More than 30 sick climbers have been evacuated from the foot of Mount&nbsp;Everest, raising fears that coronavirus may scupper a hoped-for bumper season on the world's highest mountain.

Nepal's tourism industry suffered a devastating blow last year when the pandemic prompted a complete shutdown of its summits, costing millions in lost revenue.

This year authorities have eased quarantine rules in an effort to lure back foreign adventurers and have issued&nbsp;climbing&nbsp;permits to more than 400 people, a new record.&nbsp;

Also read-&nbsp;<a href="COVID-19: Mt Everest climbers show symptoms, officials dismiss reports of possible outbreak">COVID-19: Mt Everest climbers show symptoms, officials dismiss reports of possible outbreak</a>

An&nbsp;Everest&nbsp;permit alone costs $11,000 and climbers pay upward of $40,000 for an expedition.

But the warmer weather that ushers in safer conditions for scaling Nepal's dangerous, snow-capped peaks has coincided with a deadly second wave of&nbsp;Covid-19 infections, with active cases in the country rising six-fold in the last two weeks.&nbsp;

Also read-&nbsp;<a href="Coronavirus reaches Mount Everest as climber tests positive">Coronavirus reaches Mount Everest as climber tests positive</a>

Norwegian climber Erlend Ness spent two nights sleeping in his tent at base camp last month, unsure of what was making him ill.

"I was evacuated to Kathmandu and was tested. My result was positive for&nbsp;Covid," he told AFP, becoming the first climber with an&nbsp;Everest&nbsp;permit to confirm his infection.

"I think I'm not the only one... Every team at the base camp knows the risk of&nbsp;Covid&nbsp;is there and they have to be careful, they should be careful," he said.

Fellow climber Gina Marie Han-Lee decided to abandon her expedition last week over fears the disease was spreading around base camp.&nbsp;

"I have taken a helicopter out of EBC (Everest&nbsp;base camp) back to Kathmandu after 1 day. The&nbsp;Covid&nbsp;situation at EBC is a total shitstorm. I had no clue what I was flying into," the US citizen wrote on her Facebook page on April 29.

"It was a heartbreaking decision but I'm putting my health first.&nbsp;Covid&nbsp;at a high altitude does not sound like something I want to play with."&nbsp;

Officials at a health clinic catering to the climbers say more than 30 people have been flown off the camp in recent weeks.

At least two have tested positive after returning to the capital Kathmandu.&nbsp;

But the government has yet to confirm a single&nbsp;Covid&nbsp;case on&nbsp;Everest.

"Some evacuated may have tested positive in Kathmandu. They did not test at the base camp, so we cannot be sure where they got infected," said Nepal's tourism department chief Rudra Singh Tamang.

Health professionals at the camp say they do not have the capacity to test for the disease.

"We have permission to only work as a clinic so we don't have tests here. We have made requests but nothing has happened yet," a doctor there said.

More than a thousand people are typically camped at the bustling tent city at the foot of&nbsp;Everest, including foreign climbers and the teams of Nepali guides that escort them to the peak.

But the usual reverie and loud communal parties are absent this year after expedition groups were asked to keep to themselves and avoid socialising with others.&nbsp;

Customary religious ceremonies held before an ascent to pray for a safe expedition have also been turned into quiet and private affairs.&nbsp;

"We are taking all precautions possible to make sure that there are no infections," said Tashi Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, the largest&nbsp;climbing&nbsp;agency at&nbsp;Everest.

"We are not visiting other tents, and even groups within the camps are not mixing."

More than 400 people in Nepal have died over the last two weeks after contracting&nbsp;Covid.

The country's health system has been overwhelmed by the sudden spike, with hospitals filling fast and relatives of patients scrambling for medicine and intensive care beds.

Climbers on peaks elsewhere in the country have also run into problems.&nbsp;

An expedition on Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world, is in limbo after at least three members tested positive for&nbsp;Covid&nbsp;this week.&nbsp;

Nine are being evacuated and others are being tested, the head of their expedition said.

Breathing is already difficult at high altitudes so any coronavirus outbreak among&nbsp;climbing&nbsp;groups could pose severe health risks.

Evacuating ill climbers from the remote peaks poses a major logistical challenge.

"We are very scared, there are many rumours and we don't know what is really going on," said Harshvardhan Joshi, an Indian climber hoping to summit&nbsp;Everest.&nbsp;

"What if someone shows symptoms after reaching a higher camp?"

More than 30 sick climbers have been evacuated from the foot of Mount Everest, raising fears that coronavirus may scupper a hoped-for bumper season on the world's highest mountain.

More than 30 sick climbers have been evacuated from the foot of Mount Everest, raising fears that coronavirus may scupper a hoped-for bumper season on the world's highest mountain. Nepal's tourism industry suffered a devastating blow last year when the pandemic prompted a complete shutdown of its summits, costing millions in lost revenue. This year authorities have eased quarantine rules in an effort to lure back foreign adventurers and have issued climbing permits to more than 400 people, a new record. Also read- COVID-19: Mt Everest climbers show symptoms, officials dismiss reports of possible outbreak An Everest permit alone costs $11,000 and climbers pay upward of $40,000 for an expedition. But the warmer weather that ushers in safer conditions for scaling Nepal's dangerous, snow-capped peaks has coincided with a deadly second wave of Covid-19 infections, with active cases in the country rising six-fold in the last two weeks. Also read- Coronavirus reaches Mount Everest as climber tests positive Norwegian climber Erlend Ness spent two nights sleeping in his tent at base camp last month, unsure of what was making him ill. "I was evacuated to Kathmandu and was tested. My result was positive for Covid," he told AFP, becoming the first climber with an Everest permit to confirm his infection. "I think I'm not the only one... Every team at the base camp knows the risk of Covid is there and they have to be careful, they should be careful," he said. Fellow climber Gina Marie Han-Lee decided to abandon her expedition last week over fears the disease was spreading around base camp. "I have taken a helicopter out of EBC (Everest base camp) back to Kathmandu after 1 day. The Covid situation at EBC is a total shitstorm. I had no clue what I was flying into," the US citizen wrote on her Facebook page on April 29. "It was a heartbreaking decision but I'm putting my health first. Covid at a high altitude does not sound like something I want to play with." Officials at a health clinic catering to the climbers say more than 30 people have been flown off the camp in recent weeks. At least two have tested positive after returning to the capital Kathmandu. But the government has yet to confirm a single Covid case on Everest. "Some evacuated may have tested positive in Kathmandu. They did not test at the base camp, so we cannot be sure where they got infected," said Nepal's tourism department chief Rudra Singh Tamang. Health professionals at the camp say they do not have the capacity to test for the disease. "We have permission to only work as a clinic so we don't have tests here. We have made requests but nothing has happened yet," a doctor there said. More than a thousand people are typically camped at the bustling tent city at the foot of Everest, including foreign climbers and the teams of Nepali guides that escort them to the peak. But the usual reverie and loud communal parties are absent this year after expedition groups were asked to keep to themselves and avoid socialising with others. Customary religious ceremonies held before an ascent to pray for a safe expedition have also been turned into quiet and private affairs. "We are taking all precautions possible to make sure that there are no infections," said Tashi Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, the largest climbing agency at Everest. "We are not visiting other tents, and even groups within the camps are not mixing." More than 400 people in Nepal have died over the last two weeks after contracting Covid. The country's health system has been overwhelmed by the sudden spike, with hospitals filling fast and relatives of patients scrambling for medicine and intensive care beds. Climbers on peaks elsewhere in the country have also run into problems. An expedition on Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world, is in limbo after at least three members tested positive for Covid this week. Nine are being evacuated and others are being tested, the head of their expedition said. Breathing is already difficult at high altitudes so any coronavirus outbreak among climbing groups could pose severe health risks. Evacuating ill climbers from the remote peaks poses a major logistical challenge. "We are very scared, there are many rumours and we don't know what is really going on," said Harshvardhan Joshi, an Indian climber hoping to summit Everest. "What if someone shows symptoms after reaching a higher camp?"

Covid threatens Everest climbing comeback plans as infections rise

Schools and restaurants have closed, shops pull down their shutters early every evening, and the military has been mobilised to combat the spread of coronavirus -- but night after night the faithful flock to&nbsp;mosques&nbsp;across&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;for prayers.

Anxious over the virus's deadly rampage through neighbouring India, officials have steadily tightened restrictions and banned travel during the upcoming Eid holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="Pakistan govt decides to uphold blasphemy law despite European Parliament's calls for review">Pakistan govt decides to uphold blasphemy law despite European Parliament's calls for review</a>

But they have turned a blind eye to religious gatherings, fearing a crackdown could ignite widespread confrontation in the deeply conservative Islamic republic.

"There is so much concern about backlash from religious groups," said Saeedullah Shah, a doctor with the&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;Islamic Medical Association&nbsp;Covid-19 task force.&nbsp;

"It's a very weak government," he told AFP. "Everything is half-hearted."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="London woman shot dead in Pakistan after refusing to marry local">London woman shot dead in Pakistan after refusing to marry local</a>

Pakistan&nbsp;has recorded more than 840,000 cases and 18,500 deaths, but with limited testing and a ramshackle health sector, many fear the true extent of the disease is much worse.&nbsp;

Covid&nbsp;wards in several cities have been&nbsp;full&nbsp;or close to capacity for weeks as a more contagious variant of the virus has pushed cases to record numbers.

But even as the government pleads with the public to follow "standard operating procedures", as the virus guidelines are popularly known nationally,&nbsp;mosques&nbsp;are almost another country.

Maulana Muhammad Iqbal Rizvi -- who oversees the historic Markazi Jamia mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi -- said the faithful had little to fear, and dismissed comparisons to India.&nbsp;

"Our prayers are different," he said, and insisted restrictions were enforced -- at least under his watch.

"They are non-believers and we are Muslims. Repenting to Allah is our faith; they don't repent, that's the reason," he told AFP.

That sentiment permeates all levels of society, with Prime Minister Imran Khan saying Thursday: "In India, people are dying on streets... Allah has been kind to us compared to the rest of the world."

Still, he urged caution, adding: "Next two weeks are very important for us, we have to bring corona cases down."

Earlier this week Shiite Muslims gathered across the country to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Ali, one of Prophet Muhammad's companions.

At a rally in the capital, initial caution gave way to emotion as masks were removed and participants dressed in black chanted songs and beat their chests in tight crowds.

