was "no question" over the &nbsp;benefits after the UN health agency's vaccine safety experts found no increase in clotting conditions linked to an AstraZeneca shot.

"The available data do not suggest any overall increase in clotting conditions following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. We urge countries to continue using this important vaccine," Tedros told a press conference.

Several European countries resumed AstraZeneca vaccinations on Friday after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) likewise gave their green light on Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-countries-to-resume-astrazeneca-jabs-after-safe-verdict-371547">Also read |&nbsp;EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict</a>

The WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) met virtually on Tuesday and Friday. It reviewed available information and data on thromboembolic events (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) after vaccination with an AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot.

The committee said the jab "continues to have a positive benefit-risk profile, with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths across the world. The available data do not suggest any overall increase in clotting conditions such as deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism."

Those two conditions "occur naturally and are not uncommon", and also occur as a result of Covid-19, the experts said.

"While very rare and unique thromboembolic events in combination with thrombocytopenia, such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), have also been reported following vaccination with the AstraZeneca &nbsp;Covid-19 vaccine in Europe, it is not certain that they have been caused by vaccination."

The GACVS also agreed with the EMA's plans to further investigate and monitor for such events.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-share-4-million-doses-of-astrazeneca-vaccine-with-mexico-canada-371635">Also read |&nbsp;US to share 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Mexico, Canada</a>

The EU's EMA regulators have reviewed 18 such cases out of more than 20 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccinations in Europe, and "a causal relationship between these rare events has not been established at this time".

The AstraZeneca vaccine accounts for more than 90 per cent of the doses being distributed around the world in the first wave of the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility. Just under 30 million doses have so far been distributed to 50 countries as part of the scheme, which aims to ensure poorer nations get enough doses to vaccinate at least 20 per cent of their population by the end of the year.

Also, the WHO vaccine safety experts recommended that countries continue monitoring Covid-19 vaccine safety and report suspected adverse events.

(with inputs from AFP)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has -- yet again -- backed the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The health agency has also urged countries to maintain the roll-out after reviewing reports of blood clots.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has -- yet again -- backed the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The health agency has also urged countries to maintain the roll-out after reviewing reports of blood clots. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was "no question" over the benefits after the UN health agency's vaccine safety experts found no increase in clotting conditions linked to an AstraZeneca shot. "The available data do not suggest any overall increase in clotting conditions following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. We urge countries to continue using this important vaccine," Tedros told a press conference. Several European countries resumed AstraZeneca vaccinations on Friday after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) likewise gave their green light on Thursday. Also read | EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict The WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) met virtually on Tuesday and Friday. It reviewed available information and data on thromboembolic events (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) after vaccination with an AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot. The committee said the jab "continues to have a positive benefit-risk profile, with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths across the world. The available data do not suggest any overall increase in clotting conditions such as deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism." Those two conditions "occur naturally and are not uncommon", and also occur as a result of Covid-19, the experts said. "While very rare and unique thromboembolic events in combination with thrombocytopenia, such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), have also been reported following vaccination with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Europe, it is not certain that they have been caused by vaccination." The GACVS also agreed with the EMA's plans to further investigate and monitor for such events. Also read | US to share 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Mexico, Canada The EU's EMA regulators have reviewed 18 such cases out of more than 20 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccinations in Europe, and "a causal relationship between these rare events has not been established at this time". The AstraZeneca vaccine accounts for more than 90 per cent of the doses being distributed around the world in the first wave of the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility. Just under 30 million doses have so far been distributed to 50 countries as part of the scheme, which aims to ensure poorer nations get enough doses to vaccinate at least 20 per cent of their population by the end of the year. Also, the WHO vaccine safety experts recommended that countries continue monitoring Covid-19 vaccine safety and report suspected adverse events. (with inputs from AFP)

WHO renews backing for AstraZeneca Covid vaccine

The Finnish health authority THL announced on Friday it will pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Finland for at least a week, following two reports of blood clots in patients who had received the jab.

Citing the "precautionary principle," the THL decided to suspend the vaccine with immediate effect "until there is more information about the case and possible causality can be evaluated", the agency said in a statement.

The decision comes a day after Europe's medicines regulator concluded the vaccine was "safe and effective".&nbsp;

Use of the vaccine will not resume before March 29, due to reports to Finland's medical regulator Fimea "of two cases of cerebral thrombosis 4-10 days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine", the statement said.

The agency noted however that the observed symptoms were "extremely rare" and said there was "currently no certainty" about a causal link to the vaccine.

On Thursday, many European countries said they would resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after the European Medicines Agency found the jab was "not associated" with reports of patients suffering blood clots following its use.&nbsp;

A total of 13 European countries had suspended use of the vaccine, although Finland was not among them.

The Finnish health authority THL announced on Friday it will pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Finland for at least a week, following two reports of blood clots in patients who had received the jab.

The Finnish health authority THL announced on Friday it will pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Finland for at least a week, following two reports of blood clots in patients who had received the jab. Citing the "precautionary principle," the THL decided to suspend the vaccine with immediate effect "until there is more information about the case and possible causality can be evaluated", the agency said in a statement. The decision comes a day after Europe's medicines regulator concluded the vaccine was "safe and effective". Use of the vaccine will not resume before March 29, due to reports to Finland's medical regulator Fimea "of two cases of cerebral thrombosis 4-10 days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine", the statement said. The agency noted however that the observed symptoms were "extremely rare" and said there was "currently no certainty" about a causal link to the vaccine. On Thursday, many European countries said they would resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after the European Medicines Agency found the jab was "not associated" with reports of patients suffering blood clots following its use. A total of 13 European countries had suspended use of the vaccine, although Finland was not among them.

Finland pauses AstraZeneca jab despite EMA 'safe' finding

BRUSSELS — The calls began in December, as the United States prepared to administer its first batches of COVID-19 vaccine. Even then, it was clear that the European Union was a few weeks behind, and its leaders wanted to know what they could learn from their American counterparts.

The questions were the same, from President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, and Alexander De Croo, prime minister of Belgium.

“How did you do it?” Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the U.S. vaccine czar, recalled being asked on the calls. “And what do you think we missed?”

Since then, the rollout gap between Europe and the United States has widened, and some of the countries hardest hit early in the pandemic are facing a deadly third wave of infections. France, large parts of Italy, and other regions are back in lockdown. Roughly 20,000 Europeans die of COVID-19 each week.

The continent was dealt a further setback when a scare over blood clots and brain bleeds led several countries this week to temporarily halt the distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Most of them resumed using it Friday after Europe’s top drug regulator vouched for its safety, but public confidence in the shot has been badly shaken.

Vaccine salvation remains, for now, tantalizingly out of reach. Only about 10% of Europeans have received a first dose, compared with 23% in the U.S. and 39% in Britain.

There is no single culprit. Rather, a cascade of small decisions have led to increasingly long delays. The bloc was comparatively slow to negotiate contracts with drugmakers. Its regulators were cautious and deliberative in approving some vaccines. Europe also bet on vaccines that did not pan out or had supply disruptions. And national governments snarled local efforts in red tape.

But the biggest explanation, one that has haunted the bloc for months, is as much philosophical as it was operational. European governments are often seen in the U.S. as free-spending, liberal bastions. This time, though, it was Washington that threw billions at drugmakers and cosseted their business.

Brussels, by comparison, took a conservative, budget-conscious approach that left the open market largely untouched. And it has paid for it.

In short, the answer today is the same as it was in December, Slaoui said. The bloc shopped for vaccines like a customer. The United States basically went into business with the drugmakers, spending much more heavily to accelerate vaccine development, testing and production.

“They assumed that simply contracting to acquire doses would be enough,” recalled Slaoui, whom President Donald Trump hired to speed the vaccine development. “In fact what was very important was to be a full, active partner in the development and the manufacturing of the vaccine. And to do so very early.”

The result in Europe is a stumbling inoculation effort that has led to political fallout, with leaders pointing fingers over why some of the world’s richest countries, home to factories that churn out vast quantities of vaccine, cannot keep pace with other wealthy nations in injecting its people.

Compared with nearly all the rest of the world, the European Union is in an admirable position. Its leaders say it remains feasible to vaccinate 70% of the continent by this summer. The bloc has ordered enough doses to fully vaccinate its population at least three times, to the consternation of countries that will wait years for full coverage.

But Europeans are stung, especially, to see Britain’s rollout going so well after the country exited the bloc. Everyone wants to know why the EU has not triumphed.

‘Not Equipped for a Gunfight’

The European Union trailed the U.S. and Britain from the start.

Washington had already spent billions on clinical trials and manufacturing by the time Europe decided to pool its resources and negotiate as a bloc. In mid-June, the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, announced a joint vaccine purchase with a $3.2 billion pot.

In Washington, Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine program, had a $10 billion budget. European officials say it’s unfair to compare the two figures because neither amount is a complete picture of all the money spent on vaccines. But there is no dispute that in Washington, officials had decided that money was no object if vaccines could avert the economic cost of a lockdown. Europe, on the other hand, was on a tight budget, so its negotiators chased cheaper doses.

“Pricing has been important since the beginning,” Sandra Gallina, the EU’s main vaccine negotiator, told lawmakers in February. “We are talking about taxpayers’ money.”

Europe’s first deal, with AstraZeneca, came in August, months after the U.S. And while Europe negotiated as a powerful buyer, it lacked the wartime procurement powers that the Trump administration had used to secure raw materials for companies.

That meant that the bloc was not first in line for the doses.

The United States made the negotiations easy — its critics say far too easy — by signing away any right to intellectual property and absolving the drug companies of any liability if the vaccines disappointed. Washington paid for the development and the trials; the companies had essentially nothing to lose.

Drugmakers expected the same concessions in Europe, but the back and forth over liability was the major stumbling block, Gallina said. European negotiators had to reconcile disparate liability laws across multiple countries, finding common ground among 27 leaders.

“In a crisis, it always becomes clear that the EU is not a country,” said Jacob Kirkegaard, of the German Marshall Fund. He said the bloc approached vaccine procurement like a contract negotiation when in fact “it was a zero-sum game with limited supply.”