Thousands also gathered in the eastern city of Lahore, with the most demonstratively pious flagellating themselves and whipping their backs raw.&nbsp;

"We are ready to sacrifice our lives, children and families," Haji Shahzad Jaffry told AFP.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The disease has been around for the last year, but those who have been against our gathering and mourning have been doing it for the past 1,400 years."

Health experts in India say religious gatherings there have been a major contributor to what has become one of the world's worst outbreaks.

But that has not spurred changes in policy or behaviour in&nbsp;Pakistan.

Ashfaq Ahmed, who recently returned to&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;from Britain, said he was shocked when he saw crowds pressed into&nbsp;mosques&nbsp;and paying little concern to basic precautions such as social distancing.&nbsp;

"It seems people here are in complete denial," Ahmed told AFP.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Despite&nbsp;the evidence, Pakistani officials insist guidelines are being followed.

"If there is one place where&nbsp;Covid-19 guidelines are being followed that is at the&nbsp;mosques," said Imran Siddiqui, a spokesman for the ministry of religious affairs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I can take you to a market and then to a close-by mosque and you can see it yourself that people at&nbsp;mosques&nbsp;are better at complying with safety measures."

Still, according to a poll published by Gallup&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;this week, 64 percent of people believe coronavirus is not as dangerous as it is made out to be.

Despite&nbsp;the warnings — and mounting death toll —&nbsp;the faithful continue to flock to prayer.&nbsp;

"God is kind to us," said Sohail Arshad at the Markazi Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"If he has sent the disease he is the one who will cure us."

Schools and restaurants have closed, shops pull down their shutters early every evening, and the military has been mobilised to combat the spread of coronavirus -- but night after night the faithful flock to mosques across Pakistan for prayers.

Schools and restaurants have closed, shops pull down their shutters early every evening, and the military has been mobilised to combat the spread of coronavirus -- but night after night the faithful flock to mosques across Pakistan for prayers. Anxious over the virus's deadly rampage through neighbouring India, officials have steadily tightened restrictions and banned travel during the upcoming Eid holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Also read | Pakistan govt decides to uphold blasphemy law despite European Parliament's calls for review But they have turned a blind eye to religious gatherings, fearing a crackdown could ignite widespread confrontation in the deeply conservative Islamic republic. "There is so much concern about backlash from religious groups," said Saeedullah Shah, a doctor with the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Covid-19 task force. "It's a very weak government," he told AFP. "Everything is half-hearted." Also read | London woman shot dead in Pakistan after refusing to marry local Pakistan has recorded more than 840,000 cases and 18,500 deaths, but with limited testing and a ramshackle health sector, many fear the true extent of the disease is much worse. Covid wards in several cities have been full or close to capacity for weeks as a more contagious variant of the virus has pushed cases to record numbers. But even as the government pleads with the public to follow "standard operating procedures", as the virus guidelines are popularly known nationally, mosques are almost another country. Maulana Muhammad Iqbal Rizvi -- who oversees the historic Markazi Jamia mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi -- said the faithful had little to fear, and dismissed comparisons to India. "Our prayers are different," he said, and insisted restrictions were enforced -- at least under his watch. "They are non-believers and we are Muslims. Repenting to Allah is our faith; they don't repent, that's the reason," he told AFP. That sentiment permeates all levels of society, with Prime Minister Imran Khan saying Thursday: "In India, people are dying on streets... Allah has been kind to us compared to the rest of the world." Still, he urged caution, adding: "Next two weeks are very important for us, we have to bring corona cases down." Earlier this week Shiite Muslims gathered across the country to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Ali, one of Prophet Muhammad's companions. At a rally in the capital, initial caution gave way to emotion as masks were removed and participants dressed in black chanted songs and beat their chests in tight crowds. Thousands also gathered in the eastern city of Lahore, with the most demonstratively pious flagellating themselves and whipping their backs raw. "We are ready to sacrifice our lives, children and families," Haji Shahzad Jaffry told AFP. "The disease has been around for the last year, but those who have been against our gathering and mourning have been doing it for the past 1,400 years." Health experts in India say religious gatherings there have been a major contributor to what has become one of the world's worst outbreaks. But that has not spurred changes in policy or behaviour in Pakistan. Ashfaq Ahmed, who recently returned to Pakistan from Britain, said he was shocked when he saw crowds pressed into mosques and paying little concern to basic precautions such as social distancing. "It seems people here are in complete denial," Ahmed told AFP. Despite the evidence, Pakistani officials insist guidelines are being followed. "If there is one place where Covid-19 guidelines are being followed that is at the mosques," said Imran Siddiqui, a spokesman for the ministry of religious affairs. "I can take you to a market and then to a close-by mosque and you can see it yourself that people at mosques are better at complying with safety measures." Still, according to a poll published by Gallup Pakistan this week, 64 percent of people believe coronavirus is not as dangerous as it is made out to be. Despite the warnings — and mounting death toll — the faithful continue to flock to prayer. "God is kind to us," said Sohail Arshad at the Markazi Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi. "If he has sent the disease he is the one who will cure us."

Mosques full despite Pakistan's Covid third wave

The CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of four-digit security code from May 8 to minimise data entry errors about vaccination status that would subsequently reduce inconvenience caused to citizens, the health ministry said.

It has been noticed in some instances that citizens who had booked their appointment for COVID-19 vaccination through the CoWIN portal but did not actually go for vaccination on the scheduled date have received SMS notification that a vaccine dose has been administered to them, it said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="13.2 million Indians register for third phase of vaccinations but unable to book slots">13.2 million Indians register for third phase of vaccinations but unable to book slots</a>

Upon examination, it has been found to occur largely on account of the vaccinator wrongly marking the citizen as vaccinated, an instance of data entry error by the vaccinator, it stated.

"In order to minimize such errors and the subsequent inconvenience caused to the citizens, the CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of four-digit security code in the CoWIN application from May 8.

"Now, after verification, if the beneficiary is been found eligible, before administering the vaccine dose, the verifier/vaccinator will ask the beneficiary about his four-digit code and then enter the same in the CoWIN system to correctly record the vaccination status," the ministry said in its statement.

This new feature will be applicable only for citizens who have done an online booking for a vaccination slot. 
The four-digit security code will be printed in the appointment acknowledgement slip and will not be known to the vaccinator. The code will also be present in the confirmation SMS sent to beneficiary after successful booking of an appointment.

The appointment acknowledgement slip can also be saved and shown from the mobile.

This will ensure that for those citizens who have booked an online appointment, the data entries regarding vaccination status of a citizen are recorded correctly, the ministry said in a statement.

This will also reduce the opportunities of impersonation and wrongful use of flexibilities provided in CoWIN for facilitating vaccination coverage.

The ministry advised the citizens must carry a digital or physical copy of their appointment slip and the registered mobile phone with appointment confirmation SMS, so that the security code can be furnished for easy completion of vaccination recording process.

Citizens must provide the security code to the vaccinator as the digital certificate will be generated only after the vaccination record has been updated with the security code. Citizen should get a confirmation SMS after the process has been successfully completed.

The confirmation SMS indicates that the vaccination process has been completed successfully and the digital certificate has been generated. If one does not get the confirmation SMS, one should get in touch with the vaccinator or the vaccination centre in-charge, the ministry said.

The CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of four-digit security code from May 8 to minimise data entry errors about vaccination status that would subsequently reduce inconvenience caused to citizens, the health ministry said.

The CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of four-digit security code from May 8 to minimise data entry errors about vaccination status that would subsequently reduce inconvenience caused to citizens, the health ministry said. It has been noticed in some instances that citizens who had booked their appointment for COVID-19 vaccination through the CoWIN portal but did not actually go for vaccination on the scheduled date have received SMS notification that a vaccine dose has been administered to them, it said. Also read: 13.2 million Indians register for third phase of vaccinations but unable to book slots Upon examination, it has been found to occur largely on account of the vaccinator wrongly marking the citizen as vaccinated, an instance of data entry error by the vaccinator, it stated. "In order to minimize such errors and the subsequent inconvenience caused to the citizens, the CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of four-digit security code in the CoWIN application from May 8. "Now, after verification, if the beneficiary is been found eligible, before administering the vaccine dose, the verifier/vaccinator will ask the beneficiary about his four-digit code and then enter the same in the CoWIN system to correctly record the vaccination status," the ministry said in its statement. This new feature will be applicable only for citizens who have done an online booking for a vaccination slot. The four-digit security code will be printed in the appointment acknowledgement slip and will not be known to the vaccinator. The code will also be present in the confirmation SMS sent to beneficiary after successful booking of an appointment. The appointment acknowledgement slip can also be saved and shown from the mobile. This will ensure that for those citizens who have booked an online appointment, the data entries regarding vaccination status of a citizen are recorded correctly, the ministry said in a statement. This will also reduce the opportunities of impersonation and wrongful use of flexibilities provided in CoWIN for facilitating vaccination coverage. The ministry advised the citizens must carry a digital or physical copy of their appointment slip and the registered mobile phone with appointment confirmation SMS, so that the security code can be furnished for easy completion of vaccination recording process. Citizens must provide the security code to the vaccinator as the digital certificate will be generated only after the vaccination record has been updated with the security code. Citizen should get a confirmation SMS after the process has been successfully completed. The confirmation SMS indicates that the vaccination process has been completed successfully and the digital certificate has been generated. If one does not get the confirmation SMS, one should get in touch with the vaccinator or the vaccination centre in-charge, the ministry said.

Covid in India: 4-digit security code in CoWIN from May 8 to minimise data entry error about vaccination status

The&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million&nbsp;deaths across the world,&nbsp;more&nbsp;than&nbsp;double&nbsp;the number&nbsp;officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated.

Deaths go unreported as most countries only record those that occur in hospitals or of patients with a confirmed infection, the report showed.

The&nbsp;IHME&nbsp;is an independent health research organization that provides comparable measurement of the world's health problems and has been cited in the past by the White House and its reports are watched closely by public health&nbsp;officials.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="India to see over 1 million deaths by the start of August: US study projects">India to see over 1 million deaths by the start of August: US study projects</a>

The reported&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country, the&nbsp;IHME&nbsp;said.

"If you don't test very much, you're most likely to miss&nbsp;COVID&nbsp;deaths," Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a briefing call with journalists.

IHME&nbsp;estimated total&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;deaths by comparing anticipated&nbsp;deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all&nbsp;deaths caused during the pandemic.

In the United States, the analysis estimated&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;related&nbsp;deaths of&nbsp;more&nbsp;than&nbsp;905,000.&nbsp;Official&nbsp;figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday estimated 575,491&nbsp;deaths due to the novel coronavirus.

The CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

The report only includes&nbsp;deaths caused directly by the virus, not&nbsp;deaths caused by the pandemic's disruption to healthcare systems and communities.

"Many countries have devoted exceptional effort to measuring the pandemic's&nbsp;toll, but our analysis shows how difficult it is to accurately track a new and rapidly spreading infectious disease," Murray said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million deaths across the world, more than double the number officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million deaths across the world, more than double the number officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated. Deaths go unreported as most countries only record those that occur in hospitals or of patients with a confirmed infection, the report showed. The IHME is an independent health research organization that provides comparable measurement of the world's health problems and has been cited in the past by the White House and its reports are watched closely by public health officials. Also read: India to see over 1 million deaths by the start of August: US study projects The reported COVID-19 mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country, the IHME said. "If you don't test very much, you're most likely to miss COVID deaths," Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a briefing call with journalists. IHME estimated total COVID-19 deaths by comparing anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all deaths caused during the pandemic. In the United States, the analysis estimated COVID-19 related deaths of more than 905,000. Official figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday estimated 575,491 deaths due to the novel coronavirus. The CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report. The report only includes deaths caused directly by the virus, not deaths caused by the pandemic's disruption to healthcare systems and communities. "Many countries have devoted exceptional effort to measuring the pandemic's toll, but our analysis shows how difficult it is to accurately track a new and rapidly spreading infectious disease," Murray said.

Global COVID-19 death toll more than double official estimates - IHME

New&nbsp;York&nbsp;Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, including the imminent resumption of 24-hour&nbsp;operations&nbsp;on the city&nbsp;subway.

The announcement highlights how far the Big Apple, once the epicentre of the United States's outbreak, has come in getting the virus under control.

From May 19, percentage limits on occupancy will be scrapped for many business and cultural venues in the city,&nbsp;including shops, restaurants, cinemas and museums, Cuomo said.

These limits currently vary between 33 and 75 per cent capacity.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer">EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer</a>

Businesses will be allowed to welcome as many people as they want provided six feet of social distancing is maintained, as recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It's fully open, subject to six feet," Cuomo told reporters. The six-feet rule does not apply if all customers provide proof of vaccination or a negative test.

"All the arrows are pointing in the right direction," he added, pointing to declining Covid-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations, which are at their lowest since November, and rising vaccination levels.

Outdoor gathering limits will double from 250 to 500 people, while 250 people will be able to get together indoors, up from 100.

Larger gatherings will be allowed if everyone in attendance is either vaccinated or recently tested negative.&nbsp;

The announcement paves the way for&nbsp;New&nbsp;York's famous theaters to plan their return.

"We look forward to reopening at full capacity and are working to safely welcome audiences and employees back to Broadway theatres this fall," said the Broadway League trade association.

Large-scale indoor event venues will be able to operate at 30 percent capacity, up from 10 percent currently, while outdoor sports stadia will operate at 33 percent.

Cuomo said underground trains services in the Big Apple will resume around the clock on May 17.

In May 2020, when&nbsp;New&nbsp;York&nbsp;was being ravaged by the disease, services were halted overnight to allow for trains to be disinfected. Services currently stop running between 2:00 am and 4:00 am.

Monday's announcement, made in coordination with the neighboring states of&nbsp;New&nbsp;Jersey and Connecticut, came as 80,000 city government workers returned to offices, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

De Blasio has said he hopes&nbsp;New&nbsp;York&nbsp;City can "fully reopen" by July 1.

Many private employers have yet to set a return date though, and the business districts in Midtown and Wall Street remain deserted with many staff still working from home.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, including the imminent resumption of 24-hour operations on the city subway.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, including the imminent resumption of 24-hour operations on the city subway. The announcement highlights how far the Big Apple, once the epicentre of the United States's outbreak, has come in getting the virus under control. From May 19, percentage limits on occupancy will be scrapped for many business and cultural venues in the city, including shops, restaurants, cinemas and museums, Cuomo said. These limits currently vary between 33 and 75 per cent capacity. Also read: EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer Businesses will be allowed to welcome as many people as they want provided six feet of social distancing is maintained, as recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's fully open, subject to six feet," Cuomo told reporters. The six-feet rule does not apply if all customers provide proof of vaccination or a negative test. "All the arrows are pointing in the right direction," he added, pointing to declining Covid-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations, which are at their lowest since November, and rising vaccination levels. Outdoor gathering limits will double from 250 to 500 people, while 250 people will be able to get together indoors, up from 100. Larger gatherings will be allowed if everyone in attendance is either vaccinated or recently tested negative. The announcement paves the way for New York's famous theaters to plan their return. "We look forward to reopening at full capacity and are working to safely welcome audiences and employees back to Broadway theatres this fall," said the Broadway League trade association. Large-scale indoor event venues will be able to operate at 30 percent capacity, up from 10 percent currently, while outdoor sports stadia will operate at 33 percent. Cuomo said underground trains services in the Big Apple will resume around the clock on May 17. In May 2020, when New York was being ravaged by the disease, services were halted overnight to allow for trains to be disinfected. Services currently stop running between 2:00 am and 4:00 am. Monday's announcement, made in coordination with the neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut, came as 80,000 city government workers returned to offices, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio has said he hopes New York City can "fully reopen" by July 1. Many private employers have yet to set a return date though, and the business districts in Midtown and Wall Street remain deserted with many staff still working from home.

New York to lift many COVID-19 restrictions on transit, eateries, museums, theatres

US biotech firm&nbsp;Novavax&nbsp;said on Monday it had started clinical trials of its proposed Covid vaccine on children, in a programme that will involve up to 3,000 adolescents aged 12-17.

Far fewer children have been sick with Covid&nbsp;compared to adults, and most have mild to no symptoms, but they can be infected and spread the virus.

Novavax&nbsp;said the trials would test "the efficacy (and) safety" of the vaccine, with participants receiving either the vaccine candidate or placebo in two doses, 21 days apart.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Pfizer donates 'largest humanitarian relief' worth $70 million to India">Pfizer donates 'largest humanitarian relief' worth $70 million to India</a>

Participants will be monitored for up to two years after their injections.

The&nbsp;Novavax&nbsp;vaccine has not yet been authorised in any country, including for adults, but the company plans to file for emergency authorisation in Britain "in the second quarter of 2021", followed by in the United States.

Novavax&nbsp;announced at the end of January that clinical trials conducted in Britain involving 15,000 adults showed 89.3 per cent efficacy.

The&nbsp;Novavax&nbsp;vaccine, which uses different technology from the doses already widely licensed around the world, is a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of the coronavirus.

It can be stored at a temperature between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (35 - 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Other vaccine companies including Moderna, Johnson &amp; Johnson and Pfizer are also conducting trials in adolescents.

Europe's medicines watchdog said Monday it had begun evaluating the use of Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, after a similar request in the United States.

Vaccine authorisation for children is seen as a crucial step towards achieving herd immunity.

US biotech firm Novavax said on Monday it had started clinical trials of its proposed Covid vaccine on children, in a programme that will involve up to 3,000 adolescents aged 12-17.

US biotech firm Novavax said on Monday it had started clinical trials of its proposed Covid vaccine on children, in a programme that will involve up to 3,000 adolescents aged 12-17. Far fewer children have been sick with Covid compared to adults, and most have mild to no symptoms, but they can be infected and spread the virus. Novavax said the trials would test "the efficacy (and) safety" of the vaccine, with participants receiving either the vaccine candidate or placebo in two doses, 21 days apart. Also read: Pfizer donates 'largest humanitarian relief' worth $70 million to India Participants will be monitored for up to two years after their injections. The Novavax vaccine has not yet been authorised in any country, including for adults, but the company plans to file for emergency authorisation in Britain "in the second quarter of 2021", followed by in the United States. Novavax announced at the end of January that clinical trials conducted in Britain involving 15,000 adults showed 89.3 per cent efficacy. The Novavax vaccine, which uses different technology from the doses already widely licensed around the world, is a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of the coronavirus. It can be stored at a temperature between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (35 - 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Other vaccine companies including Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer are also conducting trials in adolescents. Europe's medicines watchdog said Monday it had begun evaluating the use of Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, after a similar request in the United States. Vaccine authorisation for children is seen as a crucial step towards achieving herd immunity.

Novavax starts Covid vaccine trials on children

Venezuela this month will begin clinical trials of the Cuban coronavirus vaccine candidate&nbsp;Abdala, and plans to produce enough doses locally to vaccinate 4 million people, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said on Monday.

Cuba in March approved late-stage trials of&nbsp;Abdala, named after a poem by the 19th-century Cuban independence hero Jose Marti.

The trials of the protein subunit-based vaccine, which is designed to be administered in three shots at 14-day intervals, are to be completed in July and the first results published in August, according Cuban to state media.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="WHO gives emergency use authorisation to Moderna's COVID-19 jab">WHO gives emergency use authorisation to Moderna's COVID-19 jab</a>

"We will be starting a clinical study with this vaccine, but simultaneously, adapting our national vaccine laboratory to produce, if all goes well as we hope, more than four million doses of&nbsp;Abdala&nbsp;vaccines for four million people," Alvarado told Venezuelan state television.

Alvarado spoke at Venezuela's main airport, where he announced that the country had received another 50,000 Russian Sputnik V vaccines.

Venezuela has now received a total of 1.48 million doses coronavirus vaccine doses, he said.

The government of President Nicolas Maduro expects to begin receiving vaccines from the global COVAX vaccine programme by July, he added, without saying which vaccines would be arriving.

Venezuela in March said it would not allow the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of blood clotting.

COVAX said in February that it had set aside up to 2.4 million AstraZeneca doses for Venezuela.

Venezuela this month will begin clinical trials of the Cuban coronavirus vaccine candidate Abdala, and plans to produce enough doses locally to vaccinate 4 million people, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said on Monday.

Venezuela this month will begin clinical trials of the Cuban coronavirus vaccine candidate Abdala, and plans to produce enough doses locally to vaccinate 4 million people, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said on Monday. Cuba in March approved late-stage trials of Abdala, named after a poem by the 19th-century Cuban independence hero Jose Marti. The trials of the protein subunit-based vaccine, which is designed to be administered in three shots at 14-day intervals, are to be completed in July and the first results published in August, according Cuban to state media. Also read: WHO gives emergency use authorisation to Moderna's COVID-19 jab "We will be starting a clinical study with this vaccine, but simultaneously, adapting our national vaccine laboratory to produce, if all goes well as we hope, more than four million doses of Abdala vaccines for four million people," Alvarado told Venezuelan state television. Alvarado spoke at Venezuela's main airport, where he announced that the country had received another 50,000 Russian Sputnik V vaccines. Venezuela has now received a total of 1.48 million doses coronavirus vaccine doses, he said. The government of President Nicolas Maduro expects to begin receiving vaccines from the global COVAX vaccine programme by July, he added, without saying which vaccines would be arriving. Venezuela in March said it would not allow the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of blood clotting. COVAX said in February that it had set aside up to 2.4 million AstraZeneca doses for Venezuela.