“It was not equipped for a gunfight,” Kirkegaard said.

Slaoui said Washington and London approached the crisis in lockstep. He recalled biweekly meetings with his British counterpart, Kate Bingham, but said Europe went its own way.

“If you’re at the table from Day 1, and you paid to be the first to pick from the menu, you’re going to eat first,” he said.

The Wrong Horses

European institutions are, by design, risk-averse. One of the founding tenets of the European Union is called the precautionary principle: The bloc errs on the side of caution when risks are unclear.

That, some analysts have said, hurt the bloc. German leaders argued for a heftier bet on vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, but they were based on unproven messenger RNA technology and were more expensive. The bloc had just settled a thorny economic rescue package, and there was little appetite for more risk or spending.

It did not help that Europe backed the wrong horse in some cases. It spent billions on a vaccine candidate from French drugmaker Sanofi and Britain’s GSK that was delayed more than a year after disappointing results.

So the bloc relied heavily on AstraZeneca for its early rollout plans, a bet that had repercussions from the beginning. Italy, for example, embraced Europe’s bet on AstraZeneca doses because they were cheaper and did not require extreme storage temperatures. But then Italian regulators recommended against giving the vaccine to older adults until more data were available, leaving a country with the oldest population in Europe more vulnerable to the pandemic.

Britain bet heavily on AstraZeneca, too, but its close working relationship with the drugmaker and its early agreements gave it an advantage when the company hit supply problems in January. AstraZeneca has slashed its delivery plans, telling European leaders that it would hand over 100 million fewer doses by the middle of the year, according to the commission’s president, von der Leyen.

That has pitted the bloc against AstraZeneca, and the dispute has spilled into public view. Leaders in Brussels have been all too happy to blame the company for the shortfalls, and the dispute could end up in a Belgian court.

Europe lost even more time because its medical authorities were slow to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine, seeking to assure the public that it was safe. That “cost us two to three weeks of delay,” von der Leyen said this week.

The bloc fell further behind when national authorities in Germany, France, Italy and elsewhere raised concerns about dangerous clots and bleeding, and temporarily suspended use of the vaccine. Although the World Health Organization and European regulators reaffirmed its safety, the damage was done. Only 1 in 5 French people now trust the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to a poll by the Elabe Institute published Tuesday.

Now Europe is striking a more aggressive tone about protecting its interests. Italy blocked a small shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia this month. Von der Leyen upped the ante this week, threatening to use an emergency mechanism, last used during the 1970s oil crisis, that would allow the bloc to seize production of vaccines.

“It is hard to explain to our citizens why vaccines produced in the EU are going to other countries,” von der Leyen said.

A Lack of Flexibility

Early this month, Toon Vanagt, a Belgian tech entrepreneur, accompanied his 77-year-old father to a vaccination center north of Brussels. Vanagt, 47, was not eligible for the vaccine, but a worker offered him a leftover shot, which he gladly accepted.

Millions of Americans have been vaccinated this way, and software companies have rushed to link patients with doses that would otherwise expire. But in Belgium, when Vanagt tweeted that he had been vaccinated, it became a mini-scandal. Health officials rebuked the vaccine center, which quickly apologized: “A minor communication problem, very quickly rectified.”

Belgium’s rollout is one example of the continent’s rigid approach to following vaccination guidelines. In a country where nursing home infections led to one of the highest per capita death tolls, the policy was intended to strictly prioritize the neediest residents.

Many European countries are also stockpiling doses to guarantee that everyone who receives a first injection will receive the second dose on time. The United States and Britain have been more flexible, erring on the side of giving more first injections.

“In the U.S., there is a much more flexible, liberal system and you just vaccinate people who come along. Same in the U.K. And it can go quicker. Here it is quite regulated,’’ said Steven Van Gucht, the Belgian government’s top virologist, who said it was too soon to know which system is better.

Administrative hiccups have exacerbated the problems. In Frankfurt, Elke Morgenstern was escorted out of a vaccine center because she enrolled using the wrong online application. “It was embarrassing,” said Morgenstern, adding that she qualified for a vaccine because of a preexisting condition.

Because of the AstraZeneca shortages, she cannot book another appointment before May.

“It is a catastrophe how they are handling things here,” she said.

In the Lombardy region of Italy, once the center of the pandemic, the vaccination campaign got off to a slow start in part because the top health care official refused to marshal medical workers over the Christmas holidays. Technical difficulties worsened the problems at the region’s vaccination centers.

“Some sessions were empty,” said Paola Pedrini, the regional secretary-general for Italy’s family doctors federation. “For some others, they called 900 people when they could only vaccinate 600.”

For all of the problems, Slaoui said Europeans were in an admirable position. By the numbers, the continent is about five weeks behind the United States, with vaccine supply expected to increase steadily. “It’s too late to have taken the first bite,” he said. “But they’re in a good place.”

Van Gucht, of Belgium, agreed. But he said European leaders would probably take nationalistic lessons from the past months.

“I think we relied a little bit too much on the free markets,” he said. “What you really need to do from the beginning is really make sure you produce the vaccines on your territory and that they’re destined for your own population.”

BRUSSELS — The calls began in December, as the United States prepared to administer its first batches of COVID-19 vaccine. Even then, it was clear that the European Union was a few weeks behind, and its leaders wanted to know what they could learn from their American counterparts.