Venezuela to begin clinical trials of Cuba's Abdala vaccine candidate

Several thousand Brazilians marched on Saturday in support of far-right president Jair&nbsp;Bolsonaro, ignoring a surging pandemic even as government opponents took their own protests online.

There were rallies in Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, with many demonstrators wearing the yellow, blue and green of the country's flag.&nbsp;

Brazil, with more than 403,000 Covid-19 deaths, is second only to the United States in that grim category, and&nbsp;Bolsonaro&nbsp;faces widespread criticism for not taking the pandemic more seriously.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Brazil hits 82,000 Covid deaths in April, new monthly record">Brazil hits 82,000 Covid deaths in April, new monthly record</a>

Two weeks ago, the president said he was waiting for 'a sign from the people'&nbsp;before 'taking measures'&nbsp;to revoke restrictions imposed by mayors or governors to contain the spread of the virus.

More recently, he told a television interviewer that the army "could take to the street one day, to ensure respect for the Constitution (and for) freedom to come and go."

In Rio on Saturday, several hundred protesters seemed to respond to his call. Rallying along celebrated Copacabana beach, they waved banners demanding a 'military intervention' to bolster&nbsp;Bolsonaro's powers.

A slogan widely seen at the various rallies was 'Autoriso&nbsp;Bolsonaro' ('I authorise&nbsp;Bolsonaro') to send in the army.

In Brasilia, several thousand people assembled on the Esplanade of Ministries as&nbsp;Bolsonaro&nbsp;briefly passed overhead in a helicopter.&nbsp;

One of his sons, the deputy Eduardo&nbsp;Bolsonaro, waded into the crowd, his mask worn down around his chin, taking selfies with supporters, their faces also uncovered.

"It's a critical moment and&nbsp;Bolsonaro&nbsp;needs the people's support," Edvaldo de Paulo, a demonstrator, told AFP in Brasilia.

"We have to clean house in Brasilia to let the president govern," said Elenir Ritonni, a 63-year-old retiree, who joined several hundred demonstrators in Sao Paulo.

Bolsonaro&nbsp;spoke via videoconference during a farm event.

"It used to be that on May Day, red flags would wave, as if we were a socialist country. I am happy to see green and yellow flags all over the country, with people who are truly working," he said.

Few anti-Bolsonaro&nbsp;protests were planned for Saturday, but key opposition leaders, on the right and the left, were taking part in a trade union-sponsored event on social media critical of&nbsp;Bolsonaro.

Among them were former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), who is expected to challenge Bolsonaro in next year's elections, and his center-right predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002).&nbsp;

"This is a sad May Day for the workers of our country, a day of mourning for the 400,000 lives lost to Covid-19, many of them because the government of&nbsp;Bolsonaro&nbsp;refused to buy the vaccines that were being offered," Lula said.

On Tuesday, a Senate commission of inquiry was established to examine the government's handling of the health crisis, with many experts saying it has been incompetent and irresponsible.

Several thousand Brazilians marched on Saturday in support of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, ignoring a surging pandemic even as government opponents took their own protests online.

Several thousand Brazilians marched on Saturday in support of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, ignoring a surging pandemic even as government opponents took their own protests online. There were rallies in Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, with many demonstrators wearing the yellow, blue and green of the country's flag. Brazil, with more than 403,000 Covid-19 deaths, is second only to the United States in that grim category, and Bolsonaro faces widespread criticism for not taking the pandemic more seriously. Also read: Brazil hits 82,000 Covid deaths in April, new monthly record Two weeks ago, the president said he was waiting for 'a sign from the people' before 'taking measures' to revoke restrictions imposed by mayors or governors to contain the spread of the virus. More recently, he told a television interviewer that the army "could take to the street one day, to ensure respect for the Constitution (and for) freedom to come and go." In Rio on Saturday, several hundred protesters seemed to respond to his call. Rallying along celebrated Copacabana beach, they waved banners demanding a 'military intervention' to bolster Bolsonaro's powers. A slogan widely seen at the various rallies was 'Autoriso Bolsonaro' ('I authorise Bolsonaro') to send in the army. In Brasilia, several thousand people assembled on the Esplanade of Ministries as Bolsonaro briefly passed overhead in a helicopter. One of his sons, the deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, waded into the crowd, his mask worn down around his chin, taking selfies with supporters, their faces also uncovered. "It's a critical moment and Bolsonaro needs the people's support," Edvaldo de Paulo, a demonstrator, told AFP in Brasilia. "We have to clean house in Brasilia to let the president govern," said Elenir Ritonni, a 63-year-old retiree, who joined several hundred demonstrators in Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro spoke via videoconference during a farm event. "It used to be that on May Day, red flags would wave, as if we were a socialist country. I am happy to see green and yellow flags all over the country, with people who are truly working," he said. Few anti-Bolsonaro protests were planned for Saturday, but key opposition leaders, on the right and the left, were taking part in a trade union-sponsored event on social media critical of Bolsonaro. Among them were former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), who is expected to challenge Bolsonaro in next year's elections, and his center-right predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002). "This is a sad May Day for the workers of our country, a day of mourning for the 400,000 lives lost to Covid-19, many of them because the government of Bolsonaro refused to buy the vaccines that were being offered," Lula said. On Tuesday, a Senate commission of inquiry was established to examine the government's handling of the health crisis, with many experts saying it has been incompetent and irresponsible.

Thousands march in support of Brazil's Bolsonaro defying virus

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, India on Sunday received several essential medical supplies and equipment from France to help fight the second wave of the coronavirus.

According to sources, the medical supply from France was received on Sunday includes eight oxygen generators, 28 ventilators, 200 electric syringe pumps, 28 AFNOR/BS Flexible tubes, 500 anti-bacterial filters, 500 machine filters and 500 related patient circuits.

The total weight of these materials is more than 28 tonnes.These eight generators are Novair Premium RX 400 Hospital Level Oxygen Generators, with each unit capable of providing year-long oxygen for 250 beds.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="COVID-19: First lot of Russian vaccine Sputnik V arrives in Hyderabad">COVID-19: First lot of Russian vaccine Sputnik V arrives in Hyderabad</a>

These world-class generators would make 8 hospitals oxygen autonomous for over 10 years, informed sources.

"A testament to India-France strategic partnership &amp; friendship! 28 tonnes of medical equipment including 8 hospital-level oxygen generators and other medical supplies arrives from France. Deeply appreciate the support from France. Will bolster our oxygen capacities," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. According to a press release, this airfreight is the first phase of France's solidarity mission.

Furthermore, a second delivery of oxygen generators and medical equipment is underway due to the numerous contributions made by French companies in India with the active involvement of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI).

Moreover, in the following days, French company Air Liquide will begin shipments of several hundred tonnes of oxygen through a dedicated logistical bridge organised by both governments and implemented with the Indian armed forces.

According to the release, the oxygen plants will be delivered to eight Indian hospitals, including six in Delhi, one in Haryana and one in Telangana, based on needs as identified by the Indian authorities.

The 28 ventilators and 200 electric syringe pumps will be distributed to several hospitals based on needs to enhance their ICU capacities.

This special cargo flight has been chartered free of charge by the French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM through its air cargo division.

Alongside CMA CGM, many other French companies present in India have stepped up to pool their contributions and resources with the French government to carry out this exceptional solidarity mission.

This support also falls within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). "We stand by India in these difficult times, just as India has always stood by France. In Spring 2020, when French hospitals were facing acute shortages, India provided lifesaving help through the export of critical medical drugs. The French people have not forgotten. India has, in fact, been at the forefront of international cooperation against the pandemic, including through sharing its massive vaccine production capacity with the countries most in need," said the Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, on this occasion.

Quoting French President Emmanuel Macron, Lenain said that solidarity is at the heart of the strategic partnership between France and India and that a partnership between sovereign countries that have built an exceptional mutual trust and work together to enhance each other's strategic autonomy.

"We know now that healthcare is also a pillar of sovereignty. And that is the meaning of our contribution: each of these oxygen generator plants will make an Indian hospital fully oxygen aatmanirbhar for more than 10 years.&nbsp;I believe healthcare can be a new field to develop our strategic partnership, building on our respective strengths. Together, we will prevail," he added. On April 27, Macron had conveyed the message of solidarity in Hindi via a social media post.

"No one is untouched by the epidemic we are going through. We know that India is going through a difficult period. France and India have always been united: we are ready to provide our support," he had said.

Meanwhile, the MEA also announced that India has received a shipment of 9,000 vials of Remdesivir from Belgium. Earlier on Saturday night, India received several medical supplies from countries including Germany, the United States and Uzbekistan.

As India battles a devastating second wave of coronavirus, several countries around the globe including the United Kingdom and Russia have extended support as the country continues to struggle with the increase in its health infrastructure needs caused by the rising infections.