BRUSSELS — The calls began in December, as the United States prepared to administer its first batches of COVID-19 vaccine. Even then, it was clear that the European Union was a few weeks behind, and its leaders wanted to know what they could learn from their American counterparts. The questions were the same, from President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, and Alexander De Croo, prime minister of Belgium. “How did you do it?” Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the U.S. vaccine czar, recalled being asked on the calls. “And what do you think we missed?” Since then, the rollout gap between Europe and the United States has widened, and some of the countries hardest hit early in the pandemic are facing a deadly third wave of infections. France, large parts of Italy, and other regions are back in lockdown. Roughly 20,000 Europeans die of COVID-19 each week. The continent was dealt a further setback when a scare over blood clots and brain bleeds led several countries this week to temporarily halt the distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Most of them resumed using it Friday after Europe’s top drug regulator vouched for its safety, but public confidence in the shot has been badly shaken. Vaccine salvation remains, for now, tantalizingly out of reach. Only about 10% of Europeans have received a first dose, compared with 23% in the U.S. and 39% in Britain. There is no single culprit. Rather, a cascade of small decisions have led to increasingly long delays. The bloc was comparatively slow to negotiate contracts with drugmakers. Its regulators were cautious and deliberative in approving some vaccines. Europe also bet on vaccines that did not pan out or had supply disruptions. And national governments snarled local efforts in red tape. But the biggest explanation, one that has haunted the bloc for months, is as much philosophical as it was operational. European governments are often seen in the U.S. as free-spending, liberal bastions. This time, though, it was Washington that threw billions at drugmakers and cosseted their business. Brussels, by comparison, took a conservative, budget-conscious approach that left the open market largely untouched. And it has paid for it. In short, the answer today is the same as it was in December, Slaoui said. The bloc shopped for vaccines like a customer. The United States basically went into business with the drugmakers, spending much more heavily to accelerate vaccine development, testing and production. “They assumed that simply contracting to acquire doses would be enough,” recalled Slaoui, whom President Donald Trump hired to speed the vaccine development. “In fact what was very important was to be a full, active partner in the development and the manufacturing of the vaccine. And to do so very early.” The result in Europe is a stumbling inoculation effort that has led to political fallout, with leaders pointing fingers over why some of the world’s richest countries, home to factories that churn out vast quantities of vaccine, cannot keep pace with other wealthy nations in injecting its people. Compared with nearly all the rest of the world, the European Union is in an admirable position. Its leaders say it remains feasible to vaccinate 70% of the continent by this summer. The bloc has ordered enough doses to fully vaccinate its population at least three times, to the consternation of countries that will wait years for full coverage. But Europeans are stung, especially, to see Britain’s rollout going so well after the country exited the bloc. Everyone wants to know why the EU has not triumphed. ‘Not Equipped for a Gunfight’ The European Union trailed the U.S. and Britain from the start. Washington had already spent billions on clinical trials and manufacturing by the time Europe decided to pool its resources and negotiate as a bloc. In mid-June, the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, announced a joint vaccine purchase with a $3.2 billion pot. In Washington, Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine program, had a $10 billion budget. European officials say it’s unfair to compare the two figures because neither amount is a complete picture of all the money spent on vaccines. But there is no dispute that in Washington, officials had decided that money was no object if vaccines could avert the economic cost of a lockdown. Europe, on the other hand, was on a tight budget, so its negotiators chased cheaper doses. “Pricing has been important since the beginning,” Sandra Gallina, the EU’s main vaccine negotiator, told lawmakers in February. “We are talking about taxpayers’ money.” Europe’s first deal, with AstraZeneca, came in August, months after the U.S. And while Europe negotiated as a powerful buyer, it lacked the wartime procurement powers that the Trump administration had used to secure raw materials for companies. That meant that the bloc was not first in line for the doses. The United States made the negotiations easy — its critics say far too easy — by signing away any right to intellectual property and absolving the drug companies of any liability if the vaccines disappointed. Washington paid for the development and the trials; the companies had essentially nothing to lose. Drugmakers expected the same concessions in Europe, but the back and forth over liability was the major stumbling block, Gallina said. European negotiators had to reconcile disparate liability laws across multiple countries, finding common ground among 27 leaders. “In a crisis, it always becomes clear that the EU is not a country,” said Jacob Kirkegaard, of the German Marshall Fund. He said the bloc approached vaccine procurement like a contract negotiation when in fact “it was a zero-sum game with limited supply.” “It was not equipped for a gunfight,” Kirkegaard said. Slaoui said Washington and London approached the crisis in lockstep. He recalled biweekly meetings with his British counterpart, Kate Bingham, but said Europe went its own way. “If you’re at the table from Day 1, and you paid to be the first to pick from the menu, you’re going to eat first,” he said. The Wrong Horses European institutions are, by design, risk-averse. One of the founding tenets of the European Union is called the precautionary principle: The bloc errs on the side of caution when risks are unclear. That, some analysts have said, hurt the bloc. German leaders argued for a heftier bet on vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, but they were based on unproven messenger RNA technology and were more expensive. The bloc had just settled a thorny economic rescue package, and there was little appetite for more risk or spending. It did not help that Europe backed the wrong horse in some cases. It spent billions on a vaccine candidate from French drugmaker Sanofi and Britain’s GSK that was delayed more than a year after disappointing results. So the bloc relied heavily on AstraZeneca for its early rollout plans, a bet that had repercussions from the beginning. Italy, for example, embraced Europe’s bet on AstraZeneca doses because they were cheaper and did not require extreme storage temperatures. But then Italian regulators recommended against giving the vaccine to older adults until more data were available, leaving a country with the oldest population in Europe more vulnerable to the pandemic. Britain bet heavily on AstraZeneca, too, but its close working relationship with the drugmaker and its early agreements gave it an advantage when the company hit supply problems in January. AstraZeneca has slashed its delivery plans, telling European leaders that it would hand over 100 million fewer doses by the middle of the year, according to the commission’s president, von der Leyen. That has pitted the bloc against AstraZeneca, and the dispute has spilled into public view. Leaders in Brussels have been all too happy to blame the company for the shortfalls, and the dispute could end up in a Belgian court. Europe lost even more time because its medical authorities were slow to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine, seeking to assure the public that it was safe. That “cost us two to three weeks of delay,” von der Leyen said this week. The bloc fell further behind when national authorities in Germany, France, Italy and elsewhere raised concerns about dangerous clots and bleeding, and temporarily suspended use of the vaccine. Although the World Health Organization and European regulators reaffirmed its safety, the damage was done. Only 1 in 5 French people now trust the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to a poll by the Elabe Institute published Tuesday. Now Europe is striking a more aggressive tone about protecting its interests. Italy blocked a small shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia this month. Von der Leyen upped the ante this week, threatening to use an emergency mechanism, last used during the 1970s oil crisis, that would allow the bloc to seize production of vaccines. “It is hard to explain to our citizens why vaccines produced in the EU are going to other countries,” von der Leyen said. A Lack of Flexibility Early this month, Toon Vanagt, a Belgian tech entrepreneur, accompanied his 77-year-old father to a vaccination center north of Brussels. Vanagt, 47, was not eligible for the vaccine, but a worker offered him a leftover shot, which he gladly accepted. Millions of Americans have been vaccinated this way, and software companies have rushed to link patients with doses that would otherwise expire. But in Belgium, when Vanagt tweeted that he had been vaccinated, it became a mini-scandal. Health officials rebuked the vaccine center, which quickly apologized: “A minor communication problem, very quickly rectified.” Belgium’s rollout is one example of the continent’s rigid approach to following vaccination guidelines. In a country where nursing home infections led to one of the highest per capita death tolls, the policy was intended to strictly prioritize the neediest residents. Many European countries are also stockpiling doses to guarantee that everyone who receives a first injection will receive the second dose on time. The United States and Britain have been more flexible, erring on the side of giving more first injections. “In the U.S., there is a much more flexible, liberal system and you just vaccinate people who come along. Same in the U.K. And it can go quicker. Here it is quite regulated,’’ said Steven Van Gucht, the Belgian government’s top virologist, who said it was too soon to know which system is better. Administrative hiccups have exacerbated the problems. In Frankfurt, Elke Morgenstern was escorted out of a vaccine center because she enrolled using the wrong online application. “It was embarrassing,” said Morgenstern, adding that she qualified for a vaccine because of a preexisting condition. Because of the AstraZeneca shortages, she cannot book another appointment before May. “It is a catastrophe how they are handling things here,” she said. In the Lombardy region of Italy, once the center of the pandemic, the vaccination campaign got off to a slow start in part because the top health care official refused to marshal medical workers over the Christmas holidays. Technical difficulties worsened the problems at the region’s vaccination centers. “Some sessions were empty,” said Paola Pedrini, the regional secretary-general for Italy’s family doctors federation. “For some others, they called 900 people when they could only vaccinate 600.” For all of the problems, Slaoui said Europeans were in an admirable position. By the numbers, the continent is about five weeks behind the United States, with vaccine supply expected to increase steadily. “It’s too late to have taken the first bite,” he said. “But they’re in a good place.” Van Gucht, of Belgium, agreed. But he said European leaders would probably take nationalistic lessons from the past months. “I think we relied a little bit too much on the free markets,” he said. “What you really need to do from the beginning is really make sure you produce the vaccines on your territory and that they’re destined for your own population.”

Where Europe went wrong in its vaccine rollout, and why

Nepal's national drug regulatory authority on Saturday granted emergency use approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

Nepal has reported 275,750 cases and 3,016 deaths so far. It is now only the third country to approve India's indigenously developed Covid vaccine -- also the third COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the country.

According to The Kathmandu Post, a meeting of the drug advisory committee of the Department of Drug Administration decided to issue a conditional emergency use authorisation to India's homegrown government-backed vaccine Covaxin.

COVAXIN, which demonstrated an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 per cent in the Phase 3 clinical trials India, was approved for emergency use in India in January and Zimbabwe cleared it early this month.

Bharat Biotech had applied for emergency use authorisation for its vaccine in Nepal on January 13. Of the three applications filed on January 13, the department had first granted emergency use authorisation to Oxford-AstraZeneca on January 15.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the name of Covishiled, was then accordingly brought to the country.

Nepal granted emergency use authorisation to BBIBP-CorV vaccine, developed by China's Sinopharm on February 17.

The country has used one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines provided by India in January under grant assistance in sync with its Neighbourhood First' policy. It is now also awaiting another consignment of 2 million AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India (SII).'

Nepal's national drug regulatory authority on Saturday granted emergency use approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Nepal has reported 275,750 cases and 3,016 deaths so far.

Nepal's national drug regulatory authority on Saturday granted emergency use approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Nepal has reported 275,750 cases and 3,016 deaths so far. It is now only the third country to approve India's indigenously developed Covid vaccine -- also the third COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the country. According to The Kathmandu Post, a meeting of the drug advisory committee of the Department of Drug Administration decided to issue a conditional emergency use authorisation to India's homegrown government-backed vaccine Covaxin. COVAXIN, which demonstrated an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 per cent in the Phase 3 clinical trials India, was approved for emergency use in India in January and Zimbabwe cleared it early this month. Bharat Biotech had applied for emergency use authorisation for its vaccine in Nepal on January 13. Of the three applications filed on January 13, the department had first granted emergency use authorisation to Oxford-AstraZeneca on January 15. The AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the name of Covishiled, was then accordingly brought to the country. Nepal granted emergency use authorisation to BBIBP-CorV vaccine, developed by China's Sinopharm on February 17. The country has used one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines provided by India in January under grant assistance in sync with its Neighbourhood First' policy. It is now also awaiting another consignment of 2 million AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India (SII).'

Nepal gives emergency use approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday received a first dose of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine, at the London hospital where he fought for his life almost a year ago, assuring the public the jab is safe.

"I literally did not feel a thing. It was very good, very quick," the 56-year-old leader told reporters at St Thomas' Hospital in central London, close to his Downing Street residence.

"Everybody, when you do get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it," Johnson said.

"It's&nbsp;the best thing for you, the best thing for your family and for everybody else," he added, stressing the renewed green light given by scientists in Europe for the AstraZeneca jab..&nbsp;

"The risk is Covid. This is a great thing to do," Johnson said, hours after French Prime Minister Jean Castex received the AstraZeneca injection live on television.

Johnson spent a week at St Thomas' Hospital, including three days in intensive care, after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus at the end of March last year.

He said after coming out that his personal battle with the coronavirus "could have gone either way", and there was "no question" doctors saved his life.

AstraZeneca's jab, developed with Oxford University, provides the bulk of Britain's inoculation campaign and a large portion of its supply has been produced by the Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine maker.&nbsp;

The institute this week said it could not provide planned deliveries next month, denting Britain's otherwise impressive campaign, which has delivered more than 26 million first doses.

The supply issues are another headache for AstraZeneca after its jab was suspended in several EU countries, pending a review by the European Medicines Agency following isolated cases of blood clots and brain haemorrhages.

The EMA restated its approval for the vaccine on Thursday, as did Britain's own drugs regulator.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday received a first dose of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine, at the London hospital where he fought for his life almost a year ago, assuring the public the jab is safe.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday received a first dose of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine, at the London hospital where he fought for his life almost a year ago, assuring the public the jab is safe. "I literally did not feel a thing. It was very good, very quick," the 56-year-old leader told reporters at St Thomas' Hospital in central London, close to his Downing Street residence. "Everybody, when you do get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it," Johnson said. "It's the best thing for you, the best thing for your family and for everybody else," he added, stressing the renewed green light given by scientists in Europe for the AstraZeneca jab.. "The risk is Covid. This is a great thing to do," Johnson said, hours after French Prime Minister Jean Castex received the AstraZeneca injection live on television. Johnson spent a week at St Thomas' Hospital, including three days in intensive care, after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus at the end of March last year. He said after coming out that his personal battle with the coronavirus "could have gone either way", and there was "no question" doctors saved his life. AstraZeneca's jab, developed with Oxford University, provides the bulk of Britain's inoculation campaign and a large portion of its supply has been produced by the Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine maker. The institute this week said it could not provide planned deliveries next month, denting Britain's otherwise impressive campaign, which has delivered more than 26 million first doses. The supply issues are another headache for AstraZeneca after its jab was suspended in several EU countries, pending a review by the European Medicines Agency following isolated cases of blood clots and brain haemorrhages. The EMA restated its approval for the vaccine on Thursday, as did Britain's own drugs regulator.

UK PM receives first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine

Leading EU countries are set to resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after the European medical regulator said the jab was "safe and effective" and not associated with a higher blood clot risk.

The announcement from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came after the WHO and Britain's health watchdog both said it was far riskier to not get the shot as several countries face a worrying rise in coronavirus cases.&nbsp;Several European countries, to this end, said they would soon resume vaccinations.

The list of these countries includes Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

EMA chief Emer Cooke said Thursday that its "committee has come to a clear scientific conclusion: this is a safe and effective vaccine" after an investigation into the AstraZeneca jab.

"The committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots," she added.

However,&nbsp;the agency said it "cannot rule out definitively" a link to a rare clotting disorder.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The UK health regulator also said there were no links between blood clots and the Pfizer vaccine.&nbsp;

The World Health Organisation (WHO) repeated that it was better to take the AstraZeneca vaccine than not.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-uk-regulator-shrug-off-astrazeneca-vaccine-concerns-371478">Also read |&nbsp;EU, UK regulator shrug off AstraZeneca vaccine concerns</a>

AstraZeneca's chief medical officer Ann Taylor said that "vaccine safety is paramount and we welcome the regulators' decisions which affirm the overwhelming benefit of our vaccine in stopping the pandemic".

Norway and Sweden, however, said they were not ready to resume using the vaccine. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said it "took note" of the EMA's ruling, but it was "premature" to draw conclusions and it would announce its own opinion by the end of next week.

Meanwhile, France on Thursday became the latest nation to toughen Covid restrictions, announcing a month-long limited lockdown for Paris and several other regions to try and stave off a third wave of infections that has overwhelmed hospitals.&nbsp;

The measures fall short of a full-blown lockdown, but will see non-essential shops closed and outdoor movement restricted in the affected regions, while schools are to stay open.&nbsp;

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the new measures as well as saying he would get the AstraZeneca vaccine "to show that we can have complete confidence in it".

Bulgaria and Ukraine also readied for tougher restrictions to stem rising cases, while the WHO issued a grim update on ballooning infections in Central Europe and the Balkans.

Italy, the first European country to become engulfed by the pandemic, held a national day of mourning Thursday, with a ceremony in Bergamo, the northern city that became known as "Italy's Wuhan" -- the Chinese city where the first Covid-19 cases were identified.

Italy chose March 18 for the memorial to coincide with the day in 2020 when the army had to step in to carry away scores of coffins from Bergamo's overwhelmed crematorium.

(with inputs from agencies)

Leading EU countries are set to resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after the European medical regulator said the jab was "safe and effective" and not associated with a higher blood clot risk.

Leading EU countries are set to resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after the European medical regulator said the jab was "safe and effective" and not associated with a higher blood clot risk. The announcement from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came after the WHO and Britain's health watchdog both said it was far riskier to not get the shot as several countries face a worrying rise in coronavirus cases. Several European countries, to this end, said they would soon resume vaccinations. The list of these countries includes Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Bulgaria. EMA chief Emer Cooke said Thursday that its "committee has come to a clear scientific conclusion: this is a safe and effective vaccine" after an investigation into the AstraZeneca jab. "The committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots," she added. However, the agency said it "cannot rule out definitively" a link to a rare clotting disorder. The UK health regulator also said there were no links between blood clots and the Pfizer vaccine. The World Health Organisation (WHO) repeated that it was better to take the AstraZeneca vaccine than not. Also read | EU, UK regulator shrug off AstraZeneca vaccine concerns AstraZeneca's chief medical officer Ann Taylor said that "vaccine safety is paramount and we welcome the regulators' decisions which affirm the overwhelming benefit of our vaccine in stopping the pandemic". Norway and Sweden, however, said they were not ready to resume using the vaccine. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said it "took note" of the EMA's ruling, but it was "premature" to draw conclusions and it would announce its own opinion by the end of next week. Meanwhile, France on Thursday became the latest nation to toughen Covid restrictions, announcing a month-long limited lockdown for Paris and several other regions to try and stave off a third wave of infections that has overwhelmed hospitals. The measures fall short of a full-blown lockdown, but will see non-essential shops closed and outdoor movement restricted in the affected regions, while schools are to stay open. French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the new measures as well as saying he would get the AstraZeneca vaccine "to show that we can have complete confidence in it". Bulgaria and Ukraine also readied for tougher restrictions to stem rising cases, while the WHO issued a grim update on ballooning infections in Central Europe and the Balkans. Italy, the first European country to become engulfed by the pandemic, held a national day of mourning Thursday, with a ceremony in Bergamo, the northern city that became known as "Italy's Wuhan" -- the Chinese city where the first Covid-19 cases were identified. Italy chose March 18 for the memorial to coincide with the day in 2020 when the army had to step in to carry away scores of coffins from Bergamo's overwhelmed crematorium. (with inputs from agencies)

EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict

The United States plans to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada, the White House said Thursday, a notable step into vaccine diplomacy just as the Biden administration is quietly pressing Mexico to curb the stream of migrants coming to the border.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said the United States was planning to share 2.5 million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and 1.5 million with Canada, adding that it was “not finalized yet, but that is our aim.”

Tens of millions of doses of the vaccine have been sitting in U.S. manufacturing sites. While their use has already been approved in dozens of countries, including Mexico and Canada, the vaccine has not yet been authorized by U.S. regulators. Psaki said the shipments to Mexico and Canada would essentially be a loan, with the United States receiving doses of AstraZeneca, or other vaccines, in the future.

The announcement of the vaccine distribution came at a critical time in negotiations with Mexico. President Joe Biden has moved quickly to dismantle some of former President Donald Trump’s signature immigration policies, halting the construction of a border wall, stopping the swift expulsion of children at the border and proposing a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States.

But he is clinging to a central element of Trump’s agenda: relying on Mexico to restrain a wave of people making their way to the United States.

Anticipating a surge of migrants and the most apprehensions by U.S. agents at the border in two decades, Biden asked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico in a video call this month whether more could be done to help solve the problem, according to Mexican officials and another person briefed on the conversation.

The two presidents also discussed the possibility of the United States sending Mexico some of its surplus vaccine supply, a senior Mexican official said. Mexico has publicly asked the Biden administration to send it doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

At a news briefing Thursday, Psaki said that the discussions over vaccines and border security between the United States and Mexico were “unrelated” but also “overlapping.”

Asked by a reporter if the United States had “strings attached” to its offer to lend vaccines to Mexico, Psaki replied that there were “several diplomatic conversations — parallel conversations — many layers of conversations” at play in the discussions.

“There’s rarely just one issue you’re discussing with any country at one time,” Psaki said. “Certainly that’s not the case with Mexico. It’s not the case with any country around the world. And so I wouldn’t read into it more than our ability to provide — to lend — vaccine doses.”

Mexican officials also say the efforts to secure vaccines are separate from the negotiations over migration and rejected the notion that a quid pro quo was involved.

“These are two separate issues,” Roberto Velasco, director-general for the North America region at Mexico’s foreign ministry, said in a statement, referring to the engagement between the two countries on migration and vaccines.

But Mexican officials acknowledge that relations between the United States and Mexico, which has suffered one of the world’s deadliest coronavirus epidemics, would be buoyed by a shipment of doses south.

“We look for a more humane migratory system and enhanced cooperation against COVID-19 for the benefit of our two countries and the region,” Velasco added.

Several European countries suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine this week, a precaution because some people who had received the shot later developed blood clots and severe bleeding. But Thursday, Europe’s drug regulator declared the vaccine safe. AstraZeneca has also said that a review of 17 million people who received the vaccine found they were less likely than others to develop dangerous clots.

A Biden administration official declined to comment further on the negotiations with Mexico but noted that both countries shared a common goal of reducing migration by addressing its root causes and said they were working closely to stem the flow of people streaming to the border.

The Biden administration is facing intense pressure, scrambling to find shelter space for a growing number of migrant children and teenagers held in U.S. detention facilities along the border.

More than 4,500 of them were stuck in detention facilities as of Thursday, with the Biden administration working on putting them in a convention center in Dallas; a former camp for oil workers in Midland, Texas; and possibly a NASA site in California.

The administration has also identified nearly a dozen other sites, including Defense Department facilities, to potentially house the children and teenagers until they can be placed with a sponsor, according to a government document from March obtained by The New York Times. One of the sites — in Pecos, Texas — could hold 2,000 beds.

Mexico has agreed to increase its presence on its southern border with Guatemala to deter migration from Central America, one of the government officials said, and local Mexican officials say their country has recently stepped up efforts to stop migrants on the northern border with the United States as well.

But there are also signs that Mexico’s commitment to policing migration — a central demand of Trump, who wielded the threat of tariffs against all Mexican goods unless migration was curbed — may have flagged in the waning months of the Trump administration.

From October through December 2020, the number of Central Americans apprehended by Mexico declined, while detentions by U.S. agents increased, according to Mexican government numbers and data compiled by The Washington Office on Latin America, a research organization that advocates for human rights.

“The likelihood of the outgoing Trump administration threatening tariffs again was low, so there was an incentive for Mexico to go back to its default state of low apprehensions,” said Adam Isacson, an expert on border security at The Washington Office on Latin America.

The Biden administration’s appeal to do more against migration has put Mexico in a difficult position. While Trump strong-armed Mexico into militarizing the border, some Mexican officials argue that his harsh policies may have at times helped lessen their load by deterring migrants from attempting to make the journey north.

Biden is less likely to resort to threats of tariffs to get his way, officials and analyst say. But now Mexico is being asked to hold the line against a surge of migrants — while the Biden administration is signalling that the United States is more welcoming to migrants.

“They get to look like the good guys, and the Mexicans look like the bad guys,” said Cris Ramón, an immigration consultant based in Washington, D.C.

“All the positive humanitarian policies are being done by the Biden administration.” Ramón added, “and then the Mexicans are left with the dirty work.”

As for Canada, several of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s political opponents repeatedly pressed him to lobby the new Biden administration for the release of vaccines. Many Canadians have expressed dismay that the United States had not shared any supplies with Canada, where no coronavirus vaccines are manufactured.