India for the first time reported more than four lakh new COVID-19 cases on Saturday. A total of 4,01,993 fresh COVID-19 cases were recorded on Saturday, taking the cumulative count of the cases to 1,91,64,969, the Union Health Ministry reported.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, India on Sunday received several essential medical supplies and equipment from France to help fight the second wave of the coronavirus.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, India on Sunday received several essential medical supplies and equipment from France to help fight the second wave of the coronavirus. According to sources, the medical supply from France was received on Sunday includes eight oxygen generators, 28 ventilators, 200 electric syringe pumps, 28 AFNOR/BS Flexible tubes, 500 anti-bacterial filters, 500 machine filters and 500 related patient circuits. The total weight of these materials is more than 28 tonnes.These eight generators are Novair Premium RX 400 Hospital Level Oxygen Generators, with each unit capable of providing year-long oxygen for 250 beds. Also read: COVID-19: First lot of Russian vaccine Sputnik V arrives in Hyderabad These world-class generators would make 8 hospitals oxygen autonomous for over 10 years, informed sources. "A testament to India-France strategic partnership & friendship! 28 tonnes of medical equipment including 8 hospital-level oxygen generators and other medical supplies arrives from France. Deeply appreciate the support from France. Will bolster our oxygen capacities," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. According to a press release, this airfreight is the first phase of France's solidarity mission. Furthermore, a second delivery of oxygen generators and medical equipment is underway due to the numerous contributions made by French companies in India with the active involvement of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI). Moreover, in the following days, French company Air Liquide will begin shipments of several hundred tonnes of oxygen through a dedicated logistical bridge organised by both governments and implemented with the Indian armed forces. According to the release, the oxygen plants will be delivered to eight Indian hospitals, including six in Delhi, one in Haryana and one in Telangana, based on needs as identified by the Indian authorities. The 28 ventilators and 200 electric syringe pumps will be distributed to several hospitals based on needs to enhance their ICU capacities. This special cargo flight has been chartered free of charge by the French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM through its air cargo division. Alongside CMA CGM, many other French companies present in India have stepped up to pool their contributions and resources with the French government to carry out this exceptional solidarity mission. This support also falls within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). "We stand by India in these difficult times, just as India has always stood by France. In Spring 2020, when French hospitals were facing acute shortages, India provided lifesaving help through the export of critical medical drugs. The French people have not forgotten. India has, in fact, been at the forefront of international cooperation against the pandemic, including through sharing its massive vaccine production capacity with the countries most in need," said the Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, on this occasion. Quoting French President Emmanuel Macron, Lenain said that solidarity is at the heart of the strategic partnership between France and India and that a partnership between sovereign countries that have built an exceptional mutual trust and work together to enhance each other's strategic autonomy. "We know now that healthcare is also a pillar of sovereignty. And that is the meaning of our contribution: each of these oxygen generator plants will make an Indian hospital fully oxygen aatmanirbhar for more than 10 years. I believe healthcare can be a new field to develop our strategic partnership, building on our respective strengths. Together, we will prevail," he added. On April 27, Macron had conveyed the message of solidarity in Hindi via a social media post. "No one is untouched by the epidemic we are going through. We know that India is going through a difficult period. France and India have always been united: we are ready to provide our support," he had said. Meanwhile, the MEA also announced that India has received a shipment of 9,000 vials of Remdesivir from Belgium. Earlier on Saturday night, India received several medical supplies from countries including Germany, the United States and Uzbekistan. As India battles a devastating second wave of coronavirus, several countries around the globe including the United Kingdom and Russia have extended support as the country continues to struggle with the increase in its health infrastructure needs caused by the rising infections. India for the first time reported more than four lakh new COVID-19 cases on Saturday. A total of 4,01,993 fresh COVID-19 cases were recorded on Saturday, taking the cumulative count of the cases to 1,91,64,969, the Union Health Ministry reported.

India receives essential medical supplies from France to combat COVID-19 surge

India will start the vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age bracket from Saturday as the country continues to battle the second wave of COVID-19.

However, some states have flagged the shortage of vaccines and expressed their inability to start vaccination of people above 18 years from Saturday.

The Centre on April 19 had announced a 'liberalised'&nbsp;policy, making all above 18 years of age eligible to get vaccinated from May 1.

It has also allowed state governments and private hospitals to purchase vaccines from manufacturers.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="COVID-19: India records highest-ever 4,01,993 new cases, 3,523 deaths ">COVID-19: India records highest-ever 4,01,993 new cases, 3,523 deaths&nbsp;</a>

As per the revised rules, the centre will receive 50 per cent of the vaccines supplied; states and private hospitals will get the remaining doses.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, more than 2.45 crore beneficiaries registered themselves on Co-WIN portal till 9.30 pm on Friday for the Phase III of the vaccination drive.

However, due to the delay in procurement of vaccines leading to a shortage, several states have said they won't be able to kick off the drive on Saturday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday also appealed to residents of the national capital not to queue up at vaccination centres as vaccines have not yet been received.

"I request you to not queue up at the centres tomorrow (Saturday). As soon as the vaccines come, we will make proper announcements.

Only then people with appointments can start coming to the centres," the Chief Minister had said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Vaccine shortage: Jabs for those aged above 18 unlikely from May 1 in Tamil Nadu">Vaccine shortage: Jabs for those aged above 18 unlikely from May 1 in Tamil Nadu</a>

West Bengal Government on Friday said the vaccination drive for those between 18 to 44 years of age will begin as and when the State receives the vaccine doses.

It added that vaccination of those above 45 years will continue. The Tamil Nadu government also deferred its roll out of the massive vaccination drive for the 18-44 years age group on May 1 as originally planned.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said that there appears a huge gap between demand and supply of vaccines in the country and it would not be possible to provide vaccination for those aged between 18 and 44 years beginning May 1, and hence, they will have to wait at least till August or September.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has asked people in the 18 to 45 age group not to visit vaccination centres on Saturday as the government is yet to receive a new lot of vaccines. He said that the government will inform well in advance as to when the vaccination drive will commence for this age group and the procedure for registration thereon.

The vaccination drive against COVID-19 for people aged 18 to 45 will be not be beginning from May 1 in Madhya Pradesh as vaccines are not available, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan informed on Thursday. The Chief Minister said the state government had spoken to both the country's COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers - Serum Institue of India and Bharat Biotech, and were informed that they would not be able to provide doses of the vaccine.

Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday urged the people of the state aged between 18-44 years to 'refrain from going to hospitals' on Saturday, saying that the state has not received the required COVID-19 vaccine doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said that the state will start the vaccination from the poorest people, who have Antyodaya ration card or BPL card due to shortage of vaccine.

Maharashtra Health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday also said that the state government will start a nominal vaccination drive on May 1 as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray believes that vaccination for those between 18 and 44 must start vaccination from May 1.

India had started the COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 with two vaccines -- Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech Limited).

The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to inoculate people above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities against the coronavirus began on March 1.

The third phase began on April 1 for all above 45 years of age. In the next phase beginning May 1, all above the age of 18 would be eligible to receive the shot.

India will start the vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age bracket from Saturday as the country continues to battle the second wave of COVID-19. However, some states have flagged the shortage of vaccines and expressed their inability to start vaccination of people above 18 years from Saturday.

India will start the vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age bracket from Saturday as the country continues to battle the second wave of COVID-19. However, some states have flagged the shortage of vaccines and expressed their inability to start vaccination of people above 18 years from Saturday. The Centre on April 19 had announced a 'liberalised' policy, making all above 18 years of age eligible to get vaccinated from May 1. It has also allowed state governments and private hospitals to purchase vaccines from manufacturers. Also read: COVID-19: India records highest-ever 4,01,993 new cases, 3,523 deaths As per the revised rules, the centre will receive 50 per cent of the vaccines supplied; states and private hospitals will get the remaining doses. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, more than 2.45 crore beneficiaries registered themselves on Co-WIN portal till 9.30 pm on Friday for the Phase III of the vaccination drive. However, due to the delay in procurement of vaccines leading to a shortage, several states have said they won't be able to kick off the drive on Saturday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday also appealed to residents of the national capital not to queue up at vaccination centres as vaccines have not yet been received. "I request you to not queue up at the centres tomorrow (Saturday). As soon as the vaccines come, we will make proper announcements. Only then people with appointments can start coming to the centres," the Chief Minister had said. Also read: Vaccine shortage: Jabs for those aged above 18 unlikely from May 1 in Tamil Nadu West Bengal Government on Friday said the vaccination drive for those between 18 to 44 years of age will begin as and when the State receives the vaccine doses. It added that vaccination of those above 45 years will continue. The Tamil Nadu government also deferred its roll out of the massive vaccination drive for the 18-44 years age group on May 1 as originally planned. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said that there appears a huge gap between demand and supply of vaccines in the country and it would not be possible to provide vaccination for those aged between 18 and 44 years beginning May 1, and hence, they will have to wait at least till August or September. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has asked people in the 18 to 45 age group not to visit vaccination centres on Saturday as the government is yet to receive a new lot of vaccines. He said that the government will inform well in advance as to when the vaccination drive will commence for this age group and the procedure for registration thereon. The vaccination drive against COVID-19 for people aged 18 to 45 will be not be beginning from May 1 in Madhya Pradesh as vaccines are not available, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan informed on Thursday. The Chief Minister said the state government had spoken to both the country's COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers - Serum Institue of India and Bharat Biotech, and were informed that they would not be able to provide doses of the vaccine. Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday urged the people of the state aged between 18-44 years to 'refrain from going to hospitals' on Saturday, saying that the state has not received the required COVID-19 vaccine doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII). Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said that the state will start the vaccination from the poorest people, who have Antyodaya ration card or BPL card due to shortage of vaccine. Maharashtra Health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday also said that the state government will start a nominal vaccination drive on May 1 as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray believes that vaccination for those between 18 and 44 must start vaccination from May 1. India had started the COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 with two vaccines -- Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech Limited). The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to inoculate people above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities against the coronavirus began on March 1. The third phase began on April 1 for all above 45 years of age. In the next phase beginning May 1, all above the age of 18 would be eligible to receive the shot.

COVID-19: India to begin vaccination drive for 18+ from today amid vaccine shortage

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday listed the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, adding another shot to its arsenal in the fight against the coronavirus. According to The Hill, the shot from Moderna joins shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India and Janssen on WHO's list of emergency use vaccines."

Today, WHO listed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA 1273) for emergency use, making it the fifth vaccine to receive emergency validation from WHO," it said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

WHO experts recommend using the vaccine for patients over 18 years of age. The drug is mRNA-based, it has an efficacy of 94.1 per cent, according to WHO estimates.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Pfizer/BioNTech seek Covid jab approval for 12-15-year-olds in EU">Pfizer/BioNTech seek Covid jab approval for 12-15-year-olds in EU</a>

The vaccine can be stored between -25oC and -15oC, but it can also be stored for up to 30 days at temperatures between 2°C and 8°C.

The addition of Moderna's shot to the WHO's emergency use listing is a prerequisite for it to be a part of COVAX, the programme to disseminate shots to low-income countries.

It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

The US&nbsp;granted emergency use authorisation to the Moderna shot in December, with the European Union following shortly after in January.