Until Thursday, all of Canada’s vaccine supply had come from Europe or India, and Canada’s rollout has proceeded at a slow pace compared with the United States and many other countries.

“God bless America; they’re coming to our rescue,” Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, told a news conference.

While the Biden administration has committed to helping a major vaccine manufacturer in India, the United States has fallen far behind China, India and Russia in the race to use vaccines as diplomatic tools.

Beijing is shipping vaccines to dozens of countries, including some in Africa and Latin America. Russia has supplied its vaccine to Hungary and Slovakia. Biden has also drawn criticism for not making it easier for poorer countries to gain access to generic versions of coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

With Mexico, the Biden administration has been urging the country to accept more families expelled by U.S. authorities and to increase enforcement at Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, according to two Mexican officials and two others briefed on the discussions.

López Obrador is also trying to find a way to increase capacity to house migrants in shelters, which are bursting at the seams. In a statement Tuesday, the secretary for homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said he was working with Mexico to do that.

“Shelters are at a near collapse,” said Enrique Valenzuela, a lead coordinator for the government of Chihuahua state’s migration efforts.

Local government officials in Ciudad Juárez and shelter operators say Mexico is dialling up operations to capture and deport migrants along the northern border. On a nearly daily basis, two of them said, Mexican authorities are stopping vans stuffed with families and pickup trucks carrying livestock — along with migrants crouching on the floor to avoid detection.

Part of the reason Mexico is willing to continue cracking down is that, despite being a country that has long sent people north, there is a lot of resentment toward Central American migrants.

“The level of negative attitudes that we have toward migrant flows has gone up, so there won’t be a political cost” for López Obrador, said Tonatiuh Guillén, who ran Mexico’s National Migration Institute in the first half of 2019. “But with Trump, we negotiated nothing; we gave them a lot, and they didn’t give us anything back,” he added, arguing that the strategy should be different with Biden.

Despite the very public tensions with Mexico under Trump, López Obrador has been wary of the Biden administration, concerned that it might be more willing to interfere on domestic issues like labour rights or the environment.

Instead, several Mexican officials say, his government has pushed the United States to deter Central Americans from migrating by sending humanitarian aid to Honduras and Guatemala in the wake of two hurricanes that devastated those countries and, many experts believe, pushed even more people to migrate.

Mexican officials have also asked the United States to send more Hondurans and Guatemalans apprehended in the United States directly to their home countries rather than releasing them to Mexico, making it even harder for them to try to cross the border again.

The need for vaccines in Mexico is clear.

About 200,000 people have died in Mexico from the virus — the third-highest death toll in the world — and the country has been relatively slow to vaccinate its population. That poses a potential political risk for López Obrador, whose party is heading into elections in June that will determine whether the president hangs onto control of the Legislature.

“Mexico needs cooperation from the U.S. in getting its economy jump-started and getting vaccines to get out of the health crisis,” said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. “So there’s room for the two countries to reach agreements based on aligned interests rather than overt threats.”

The United States plans to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada, the White House said Thursday, a notable step into vaccine diplomacy just as the Biden administration is quietly pressing Mexico to curb the stream of migrants coming to the border.

The United States plans to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada, the White House said Thursday, a notable step into vaccine diplomacy just as the Biden administration is quietly pressing Mexico to curb the stream of migrants coming to the border. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said the United States was planning to share 2.5 million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and 1.5 million with Canada, adding that it was “not finalized yet, but that is our aim.” Tens of millions of doses of the vaccine have been sitting in U.S. manufacturing sites. While their use has already been approved in dozens of countries, including Mexico and Canada, the vaccine has not yet been authorized by U.S. regulators. Psaki said the shipments to Mexico and Canada would essentially be a loan, with the United States receiving doses of AstraZeneca, or other vaccines, in the future. The announcement of the vaccine distribution came at a critical time in negotiations with Mexico. President Joe Biden has moved quickly to dismantle some of former President Donald Trump’s signature immigration policies, halting the construction of a border wall, stopping the swift expulsion of children at the border and proposing a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States. But he is clinging to a central element of Trump’s agenda: relying on Mexico to restrain a wave of people making their way to the United States. Anticipating a surge of migrants and the most apprehensions by U.S. agents at the border in two decades, Biden asked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico in a video call this month whether more could be done to help solve the problem, according to Mexican officials and another person briefed on the conversation. The two presidents also discussed the possibility of the United States sending Mexico some of its surplus vaccine supply, a senior Mexican official said. Mexico has publicly asked the Biden administration to send it doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. At a news briefing Thursday, Psaki said that the discussions over vaccines and border security between the United States and Mexico were “unrelated” but also “overlapping.” Asked by a reporter if the United States had “strings attached” to its offer to lend vaccines to Mexico, Psaki replied that there were “several diplomatic conversations — parallel conversations — many layers of conversations” at play in the discussions. “There’s rarely just one issue you’re discussing with any country at one time,” Psaki said. “Certainly that’s not the case with Mexico. It’s not the case with any country around the world. And so I wouldn’t read into it more than our ability to provide — to lend — vaccine doses.” Mexican officials also say the efforts to secure vaccines are separate from the negotiations over migration and rejected the notion that a quid pro quo was involved. “These are two separate issues,” Roberto Velasco, director-general for the North America region at Mexico’s foreign ministry, said in a statement, referring to the engagement between the two countries on migration and vaccines. But Mexican officials acknowledge that relations between the United States and Mexico, which has suffered one of the world’s deadliest coronavirus epidemics, would be buoyed by a shipment of doses south. “We look for a more humane migratory system and enhanced cooperation against COVID-19 for the benefit of our two countries and the region,” Velasco added. Several European countries suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine this week, a precaution because some people who had received the shot later developed blood clots and severe bleeding. But Thursday, Europe’s drug regulator declared the vaccine safe. AstraZeneca has also said that a review of 17 million people who received the vaccine found they were less likely than others to develop dangerous clots. A Biden administration official declined to comment further on the negotiations with Mexico but noted that both countries shared a common goal of reducing migration by addressing its root causes and said they were working closely to stem the flow of people streaming to the border. The Biden administration is facing intense pressure, scrambling to find shelter space for a growing number of migrant children and teenagers held in U.S. detention facilities along the border. More than 4,500 of them were stuck in detention facilities as of Thursday, with the Biden administration working on putting them in a convention center in Dallas; a former camp for oil workers in Midland, Texas; and possibly a NASA site in California. The administration has also identified nearly a dozen other sites, including Defense Department facilities, to potentially house the children and teenagers until they can be placed with a sponsor, according to a government document from March obtained by The New York Times. One of the sites — in Pecos, Texas — could hold 2,000 beds. Mexico has agreed to increase its presence on its southern border with Guatemala to deter migration from Central America, one of the government officials said, and local Mexican officials say their country has recently stepped up efforts to stop migrants on the northern border with the United States as well. But there are also signs that Mexico’s commitment to policing migration — a central demand of Trump, who wielded the threat of tariffs against all Mexican goods unless migration was curbed — may have flagged in the waning months of the Trump administration. From October through December 2020, the number of Central Americans apprehended by Mexico declined, while detentions by U.S. agents increased, according to Mexican government numbers and data compiled by The Washington Office on Latin America, a research organization that advocates for human rights. “The likelihood of the outgoing Trump administration threatening tariffs again was low, so there was an incentive for Mexico to go back to its default state of low apprehensions,” said Adam Isacson, an expert on border security at The Washington Office on Latin America. The Biden administration’s appeal to do more against migration has put Mexico in a difficult position. While Trump strong-armed Mexico into militarizing the border, some Mexican officials argue that his harsh policies may have at times helped lessen their load by deterring migrants from attempting to make the journey north. Biden is less likely to resort to threats of tariffs to get his way, officials and analyst say. But now Mexico is being asked to hold the line against a surge of migrants — while the Biden administration is signalling that the United States is more welcoming to migrants. “They get to look like the good guys, and the Mexicans look like the bad guys,” said Cris Ramón, an immigration consultant based in Washington, D.C. “All the positive humanitarian policies are being done by the Biden administration.” Ramón added, “and then the Mexicans are left with the dirty work.” As for Canada, several of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s political opponents repeatedly pressed him to lobby the new Biden administration for the release of vaccines. Many Canadians have expressed dismay that the United States had not shared any supplies with Canada, where no coronavirus vaccines are manufactured. Until Thursday, all of Canada’s vaccine supply had come from Europe or India, and Canada’s rollout has proceeded at a slow pace compared with the United States and many other countries. “God bless America; they’re coming to our rescue,” Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, told a news conference. While the Biden administration has committed to helping a major vaccine manufacturer in India, the United States has fallen far behind China, India and Russia in the race to use vaccines as diplomatic tools. Beijing is shipping vaccines to dozens of countries, including some in Africa and Latin America. Russia has supplied its vaccine to Hungary and Slovakia. Biden has also drawn criticism for not making it easier for poorer countries to gain access to generic versions of coronavirus vaccines and treatments. With Mexico, the Biden administration has been urging the country to accept more families expelled by U.S. authorities and to increase enforcement at Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, according to two Mexican officials and two others briefed on the discussions. López Obrador is also trying to find a way to increase capacity to house migrants in shelters, which are bursting at the seams. In a statement Tuesday, the secretary for homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said he was working with Mexico to do that. “Shelters are at a near collapse,” said Enrique Valenzuela, a lead coordinator for the government of Chihuahua state’s migration efforts. Local government officials in Ciudad Juárez and shelter operators say Mexico is dialling up operations to capture and deport migrants along the northern border. On a nearly daily basis, two of them said, Mexican authorities are stopping vans stuffed with families and pickup trucks carrying livestock — along with migrants crouching on the floor to avoid detection. Part of the reason Mexico is willing to continue cracking down is that, despite being a country that has long sent people north, there is a lot of resentment toward Central American migrants. “The level of negative attitudes that we have toward migrant flows has gone up, so there won’t be a political cost” for López Obrador, said Tonatiuh Guillén, who ran Mexico’s National Migration Institute in the first half of 2019. “But with Trump, we negotiated nothing; we gave them a lot, and they didn’t give us anything back,” he added, arguing that the strategy should be different with Biden. Despite the very public tensions with Mexico under Trump, López Obrador has been wary of the Biden administration, concerned that it might be more willing to interfere on domestic issues like labour rights or the environment. Instead, several Mexican officials say, his government has pushed the United States to deter Central Americans from migrating by sending humanitarian aid to Honduras and Guatemala in the wake of two hurricanes that devastated those countries and, many experts believe, pushed even more people to migrate. Mexican officials have also asked the United States to send more Hondurans and Guatemalans apprehended in the United States directly to their home countries rather than releasing them to Mexico, making it even harder for them to try to cross the border again. The need for vaccines in Mexico is clear. About 200,000 people have died in Mexico from the virus — the third-highest death toll in the world — and the country has been relatively slow to vaccinate its population. That poses a potential political risk for López Obrador, whose party is heading into elections in June that will determine whether the president hangs onto control of the Legislature. “Mexico needs cooperation from the U.S. in getting its economy jump-started and getting vaccines to get out of the health crisis,” said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. “So there’s room for the two countries to reach agreements based on aligned interests rather than overt threats.”

US to send millions of vaccine doses to Mexico and Canada

The United States is finally yielding to requests to share Covid-19 jabs with allies, and is set to send roughly 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine that it is not using to Mexico and Canada in loan deals with the two countries.

Mexico will receive 2.5 million doses of the vaccine and Canada is to receive 1.5 million doses, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The Biden administration has come under pressure from countries around the world to share vaccines, particularly its stock of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is authorised for use elsewhere but not yet in the United States.

AstraZeneca has millions of doses made in a US facility, and has said that it would have 30 million shots ready at the beginning of April.

The deal to share the vaccine does not affect President Joe Biden’s plans to have vaccine available for all adults in the United States by the end of May, a senior administration official said.

Psaki said the United States had access to 7 million releasable doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine but had no plans to share them with any countries at this time other than Canada and Mexico.

Mexico’s government said on Thursday it would restrict movement on its southern border with Guatemala amid rising apprehensions of migrants trying to enter the United States, many of them unaccompanied minors.

Reports of blood disorders have prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, but the European Union’s drug watchdog said on Thursday that after an investigation, it was still convinced the benefits of that vaccine outweighed the risks.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-countries-to-resume-astrazeneca-jabs-after-safe-verdict-371547">Also read |&nbsp;EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict</a>

Biden had earlier said if the United States has a surplus of vaccine, it would share it with the rest of the world. The White House has focussed on vaccinating people in the United States, which has seen more than 530,000 people die from the virus, the most of any country.

Biden said on Thursday that his goal of having 100 million vaccine shots administered in the United States during his first 100 days in office would be met early, on Friday. Biden took office on January 20.

The country is getting prepared to roll out the AstraZeneca vaccine domestically if it gets authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration, the White House said.

(with inputs)

The United States is finally yielding to requests to share Covid-19 jabs with allies, and is set to send roughly 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine that it is not using to Mexico and Canada in loan deals with the two countries.

The United States is finally yielding to requests to share Covid-19 jabs with allies, and is set to send roughly 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine that it is not using to Mexico and Canada in loan deals with the two countries. Mexico will receive 2.5 million doses of the vaccine and Canada is to receive 1.5 million doses, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The Biden administration has come under pressure from countries around the world to share vaccines, particularly its stock of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is authorised for use elsewhere but not yet in the United States. AstraZeneca has millions of doses made in a US facility, and has said that it would have 30 million shots ready at the beginning of April. The deal to share the vaccine does not affect President Joe Biden’s plans to have vaccine available for all adults in the United States by the end of May, a senior administration official said. Psaki said the United States had access to 7 million releasable doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine but had no plans to share them with any countries at this time other than Canada and Mexico. Mexico’s government said on Thursday it would restrict movement on its southern border with Guatemala amid rising apprehensions of migrants trying to enter the United States, many of them unaccompanied minors. Reports of blood disorders have prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, but the European Union’s drug watchdog said on Thursday that after an investigation, it was still convinced the benefits of that vaccine outweighed the risks. Also read | EU countries to resume AstraZeneca jabs after 'safe' verdict Biden had earlier said if the United States has a surplus of vaccine, it would share it with the rest of the world. The White House has focussed on vaccinating people in the United States, which has seen more than 530,000 people die from the virus, the most of any country. Biden said on Thursday that his goal of having 100 million vaccine shots administered in the United States during his first 100 days in office would be met early, on Friday. Biden took office on January 20. The country is getting prepared to roll out the AstraZeneca vaccine domestically if it gets authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration, the White House said. (with inputs)

US to share 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Mexico, Canada

The Philippines has approved Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday.

The Philippines, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, is facing a renewed wave of infections, with nearly 20,000 new cases reported in the past four days.

The vaccine, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute, is the fourth to get emergency use authorisation in the Philippines. Interim data showed the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy of 91.6 per cent in age groups 18 and older.

"The known and potential benefits of the Gamaleya Sputnik V vaccine...outweigh the known and potential risks of said vaccine," FDA chief Rolando Enrique Domingo told a news conference.

In February, a medical panel in Vietnam recommended the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine.

US vaccine makers Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson have made inquiries about the documentary requirements for emergency use approval but have yet to file applications, Domingo said.

The government plans to roll out 140.5 million vaccine by December, to inoculate 70 million adults and achieve herd immunity for a safer reopening of the country's pandemic-battered economy, which contracted by a record 9.5 per cent in 2020. It launched an inoculation programme on March 1 and has received delivery of 1.125 million doses of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

The Philippines has approved Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday. The Philippines, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, is facing a renewed wave of infections, with nearly 20,000 new cases reported in the past four days.

The Philippines has approved Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday. The Philippines, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, is facing a renewed wave of infections, with nearly 20,000 new cases reported in the past four days. The vaccine, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute, is the fourth to get emergency use authorisation in the Philippines. Interim data showed the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy of 91.6 per cent in age groups 18 and older. "The known and potential benefits of the Gamaleya Sputnik V vaccine...outweigh the known and potential risks of said vaccine," FDA chief Rolando Enrique Domingo told a news conference. In February, a medical panel in Vietnam recommended the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine. US vaccine makers Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have made inquiries about the documentary requirements for emergency use approval but have yet to file applications, Domingo said. The government plans to roll out 140.5 million vaccine by December, to inoculate 70 million adults and achieve herd immunity for a safer reopening of the country's pandemic-battered economy, which contracted by a record 9.5 per cent in 2020. It launched an inoculation programme on March 1 and has received delivery of 1.125 million doses of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Philippines approves emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

PARIS — It’s said that the European Union grows stronger through crises. The bloc’s attempt at a coordinated vaccination program, less a rollout than a roller coaster, has tested that theory, and now the suspension of the AstraZeneca shots in many countries threatens to turn widespread disarray into an outright debacle.

“I feel like we are being used as guinea pigs,” said Khady Ballo, 21, a law student in the southern French town of Montpellier. “I would not get the AstraZeneca vaccine even if it is approved again.”

Although it seems likely that the European Medicines Agency, the 27-member union’s top drug regulator, will quickly pronounce the AstraZeneca vaccine safe, millions of Europeans have been shaken by the back-and-forth and will be more hesitant about vaccination.

“Before this, I was so pro-vaccines I would have dipped children into them,” said Maria Grazia Del Pero, 62, who works in tourism in Milan. But now, “I would not get AstraZeneca because that would be like playing Russian roulette.”

Providing vaccines for the EU’s 450 million people was never going to be a simple task, especially as the union hardly had a coordinated health policy before the pandemic. But bureaucratic delay and confusion in procuring vaccines from pharmaceutical companies, followed by slow authorization, followed by delivery problems, followed by the sudden panic over the AstraZeneca shot, has left European governments on the defensive and Europeans reeling.

In France, the government has swerved from lauding the AstraZeneca inoculation a few days ago to suspending it. The reaction to this confusion was swift, even if the government insists there is no established medical cause for fear. A poll by the Elabe Institute published Tuesday showed that only 20% of French people now trust the AstraZeneca vaccine, with 58% skeptical, and 22% undecided.

“I trust AstraZeneca, I trust the vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen, the top EU official, said at a news conference in Brussels. But reassuring words may not persuade Europeans experiencing policy whiplash.

In a clear attempt to shore up shaken confidence, Jean Castex, the French prime minister, told BFM TV he would himself get the AstraZeneca vaccine “as soon as the green light is given.” He had not previously spoken of doing this.

“The trust of Italians is deeply compromised, not only toward the AstraZeneca vaccine but also toward the authorities,” Roberto Burioni, a leading Italian virus expert, said. “These sudden and inexplicable changes in decisions create concerns everywhere.” Even an “all good” verdict from the European Medicines Agency, likely Thursday, “will not be enough.”

Concerns about the shot are based on a small number of recipients who developed blood clots or abnormal bleeding. But researchers and drug regulators say they have seen no evidence of an increase in such complications or a connection to the inoculation.

AstraZeneca said this week that a review of more than 17 million people who had received its vaccine found that they were actually less likely than the general population to develop dangerous clots.

European countries, led by France and Germany, have been torn between a strong desire to avoid what they call “vaccination nationalism,” and the realization that the EU was not fully prepared for an operation on this scale. If integration of the bloc’s health policy has been fast-forwarded, with possible long-term benefits, lives have also been lost.

The sight of Britain powering ahead with vaccinations — more than 26 million doses have been given, more than three times the number in France — has been particularly galling, given its recent exit from the union. Some Europeans understandably ask why.

Trust has long been a central issue in France, where skepticism toward COVID-19 vaccines late last year was widespread. In December, less than half the population said it was ready to be vaccinated.

That number, according to a poll by Harris Interactive, had risen to 64% earlier this month, before the AstraZeneca setback. Even then, however, trust in the AstraZeneca vaccine was lower, at 43% of the population, a number now halved.