The authorisation comes as the world works to ramp up its coronavirus vaccinations to significantly curb the pandemic over a year after it broke out in Wuhan, China.&nbsp;

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday listed the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, adding another shot to its arsenal in the fight against the coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday listed the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, adding another shot to its arsenal in the fight against the coronavirus. According to The Hill, the shot from Moderna joins shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India and Janssen on WHO's list of emergency use vaccines." Today, WHO listed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA 1273) for emergency use, making it the fifth vaccine to receive emergency validation from WHO," it said in a statement, according to Sputnik. WHO experts recommend using the vaccine for patients over 18 years of age. The drug is mRNA-based, it has an efficacy of 94.1 per cent, according to WHO estimates. Also read: Pfizer/BioNTech seek Covid jab approval for 12-15-year-olds in EU The vaccine can be stored between -25oC and -15oC, but it can also be stored for up to 30 days at temperatures between 2°C and 8°C. The addition of Moderna's shot to the WHO's emergency use listing is a prerequisite for it to be a part of COVAX, the programme to disseminate shots to low-income countries. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The US granted emergency use authorisation to the Moderna shot in December, with the European Union following shortly after in January. The authorisation comes as the world works to ramp up its coronavirus vaccinations to significantly curb the pandemic over a year after it broke out in Wuhan, China.

WHO gives emergency use authorisation to Moderna's COVID-19 jab

At least 12 Covid-19 patients died on Saturday in the latest in a series of hospital fires in India, local media reported, as the country's healthcare system buckles under a surge in cases.

There were around 50 other patients at the four-storey hospital in Bharuch in the western state of Gujarat when the blaze began at 1&nbsp;am (0730 GMT). It has since been put out.

Also read: <a href="Several signs were ignored as India battered by fresh wave of coronavirus">Several signs were ignored as India battered by fresh wave of coronavirus</a>

"As per information at 6.30 am, the death toll in the tragedy stood at 18. Immediately after the fire, we had confirmation of 12 deaths," the Press Trust of India quoted a local police official as saying.

On April 23 a fire on the outskirts of Mumbai killed 13 Covid patients, a few days after another blaze left 22 people dead at another clinic, also in Maharashtra state.

Last month 22 other coronavirus patients died at a hospital in the same state when the oxygen supply to their ventilators was disrupted by a leak.

India's healthcare system has long suffered from underfunding, and the new virus outbreak has seen critical shortages in oxygen, drugs and hospital beds, with patients dying outside hospitals in some areas.

At least 12 Covid-19 patients died on Saturday in the latest in a series of hospital fires in India, local media reported, as the country's healthcare system buckles under a surge in cases.

At least 12 Covid-19 patients died on Saturday in the latest in a series of hospital fires in India, local media reported, as the country's healthcare system buckles under a surge in cases. There were around 50 other patients at the four-storey hospital in Bharuch in the western state of Gujarat when the blaze began at 1 am (0730 GMT). It has since been put out. Also read: Several signs were ignored as India battered by fresh wave of coronavirus "As per information at 6.30 am, the death toll in the tragedy stood at 18. Immediately after the fire, we had confirmation of 12 deaths," the Press Trust of India quoted a local police official as saying. On April 23 a fire on the outskirts of Mumbai killed 13 Covid patients, a few days after another blaze left 22 people dead at another clinic, also in Maharashtra state. Last month 22 other coronavirus patients died at a hospital in the same state when the oxygen supply to their ventilators was disrupted by a leak. India's healthcare system has long suffered from underfunding, and the new virus outbreak has seen critical shortages in oxygen, drugs and hospital beds, with patients dying outside hospitals in some areas.

Indian hospital's fire kills 12 Covid patients: Reports

Britain said on Friday it would host a summit in 2022 to raise money for vaccine research and development to support an international coalition seeking to speed up the production of shots for future diseases.

Britain is using its presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations to highlight the need to prepare for future pandemics in light of the devastating consequences of the coronavirus crisis.

Britain said the summit with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) next year would support the body`s goal of cutting the development time for new vaccines to 100 days in future pandemics.

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"We look forward to working with CEPI to speed up vaccine development, creating a global solution to ensure we`re better prepared for future pandemics," health minister Matt Hancock said.

The summit is aimed at raising investment from the international community, though there was no immediate word on which governments or organisations would be invited to attend.

CEPI, a partnership created in 2017 between public, private, philanthropic and civil society groups, played a leading role in funding early development of a range of candidate vaccines against COVID-19.

Britain said global health would be on the agenda of a May meeting of G7 foreign ministers, and it would urge international partners to work to strengthen global health security.

"Now is a moment to capitalise on the rare alignment of political will, practical experience, and technical and scientific progress emerging from COVID-19 to prevent such devastation happening again," said Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive of CEPI.

"CEPI has laid out an ambitious plan that aims to dramatically reduce or eliminate the risk of future pandemics and the UK has embraced the central pillar of that plan – the aspiration to compress vaccine development timelines to as little as 100 days – as part of its G7 agenda."

Britain said on Friday it would host a summit in 2022 to raise money for vaccine research and development to support an international coalition seeking to speed up the production of shots for future diseases.

Britain said on Friday it would host a summit in 2022 to raise money for vaccine research and development to support an international coalition seeking to speed up the production of shots for future diseases. Britain is using its presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations to highlight the need to prepare for future pandemics in light of the devastating consequences of the coronavirus crisis. Britain said the summit with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) next year would support the body`s goal of cutting the development time for new vaccines to 100 days in future pandemics. Also read: Britain's Secret Intelligence Service MI6 looking for new 'Q' spy tech master "We look forward to working with CEPI to speed up vaccine development, creating a global solution to ensure we`re better prepared for future pandemics," health minister Matt Hancock said. The summit is aimed at raising investment from the international community, though there was no immediate word on which governments or organisations would be invited to attend. CEPI, a partnership created in 2017 between public, private, philanthropic and civil society groups, played a leading role in funding early development of a range of candidate vaccines against COVID-19. Britain said global health would be on the agenda of a May meeting of G7 foreign ministers, and it would urge international partners to work to strengthen global health security. "Now is a moment to capitalise on the rare alignment of political will, practical experience, and technical and scientific progress emerging from COVID-19 to prevent such devastation happening again," said Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive of CEPI. "CEPI has laid out an ambitious plan that aims to dramatically reduce or eliminate the risk of future pandemics and the UK has embraced the central pillar of that plan – the aspiration to compress vaccine development timelines to as little as 100 days – as part of its G7 agenda."

Britain to host 2022 vaccine summit to prepare for future pandemics

The raging state of the&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;pandemic is India is a&nbsp;wake-up&nbsp;call&nbsp;for&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;that its governments and citizens must not let their guards down, the&nbsp;African Union's disease control agency warned on Thursday.

African nations generally do not have sufficient numbers of health care workers, hospital beds, oxygen supplies, and the continent of 1.3 billion would be even more overwhelmed than India if cases surged in a similar way, said John Nkengasong, head of the&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="India records biggest-ever surge of 386,452 COVID-19 cases, 3498 deaths in a day">India records biggest-ever surge of 386,452 COVID-19 cases, 3498 deaths in a day</a>

"We are watching with total disbelief...What is happening in India cannot be ignored by our continent," he told reporters.

Nkengasong urged&nbsp;Africans to wear masks and avoid large gatherings, warning: "We cannot and should not find ourselves in (India's) scenario because of the very fragile nature of our health systems."

The AU will convene a meeting with all&nbsp;African ministers of health on May 8, Nkengasong said, to "put everybody on alert".

India, with 1.35 billion people, has a similar population size to the&nbsp;African continent, yet&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;has even weaker health systems, and unlike India does not manufacture significant quantities of drugs or vaccines, he added.

Heeding public health guidance is critical in&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;at the moment because the continent's rollout of&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;vaccines is hindered by the crisis in India, Nkengasong said.

The bulk of the vaccines supplied so far to&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;via the global vaccine-sharing facility COVAX have been AstraZeneca shots manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. India suspended its exports of the shot in March to cope with rising domestic demand.

It remains unclear when exports will resume, Nkengasong said on Thursday, warning the situation in India could impact the predictability of&nbsp;Africa's vaccine rollout "for the weeks and perhaps months to come".

Africa&nbsp;could benefit from additional supplies if two Chinese-made vaccines secure approval from the World Health Organisation next week, a WHO&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;official said.

"If we have more vaccines that have been approved for WHO pre-qualification, we know that more of these candidates can enter into our continent without any further issues," Phionah Atuhebwe told an online weekly briefing.

Africa&nbsp;recorded nearly 76,000 new&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;infections from April&nbsp;19-25, a 8% decline from the previous week, according to&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;CDC data.

India reported more than 379,000 new&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;cases and 3,645 new deaths on Thursday alone. It was the highest number of deaths reported in a single day in the world's second most populous country since the start of the pandemic.

The raging state of the COVID-19 pandemic is India is a wake-up call for Africa that its governments and citizens must not let their guards down, the African Union's disease control agency warned on Thursday.

The raging state of the COVID-19 pandemic is India is a wake-up call for Africa that its governments and citizens must not let their guards down, the African Union's disease control agency warned on Thursday. African nations generally do not have sufficient numbers of health care workers, hospital beds, oxygen supplies, and the continent of 1.3 billion would be even more overwhelmed than India if cases surged in a similar way, said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Also read: India records biggest-ever surge of 386,452 COVID-19 cases, 3498 deaths in a day "We are watching with total disbelief...What is happening in India cannot be ignored by our continent," he told reporters. Nkengasong urged Africans to wear masks and avoid large gatherings, warning: "We cannot and should not find ourselves in (India's) scenario because of the very fragile nature of our health systems." The AU will convene a meeting with all African ministers of health on May 8, Nkengasong said, to "put everybody on alert". India, with 1.35 billion people, has a similar population size to the African continent, yet Africa has even weaker health systems, and unlike India does not manufacture significant quantities of drugs or vaccines, he added. Heeding public health guidance is critical in Africa at the moment because the continent's rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is hindered by the crisis in India, Nkengasong said. The bulk of the vaccines supplied so far to Africa via the global vaccine-sharing facility COVAX have been AstraZeneca shots manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. India suspended its exports of the shot in March to cope with rising domestic demand. It remains unclear when exports will resume, Nkengasong said on Thursday, warning the situation in India could impact the predictability of Africa's vaccine rollout "for the weeks and perhaps months to come". Africa could benefit from additional supplies if two Chinese-made vaccines secure approval from the World Health Organisation next week, a WHO Africa official said. "If we have more vaccines that have been approved for WHO pre-qualification, we know that more of these candidates can enter into our continent without any further issues," Phionah Atuhebwe told an online weekly briefing. Africa recorded nearly 76,000 new COVID-19 infections from April 19-25, a 8% decline from the previous week, according to Africa CDC data. India reported more than 379,000 new COVID-19 cases and 3,645 new deaths on Thursday alone. It was the highest number of deaths reported in a single day in the world's second most populous country since the start of the pandemic.