The situation is scarcely better in Germany, although its death rate from the virus has been lower than France’s. “Stopping the AstraZeneca maximizes the damage to its image that has plagued the German vaccination strategy from the beginning,” Ulrich Weigeldt, the head of the German Association of General Practitioners, told the Funke media group. “Vaccination is and remains a question of trust.”

Confidence in the vaccine remains fairly high in Britain, where millions of people have received it, and even on the Continent, many Europeans seem untouched by the AstraZeneca fears. “I would definitely get the AstraZeneca vaccine if approved again,” said Corinne Taddei, 60, a karate instructor in Paris. The COVID vaccines, she said, are “the only solution to save us and get out of this pandemic.”

Maria Paraskevoula, a 52-year-old teacher in Athens, Greece, was also unbowed. “I’ll take any vaccine, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, I don’t care. From what I’ve heard, the chances of any problems are minimal. There’s always a risk but isn’t a bigger risk to walk around waiting to get infected?”

Last week, when reports surfaced that two men in Sicily, an Italian naval officer and a police officer, had died shortly after taking the AstraZeneca shot, the website of the Tuscany region registered 4,100 cancellations for the AstraZeneca vaccine in a day, roughly 12% of the people booked for the week ahead. In a few days, however, the vacancies were filled by other residents.

The disarray comes at a difficult moment with Europe facing what Castex, the French prime minister, has called “a kind of third wave” from new variants of the virus, even as exhaustion and depression have set in, along with severe hardship. Europe’s eventual economic recovery from the pandemic is set to be much slower than the American.

With the national mood restive, and a presidential election next year, the French government is wavering between further lockdowns and suggestions that by April 15 restaurants may start to open and a curfew be eased.

Its target of having 10 million people vaccinated with at least a first shot by mid-April, as compared to 5.6 million today, now looks ambitious given the fallout from the AstraZeneca panic. But French authorities insist it can be done, even if the AstraZeneca vaccine has to be withdrawn.

More than a year from the first lockdowns around Europe, an end to the crisis seems no closer. “I was never a No-Vaxxer,” said Laura Cerchi, a teacher at an elementary school on the outskirts of Florence who had her first shot of AstraZeneca in early March. “But all this confusion had me wondering whether I want to do the second shot or not. The mixed messages are not boosting my confidence in vaccines.”

In an interview, Clément Beaune, France’s junior minister for European Affairs, defended European policy. “I don’t believe that it’s European weightiness that is slowing down our vaccination process. Do we have problems in Europe? Yes. Would we — France, Germany — resolve these better at a national level waging war to obtain vaccine doses? I do not believe so.”

PARIS — It’s said that the European Union grows stronger through crises. The bloc’s attempt at a coordinated vaccination program, less a rollout than a roller coaster, has tested that theory, and now the suspension of the AstraZeneca shots in many countries threatens to turn widespread disarray into an outright debacle.

PARIS — It’s said that the European Union grows stronger through crises. The bloc’s attempt at a coordinated vaccination program, less a rollout than a roller coaster, has tested that theory, and now the suspension of the AstraZeneca shots in many countries threatens to turn widespread disarray into an outright debacle. “I feel like we are being used as guinea pigs,” said Khady Ballo, 21, a law student in the southern French town of Montpellier. “I would not get the AstraZeneca vaccine even if it is approved again.” Although it seems likely that the European Medicines Agency, the 27-member union’s top drug regulator, will quickly pronounce the AstraZeneca vaccine safe, millions of Europeans have been shaken by the back-and-forth and will be more hesitant about vaccination. “Before this, I was so pro-vaccines I would have dipped children into them,” said Maria Grazia Del Pero, 62, who works in tourism in Milan. But now, “I would not get AstraZeneca because that would be like playing Russian roulette.” Providing vaccines for the EU’s 450 million people was never going to be a simple task, especially as the union hardly had a coordinated health policy before the pandemic. But bureaucratic delay and confusion in procuring vaccines from pharmaceutical companies, followed by slow authorization, followed by delivery problems, followed by the sudden panic over the AstraZeneca shot, has left European governments on the defensive and Europeans reeling. In France, the government has swerved from lauding the AstraZeneca inoculation a few days ago to suspending it. The reaction to this confusion was swift, even if the government insists there is no established medical cause for fear. A poll by the Elabe Institute published Tuesday showed that only 20% of French people now trust the AstraZeneca vaccine, with 58% skeptical, and 22% undecided. “I trust AstraZeneca, I trust the vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen, the top EU official, said at a news conference in Brussels. But reassuring words may not persuade Europeans experiencing policy whiplash. In a clear attempt to shore up shaken confidence, Jean Castex, the French prime minister, told BFM TV he would himself get the AstraZeneca vaccine “as soon as the green light is given.” He had not previously spoken of doing this. “The trust of Italians is deeply compromised, not only toward the AstraZeneca vaccine but also toward the authorities,” Roberto Burioni, a leading Italian virus expert, said. “These sudden and inexplicable changes in decisions create concerns everywhere.” Even an “all good” verdict from the European Medicines Agency, likely Thursday, “will not be enough.” Concerns about the shot are based on a small number of recipients who developed blood clots or abnormal bleeding. But researchers and drug regulators say they have seen no evidence of an increase in such complications or a connection to the inoculation. AstraZeneca said this week that a review of more than 17 million people who had received its vaccine found that they were actually less likely than the general population to develop dangerous clots. European countries, led by France and Germany, have been torn between a strong desire to avoid what they call “vaccination nationalism,” and the realization that the EU was not fully prepared for an operation on this scale. If integration of the bloc’s health policy has been fast-forwarded, with possible long-term benefits, lives have also been lost. The sight of Britain powering ahead with vaccinations — more than 26 million doses have been given, more than three times the number in France — has been particularly galling, given its recent exit from the union. Some Europeans understandably ask why. Trust has long been a central issue in France, where skepticism toward COVID-19 vaccines late last year was widespread. In December, less than half the population said it was ready to be vaccinated. That number, according to a poll by Harris Interactive, had risen to 64% earlier this month, before the AstraZeneca setback. Even then, however, trust in the AstraZeneca vaccine was lower, at 43% of the population, a number now halved. The situation is scarcely better in Germany, although its death rate from the virus has been lower than France’s. “Stopping the AstraZeneca maximizes the damage to its image that has plagued the German vaccination strategy from the beginning,” Ulrich Weigeldt, the head of the German Association of General Practitioners, told the Funke media group. “Vaccination is and remains a question of trust.” Confidence in the vaccine remains fairly high in Britain, where millions of people have received it, and even on the Continent, many Europeans seem untouched by the AstraZeneca fears. “I would definitely get the AstraZeneca vaccine if approved again,” said Corinne Taddei, 60, a karate instructor in Paris. The COVID vaccines, she said, are “the only solution to save us and get out of this pandemic.” Maria Paraskevoula, a 52-year-old teacher in Athens, Greece, was also unbowed. “I’ll take any vaccine, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, I don’t care. From what I’ve heard, the chances of any problems are minimal. There’s always a risk but isn’t a bigger risk to walk around waiting to get infected?” Last week, when reports surfaced that two men in Sicily, an Italian naval officer and a police officer, had died shortly after taking the AstraZeneca shot, the website of the Tuscany region registered 4,100 cancellations for the AstraZeneca vaccine in a day, roughly 12% of the people booked for the week ahead. In a few days, however, the vacancies were filled by other residents. The disarray comes at a difficult moment with Europe facing what Castex, the French prime minister, has called “a kind of third wave” from new variants of the virus, even as exhaustion and depression have set in, along with severe hardship. Europe’s eventual economic recovery from the pandemic is set to be much slower than the American. With the national mood restive, and a presidential election next year, the French government is wavering between further lockdowns and suggestions that by April 15 restaurants may start to open and a curfew be eased. Its target of having 10 million people vaccinated with at least a first shot by mid-April, as compared to 5.6 million today, now looks ambitious given the fallout from the AstraZeneca panic. But French authorities insist it can be done, even if the AstraZeneca vaccine has to be withdrawn. More than a year from the first lockdowns around Europe, an end to the crisis seems no closer. “I was never a No-Vaxxer,” said Laura Cerchi, a teacher at an elementary school on the outskirts of Florence who had her first shot of AstraZeneca in early March. “But all this confusion had me wondering whether I want to do the second shot or not. The mixed messages are not boosting my confidence in vaccines.” In an interview, Clément Beaune, France’s junior minister for European Affairs, defended European policy. “I don’t believe that it’s European weightiness that is slowing down our vaccination process. Do we have problems in Europe? Yes. Would we — France, Germany — resolve these better at a national level waging war to obtain vaccine doses? I do not believe so.”

Trust in AstraZeneca vaccine is shaken in Europe

Former US president Donald Trump has encouraged his Republican supporters -- one of the main groups resistant to Covid-19 vaccines -- to get their shots.

This was Trump's most explicit endorsement for the national mass vaccination campaign since he left office in January. The former president has notably been a naysayer, and was rarely seen wearing masks while in office.

Trump also remained non-committal about seeking to recapture the presidency (in 2024) following his one term in office.

Trump spoke a day after the White House suggested he shouldn't be waiting for an "engraved invitation" to join the public campaign encouraging Americans to take Covid-19 vaccines.

"I would recommend it," Trump said during an interview on Fox News. "I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly," he said.

"It's a great vaccine, it's a safe vaccine and it's something that works."

Polls show that Republican men, who are overwhelmingly supporters of Trump and his "Make America Great Again" or MAGA platform, are the leading vaccine skeptics.

And while all other living former presidents, including Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W Bush, have delivered high profile public service announcements, Trump has largely been silent while the man who defeated him, President Joe Biden, masterminds the vaccine rollout.

When asked about his political future, Trump said, "Based on every poll, they want me to run again. But we're going to take a look and we'll see."

Trump hoped Meghan Markle would run for president in 2024 to make his decision on whether to run for a second term much easier.

Asked on Fox News about the Duchess meeting with Democrat operatives to consider entering politics, Trump said he was “not a fan”.