India's COVID-19 emergency is a wake-up call to Africa: African Union health chief

Belgium's cafe terraces will not re-open to thirsty&nbsp;beer&nbsp;drinkers for another week but the country's renowned brewers are already all hands to the pump.

Six months after the country went into a second coronavirus lockdown, proud bar owners and&nbsp;beer&nbsp;makers alike are keen to&nbsp;get&nbsp;back to business.

They are confident their countrymen and women have not lost their taste for&nbsp;Belgium's world-famous brews, but the task of getting new barrels into cellars is huge.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Hong Kong to reopen bars, nightclubs from April 29 for vaccinated customers">Hong Kong to reopen bars, nightclubs from April 29 for vaccinated customers</a>

And -- with interior service still banned and social distancing in place -- time is running out for some in an industry that has already been hit hard by the pandemic.

"It's a whole machine that needs to be put back on the road," explains Lionel Van Der Haegen, director of the Silly brewery, in the Belgian village of the same name.

The brewery is working hard, but Van Der Haegen fears for the&nbsp;bars&nbsp;that take his&nbsp;beer. "Some have gone bankrupt," he told AFP. "Every day counts. We need to reopen as soon as possible."

Halting&nbsp;Belgium's draft&nbsp;beer&nbsp;cycle in October was a massive logistical exercise it its own right.

In normal times, heavy&nbsp;beer&nbsp;barrels are rolled into bar cellars full and pulled back out when they are empty and hence much lighter.&nbsp;

But after&nbsp;bars&nbsp;were ordered closed at the end of last October, stocks of&nbsp;beer&nbsp;meant to last for several weeks had to be laboriously hauled up and sent back.

Belgium's&nbsp;beer&nbsp;culture is recognised by UNESCO as a heritage of international standing and there was no question for Silly, which prides itself on freshness, of simply storing stale&nbsp;beer.

The unsold beers were disposed of carefully, and now an entirely new batch is under production ahead of May 8,&nbsp;Belgium's&nbsp;reopening&nbsp;day.

"It takes between a month and six weeks between the start of brewing and tasting a Silly&nbsp;beer," said Van Der Haegen, showing AFP around his busy plant.&nbsp;

The Silly brewery dominates the village of just over 7,000. In normal times it produces two-and-a-half million litres per year -- pale ales, saison, abbey beers, fruit beers, Pilseners, wheat beers and Scotch ale.&nbsp;

As AFP toured the plant a local farmer pulled up in a tractor to collect a trailer-load of distillers grains -- dried barley mash left over by the brewing process -- to feed his livestock.

The brewery has been in operation since 1850, employs 24 people at full strength, supplies&nbsp;bars&nbsp;across the region and exports bottled&nbsp;beer&nbsp;as far as the United States and China.

But it's at 70 percent capacity now, and Van Der Haegen does not know how fast things will pick up.&nbsp;

"We're prepared for it, we're building up stock, and we're calling in the teams to set up logistics and prepare orders, call clients, plan deliveries," the director said.

The&nbsp;reopening&nbsp;will be a relief for&nbsp;beer&nbsp;drinkers, as well as bar owners and brewers, but much uncertainty remains. To begin with,&nbsp;bars&nbsp;and restaurants will only open as outdoor terraces.

There will be pent-up demand and some drinkers will doubtless want to celebrate liberally -- but others may be nervous of crowds as the pandemic continues.

A rebellious mood is building. Venues in the city of Liege threatened to break lockdown early, and police with water cannons and horses had to break up a mass gathering in a Brussels park.

But bar managers like Sebastien Weverbergh, who runs an independent cafe adjoining the Silly brewery, argue that no-one is better placed than they are to manage a safe return to normal service.

The industry has experience of installing hygiene measures and dealing with exuberant customers, he said, and&nbsp;Belgium&nbsp;needs to&nbsp;get&nbsp;back to the pub.

"Not seeing our clients is a bit like being punished, as if we no longer had the right to see the people who in the end become our friends in this profession," he said.

"The other difficulty is obviously financial. The state has helped us, it has done what it could, but its means are sometimes a little derisory compared to the costs that a restaurant or a cafe generates."

Belgium&nbsp;has decided to slash value-added tax from 21 percent to six to support the&nbsp;reopening, setting aside 835 million euros ($1.0 billion) to put some fizz back into the sector.

But bar owners argue that European countries could do more and the industry is pushing the idea of bar reopenings as a motor for post-virus recovery.

"I think it is a symbol of the start of the recovery from Covid, for the whole of society," said Simon Spillane, director of communications for the association Brewers of Europe.

"And yes, we're hoping for a boom."

Before the crisis there were 11,000 breweries in Europe, and the number was surging by almost 1,000 per year as the fashion for small-scale specialists spread.

But the industry is at 50 percent capacity across the continent, sales in&nbsp;bars&nbsp;and restaurants dropped by 42 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, and increased shop sales did not fill the gap.

"When you're having a&nbsp;beer&nbsp;on a terrace&nbsp;with your friends, you're not just supporting the brewers," Spillane says. "You're supporting people's jobs and you're supporting the whole economy and the recovery of European society."&nbsp;

Belgium's cafe terraces will not re-open to thirsty beer drinkers for another week but the country's renowned brewers are already all hands to the pump. Six months after the country went into a second coronavirus lockdown, proud bar owners and beer makers alike are keen to get back to business.

Belgium's cafe terraces will not re-open to thirsty beer drinkers for another week but the country's renowned brewers are already all hands to the pump. Six months after the country went into a second coronavirus lockdown, proud bar owners and beer makers alike are keen to get back to business. They are confident their countrymen and women have not lost their taste for Belgium's world-famous brews, but the task of getting new barrels into cellars is huge. Also read: Hong Kong to reopen bars, nightclubs from April 29 for vaccinated customers And -- with interior service still banned and social distancing in place -- time is running out for some in an industry that has already been hit hard by the pandemic. "It's a whole machine that needs to be put back on the road," explains Lionel Van Der Haegen, director of the Silly brewery, in the Belgian village of the same name. The brewery is working hard, but Van Der Haegen fears for the bars that take his beer. "Some have gone bankrupt," he told AFP. "Every day counts. We need to reopen as soon as possible." Halting Belgium's draft beer cycle in October was a massive logistical exercise it its own right. In normal times, heavy beer barrels are rolled into bar cellars full and pulled back out when they are empty and hence much lighter. But after bars were ordered closed at the end of last October, stocks of beer meant to last for several weeks had to be laboriously hauled up and sent back. Belgium's beer culture is recognised by UNESCO as a heritage of international standing and there was no question for Silly, which prides itself on freshness, of simply storing stale beer. The unsold beers were disposed of carefully, and now an entirely new batch is under production ahead of May 8, Belgium's reopening day. "It takes between a month and six weeks between the start of brewing and tasting a Silly beer," said Van Der Haegen, showing AFP around his busy plant. The Silly brewery dominates the village of just over 7,000. In normal times it produces two-and-a-half million litres per year -- pale ales, saison, abbey beers, fruit beers, Pilseners, wheat beers and Scotch ale. As AFP toured the plant a local farmer pulled up in a tractor to collect a trailer-load of distillers grains -- dried barley mash left over by the brewing process -- to feed his livestock. The brewery has been in operation since 1850, employs 24 people at full strength, supplies bars across the region and exports bottled beer as far as the United States and China. But it's at 70 percent capacity now, and Van Der Haegen does not know how fast things will pick up. "We're prepared for it, we're building up stock, and we're calling in the teams to set up logistics and prepare orders, call clients, plan deliveries," the director said. The reopening will be a relief for beer drinkers, as well as bar owners and brewers, but much uncertainty remains. To begin with, bars and restaurants will only open as outdoor terraces. There will be pent-up demand and some drinkers will doubtless want to celebrate liberally -- but others may be nervous of crowds as the pandemic continues. A rebellious mood is building. Venues in the city of Liege threatened to break lockdown early, and police with water cannons and horses had to break up a mass gathering in a Brussels park. But bar managers like Sebastien Weverbergh, who runs an independent cafe adjoining the Silly brewery, argue that no-one is better placed than they are to manage a safe return to normal service. The industry has experience of installing hygiene measures and dealing with exuberant customers, he said, and Belgium needs to get back to the pub. "Not seeing our clients is a bit like being punished, as if we no longer had the right to see the people who in the end become our friends in this profession," he said. "The other difficulty is obviously financial. The state has helped us, it has done what it could, but its means are sometimes a little derisory compared to the costs that a restaurant or a cafe generates." Belgium has decided to slash value-added tax from 21 percent to six to support the reopening, setting aside 835 million euros ($1.0 billion) to put some fizz back into the sector. But bar owners argue that European countries could do more and the industry is pushing the idea of bar reopenings as a motor for post-virus recovery. "I think it is a symbol of the start of the recovery from Covid, for the whole of society," said Simon Spillane, director of communications for the association Brewers of Europe. "And yes, we're hoping for a boom." Before the crisis there were 11,000 breweries in Europe, and the number was surging by almost 1,000 per year as the fashion for small-scale specialists spread. But the industry is at 50 percent capacity across the continent, sales in bars and restaurants dropped by 42 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, and increased shop sales did not fill the gap. "When you're having a beer on a terrace with your friends, you're not just supporting the brewers," Spillane says. "You're supporting people's jobs and you're supporting the whole economy and the recovery of European society."

Belgium races to get beer to bars for great reopening

Pfizer/BioNTech said on Friday they have asked European regulators to authorise their Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step towards achieving herd immunity.

The companies already filed a similar request with US authorities earlier this month. Their vaccine is currently only approved for use in people aged 16 and over.

In a joint statement, Pfizer and BioNTech said they had submitted a request with the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) to expand the use of their jab to include "adolescents 12 to 15 years of age".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Pfizer CEO says oral drug to treat coronavirus could be ready by end of 2021">Pfizer CEO says oral drug to treat coronavirus could be ready by end of 2021</a>

Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of Germany's BioNTech, on Thursday said the jab could be available for those age groups from June if EU approval is granted.

The move comes after phase 3 trial data showed that the vaccine provided "robust antibody responses" and was 100 percent effective in warding off the disease among those aged 12 to 15.

"The vaccine also was generally well tolerated," the statement added.

In an interview with Der Spiegel weekly, Sahin said he expected regulators' evaluation of the data to take four to six weeks.