“Well I hope that happens because if that happened I think I’d have an even stronger feeling toward running,” Trump said.

“I’m not a fan of hers. I think that what she talks about the Royal family and the Queen, and I happen to think, I know the Queen as you know, I met with the Queen and I think the Queen is a tremendous person and I am not a fan of Meghan.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-teases-2024-presidential-run-in-cpac-2021-speech-366953">Also read |&nbsp;Donald Trump teases 2024 presidential run in CPAC 2021 speech</a>

Former US president Donald Trump has encouraged his Republican supporters -- one of the main groups resistant to Covid-19 vaccines -- to get their shots. This was Trump's most explicit endorsement for the national mass vaccination campaign since he left office in January.

Former US president Donald Trump has encouraged his Republican supporters -- one of the main groups resistant to Covid-19 vaccines -- to get their shots. This was Trump's most explicit endorsement for the national mass vaccination campaign since he left office in January. The former president has notably been a naysayer, and was rarely seen wearing masks while in office. Trump also remained non-committal about seeking to recapture the presidency (in 2024) following his one term in office. Trump spoke a day after the White House suggested he shouldn't be waiting for an "engraved invitation" to join the public campaign encouraging Americans to take Covid-19 vaccines. "I would recommend it," Trump said during an interview on Fox News. "I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly," he said. "It's a great vaccine, it's a safe vaccine and it's something that works." Polls show that Republican men, who are overwhelmingly supporters of Trump and his "Make America Great Again" or MAGA platform, are the leading vaccine skeptics. And while all other living former presidents, including Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W Bush, have delivered high profile public service announcements, Trump has largely been silent while the man who defeated him, President Joe Biden, masterminds the vaccine rollout. When asked about his political future, Trump said, "Based on every poll, they want me to run again. But we're going to take a look and we'll see." Trump hoped Meghan Markle would run for president in 2024 to make his decision on whether to run for a second term much easier. Asked on Fox News about the Duchess meeting with Democrat operatives to consider entering politics, Trump said he was “not a fan”. “Well I hope that happens because if that happened I think I’d have an even stronger feeling toward running,” Trump said. “I’m not a fan of hers. I think that what she talks about the Royal family and the Queen, and I happen to think, I know the Queen as you know, I met with the Queen and I think the Queen is a tremendous person and I am not a fan of Meghan.” Also read | Donald Trump teases 2024 presidential run in CPAC 2021 speech

Trump asks his supporters to get Covid vaccine, remains non-committal about political future

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that New Delhi's Covid-19 vaccine outreach raised its stature in the world, and also generated great international goodwill.

India sent indigenous vaccines to 72 countries, in form of commercial deals and gifts. The outreach named "Vaccine Maitri" started with countries in the neighbourhood, followed by Gulf, African, and CARICOM countries. New Delhi also sent vaccines under the COVAX deal.

Jaishankar, to this end, said while addressing the Rajya Sabha: "The House should recognise the enormous feeling for India that our initiative has generated. Our ambassadors feel the warmth of ordinary people across the world for India everyday. This has been people-centric diplomacy at work in the truest sense."&nbsp;

"The world sees not just the selfless outlook of India but also of the quality of our products and capabilities."

India supplied drugs like HCQ and Paracetamol to 150 countries -- of which 82 were gifts.&nbsp;

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took the initiative of holding a meeting of SAARC heads of government in order to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Earlier this year, another meeting of health secretaries of SAARC and Indian ocean countries took place -- in which PM Modi suggested a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses and a regional air ambulance pact.

Jaishankar said, "Our reputation as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’ has been reinforced in that process. So has the faith in ‘Make in India’. But more than the vaccines themselves, our policies and conduct have emerged as a source of strength for the stressed and vulnerable nations of the world".

"They can see that there is at least one major nation that truly believes in making vaccines accessible and affordable to others in dire need."

As part of increasing capacity, India conducted 14 e-ITEC courses in partnership with premier institutions like AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh. These 14 courses had a total of 1131 professional participants from 47 countries. There was even an exclusive one conducted in Bangla for Bangladeshi professionals. Interestingly, the Armed Forces Medical Services conducted a programme for military doctors in Southeast Asia.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that New Delhi's Covid-19 vaccine outreach raised its stature in the world, and also generated great international goodwill.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that New Delhi's Covid-19 vaccine outreach raised its stature in the world, and also generated great international goodwill. India sent indigenous vaccines to 72 countries, in form of commercial deals and gifts. The outreach named "Vaccine Maitri" started with countries in the neighbourhood, followed by Gulf, African, and CARICOM countries. New Delhi also sent vaccines under the COVAX deal. Jaishankar, to this end, said while addressing the Rajya Sabha: "The House should recognise the enormous feeling for India that our initiative has generated. Our ambassadors feel the warmth of ordinary people across the world for India everyday. This has been people-centric diplomacy at work in the truest sense." "The world sees not just the selfless outlook of India but also of the quality of our products and capabilities." India supplied drugs like HCQ and Paracetamol to 150 countries -- of which 82 were gifts. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took the initiative of holding a meeting of SAARC heads of government in order to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Earlier this year, another meeting of health secretaries of SAARC and Indian ocean countries took place -- in which PM Modi suggested a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses and a regional air ambulance pact. Jaishankar said, "Our reputation as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’ has been reinforced in that process. So has the faith in ‘Make in India’. But more than the vaccines themselves, our policies and conduct have emerged as a source of strength for the stressed and vulnerable nations of the world". "They can see that there is at least one major nation that truly believes in making vaccines accessible and affordable to others in dire need." As part of increasing capacity, India conducted 14 e-ITEC courses in partnership with premier institutions like AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh. These 14 courses had a total of 1131 professional participants from 47 countries. There was even an exclusive one conducted in Bangla for Bangladeshi professionals. Interestingly, the Armed Forces Medical Services conducted a programme for military doctors in Southeast Asia.

India's vaccine outreach raised its stature and generated goodwill, EAM Jaishankar says

President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road this week to promote the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed in law last week as the right prescription for a country humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden and a slate of advocates including Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are being deployed to politically important states and to television as part of what the White House is calling the "Help is Here Tour" to tout measures that include a $1,400 check for most U.S. households.

"I promised the American people, and I guess it`s becoming an overused phrase, that help was on the way," Biden told a White House ceremony on Friday. "We`ve delivered on that promise."

The bill was Biden`s first legislative priority on taking office in January and his fellow Democrats used narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate to pass a large measure of what Biden originally proposed without Republican support.

Democrats regard the bill as good policy and politics. Opinion polls show majorities supporting efforts to shore up the coronavirus vaccination campaign, prepare schools to reopen and ease poverty after a year-long pandemic that has killed over 526,000 Americans and put millions out of work.

Republicans, who broadly supported coronavirus relief early in the crisis when Republican Donald Trump was president, have dismissed the latest measure as an overpriced collection of pet projects unrelated to the pandemic.

The White House has said it does not believe President Barack Obama`s administration, in which Biden served as vice president, did enough to promote its more than $800 billion 2009 economic rescue program. Democrats went on to lose control of the House to Republicans the next year.

Taking their case directly to the people, Harris will launch the tour on Monday in Las Vegas, while Biden goes to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and Atlanta on Friday. He will also do an interview on Wednesday on ABC`s "Good Morning America" program.

Biden defeated Trump in closely divided Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia in the 2020 presidential election.

Each state will also feature a competitive Senate race in 2022. Losing just one seat in that evenly divided chamber would all but doom Biden`s legislative agenda, handing Senate control to Republicans for the rest of the president`s four-year term.

At least two outside political spending groups that backed Biden`s presidential bid, Priorities USA and Unite the Country, said they would put millions into advertisements supporting the stimulus measures.

Priorities USA said its ads would partly be targeted at voters who flipped from supporting Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, in "2022 battleground states" including Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road this week to promote the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed in law last week as the right prescription for a country humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road this week to promote the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed in law last week as the right prescription for a country humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden and a slate of advocates including Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are being deployed to politically important states and to television as part of what the White House is calling the "Help is Here Tour" to tout measures that include a $1,400 check for most U.S. households. "I promised the American people, and I guess it`s becoming an overused phrase, that help was on the way," Biden told a White House ceremony on Friday. "We`ve delivered on that promise." The bill was Biden`s first legislative priority on taking office in January and his fellow Democrats used narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate to pass a large measure of what Biden originally proposed without Republican support. Democrats regard the bill as good policy and politics. Opinion polls show majorities supporting efforts to shore up the coronavirus vaccination campaign, prepare schools to reopen and ease poverty after a year-long pandemic that has killed over 526,000 Americans and put millions out of work. Republicans, who broadly supported coronavirus relief early in the crisis when Republican Donald Trump was president, have dismissed the latest measure as an overpriced collection of pet projects unrelated to the pandemic. The White House has said it does not believe President Barack Obama`s administration, in which Biden served as vice president, did enough to promote its more than $800 billion 2009 economic rescue program. Democrats went on to lose control of the House to Republicans the next year. Taking their case directly to the people, Harris will launch the tour on Monday in Las Vegas, while Biden goes to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and Atlanta on Friday. He will also do an interview on Wednesday on ABC`s "Good Morning America" program. Biden defeated Trump in closely divided Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. Each state will also feature a competitive Senate race in 2022. Losing just one seat in that evenly divided chamber would all but doom Biden`s legislative agenda, handing Senate control to Republicans for the rest of the president`s four-year term. At least two outside political spending groups that backed Biden`s presidential bid, Priorities USA and Unite the Country, said they would put millions into advertisements supporting the stimulus measures. Priorities USA said its ads would partly be targeted at voters who flipped from supporting Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, in "2022 battleground states" including Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Biden White House launching 'Help is Here' tour to promote stimulus package in key states

As vaccine nationalism picks up, countries are rushing to promote home-grown jabs. But China is taking it to the next level by offering easy VISAs for foreigners who have taken a Chinese vaccine. WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Pharma wars and the pandemic

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