If approved, the green light would apply to all 27 European Union member states.&nbsp;

Pfizer and BioNTech added that they also plan to seek authorisations "with other regulatory authorities worldwide".

No coronavirus vaccines are currently authorised for use on children.

While children and teenagers are less likely to develop severe Covid, they make up a large part of the population and inoculating them is considered key to ending the pandemic.

The prospect of getting older children jabbed before the next school year begins would also ease the strain on parents who are juggling the demands of homeschooling while keeping up with jobs.

"It's very important to enable children a return to their normal school lives and allow them to meet with family and friends," Sahin told Spiegel.

BioNTech and Pfizer are also racing to get their jab approved for younger kids, from six months upwards.

"In July, the first results for five- to 12-year-olds could be available, and those for younger children in September," Sahin said.

Ongoing trials so far are "very encouraging", Sahin said, suggesting that "children are very well protected by the vaccine".

The BioNTech/Pfizer shot is based on mRNA technology and was the first Covid-19 jab to be approved in the West late last year.

Pfizer/BioNTech said on Friday they have asked European regulators to authorise their Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step towards achieving herd immunity.

Pfizer/BioNTech said on Friday they have asked European regulators to authorise their Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step towards achieving herd immunity. The companies already filed a similar request with US authorities earlier this month. Their vaccine is currently only approved for use in people aged 16 and over. In a joint statement, Pfizer and BioNTech said they had submitted a request with the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) to expand the use of their jab to include "adolescents 12 to 15 years of age". Also read: Pfizer CEO says oral drug to treat coronavirus could be ready by end of 2021 Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of Germany's BioNTech, on Thursday said the jab could be available for those age groups from June if EU approval is granted. The move comes after phase 3 trial data showed that the vaccine provided "robust antibody responses" and was 100 percent effective in warding off the disease among those aged 12 to 15. "The vaccine also was generally well tolerated," the statement added. In an interview with Der Spiegel weekly, Sahin said he expected regulators' evaluation of the data to take four to six weeks. If approved, the green light would apply to all 27 European Union member states. Pfizer and BioNTech added that they also plan to seek authorisations "with other regulatory authorities worldwide". No coronavirus vaccines are currently authorised for use on children. While children and teenagers are less likely to develop severe Covid, they make up a large part of the population and inoculating them is considered key to ending the pandemic. The prospect of getting older children jabbed before the next school year begins would also ease the strain on parents who are juggling the demands of homeschooling while keeping up with jobs. "It's very important to enable children a return to their normal school lives and allow them to meet with family and friends," Sahin told Spiegel. BioNTech and Pfizer are also racing to get their jab approved for younger kids, from six months upwards. "In July, the first results for five- to 12-year-olds could be available, and those for younger children in September," Sahin said. Ongoing trials so far are "very encouraging", Sahin said, suggesting that "children are very well protected by the vaccine". The BioNTech/Pfizer shot is based on mRNA technology and was the first Covid-19 jab to be approved in the West late last year.

Pfizer/BioNTech seek Covid jab approval for 12-15-year-olds in EU

The Maldives is still welcoming Bollywood stars and other rich Indians to its secluded beaches and crystal-clear lagoons even as countries ban flights because of a brutal Covid surge.

The Indian Ocean archipelago of more than a thousand islands reopened its international borders in mid-July after being shut for three months, and Indians have accounted for the most visitors.

This week, as a string of other countries banned visitors from India, the Maldives government made only slight changes to its rules for passengers from its giant neighbour.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;COVID-19: These countries are latest to impose restrictions on Indian travellers

Holidaymakers arriving from India now can only stay at a resort or a safari boat and are not allowed to check into guest houses in inhabited islands where locals also live.

"The geographical location of our islets help us to minimise the (virus) risk," Thoyyib Mohamed, the head of the country's tourism authority, Visit Maldives, told AFP.

"Each islet is a self-contained single resort. Even if we have a few cases popping up here and there, we can contain it within the resorts without exposing the local population."

Thoyyib said that they have also launched a campaign to vaccinate the entire workforce of 50,000 in the tourism sector and many others providing services relating to the hospitality trade.

"We want to be the first fully vaccinated tourism sector in the world," Thoyyib told AFP by telephone. He said about 90 percent of workers were already vaccinated.

Media reports have suggested that the Maldives might even offer Covid vaccines to foreign visitors.

But officials said they had no such immediate plans until all Maldivians and resident non-nationals had received both doses of the AstraZeneca or the Sinopharm vaccine.

More than two-thirds of its 330,000 population has already received their first dose, according to health ministry figures.&nbsp;

It has reported just over 29,000 virus infections with 73 deaths, although case numbers have been rising sharply in recent weeks.

Thoyyib said there was a decline in the number of Indians visiting in the past week but they remained the largest single group of visitors to the archipelago this year.

Bollywood stars escaping India in recent weeks include Alia Bhatt, her partner Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who posted Instagram photos of herself doing yoga at sunset at a Maldives resort.

Press reports suggest that private jet firms have seen a surge in demand to Europe, the Middle East and the Maldives, including from people clubbing together to hire an aircraft.

"It’s not only the ultra rich," Rajan Mehra, head New Delhi-based private plane firm Club One Air told The Print. "Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets."

India on Friday reported 385,000&nbsp;new cases in the past 24 hours -- a new global record -- and almost 3,500 deaths,&nbsp;according to official data that many experts suspect falls short of the true toll.&nbsp;

With the surge blamed on new virus variants and huge religious and political gatherings in recent months, India's hospitals are struggling to cope, particularly but not only in the capital New Delhi.

The Maldives attracted a record 1.7 million foreign tourists last year, a 15-percent increase from 2018, according to the government, with China the biggest source of visitors.

The numbers fell to 555,494 last year because of the pandemic, but was showing signs of a recovery. Some 381,000 tourists have visited so far this year. China has now dropped below the top 10.

The Maldives is still welcoming Bollywood stars and other rich Indians to its secluded beaches and crystal-clear lagoons even as countries ban flights because of a brutal Covid surge.

The Maldives is still welcoming Bollywood stars and other rich Indians to its secluded beaches and crystal-clear lagoons even as countries ban flights because of a brutal Covid surge. The Indian Ocean archipelago of more than a thousand islands reopened its international borders in mid-July after being shut for three months, and Indians have accounted for the most visitors. This week, as a string of other countries banned visitors from India, the Maldives government made only slight changes to its rules for passengers from its giant neighbour. Also read: COVID-19: These countries are latest to impose restrictions on Indian travellers Holidaymakers arriving from India now can only stay at a resort or a safari boat and are not allowed to check into guest houses in inhabited islands where locals also live. "The geographical location of our islets help us to minimise the (virus) risk," Thoyyib Mohamed, the head of the country's tourism authority, Visit Maldives, told AFP. "Each islet is a self-contained single resort. Even if we have a few cases popping up here and there, we can contain it within the resorts without exposing the local population." Thoyyib said that they have also launched a campaign to vaccinate the entire workforce of 50,000 in the tourism sector and many others providing services relating to the hospitality trade. "We want to be the first fully vaccinated tourism sector in the world," Thoyyib told AFP by telephone. He said about 90 percent of workers were already vaccinated. Media reports have suggested that the Maldives might even offer Covid vaccines to foreign visitors. But officials said they had no such immediate plans until all Maldivians and resident non-nationals had received both doses of the AstraZeneca or the Sinopharm vaccine. More than two-thirds of its 330,000 population has already received their first dose, according to health ministry figures. It has reported just over 29,000 virus infections with 73 deaths, although case numbers have been rising sharply in recent weeks. Thoyyib said there was a decline in the number of Indians visiting in the past week but they remained the largest single group of visitors to the archipelago this year. Bollywood stars escaping India in recent weeks include Alia Bhatt, her partner Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who posted Instagram photos of herself doing yoga at sunset at a Maldives resort. Press reports suggest that private jet firms have seen a surge in demand to Europe, the Middle East and the Maldives, including from people clubbing together to hire an aircraft. "It’s not only the ultra rich," Rajan Mehra, head New Delhi-based private plane firm Club One Air told The Print. "Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets." India on Friday reported 385,000 new cases in the past 24 hours -- a new global record -- and almost 3,500 deaths, according to official data that many experts suspect falls short of the true toll. With the surge blamed on new virus variants and huge religious and political gatherings in recent months, India's hospitals are struggling to cope, particularly but not only in the capital New Delhi. The Maldives attracted a record 1.7 million foreign tourists last year, a 15-percent increase from 2018, according to the government, with China the biggest source of visitors. The numbers fell to 555,494 last year because of the pandemic, but was showing signs of a recovery. Some 381,000 tourists have visited so far this year. China has now dropped below the top 10.

Vacation from the virus: Maldives still welcoming rich Indians

Cruise&nbsp;ships&nbsp;may be able to resume sailing from ports in Florida in mid-July&nbsp;after being shut down for over a year by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new guidelines from US health authorities.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) informed&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;companies on Wednesday of the requirements they would need to meet to begin sailing&nbsp;again.

At least 98 percent of the crew and 95 percent of passengers will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the letter obtained by AFP on Thursday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer">EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer</a>

"Ships&nbsp;may now bypass simulated voyages and move directly to open water sailing with passengers if a ship attests that 98 percent of its crew and 95 percent of its passengers are fully vaccinated," the CDC said.

Cruise&nbsp;lines were asked to submit their plans "as soon as possible to maintain the timeline of passenger voyages by mid-July."

The multi-billion dollar&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;industry employs thousands of people in Florida and is critical to a state that relies largely on tourism.

The three largest&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;lines in the world -- Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean -- run operations out of south Florida.

Norwegian announced on April 5 that it would require proof of vaccination for passengers and crew in the hope that the CDC would lift the sailing ban in&nbsp;July.&nbsp;

A Norwegian spokesman said the company "is encouraged by the ongoing constructive dialogue (with the CDC) that resulted in recent meaningful modifications to previously issued technical guidelines and the incorporation of vaccines."

Jonathan Fishman, a Royal Caribbean spokesman, said the company was encouraged "that we now see a pathway to a healthy and achievable return to service."

A Carnival spokesperson said the company is still reviewing the new CDC guidelines.

Cruise&nbsp;operations were suspended on March 14, 2020 when the CDC issued a "no&nbsp;sail&nbsp;order" to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

Several&nbsp;ships&nbsp;had already had deadly outbreaks on board.

Some&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;ships&nbsp;resumed operations in Europe and elsewhere last year but the ban remained in place in the United States.

The CDC issued a roadmap in October for&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;ships&nbsp;to resume operations and updated it in April.

Didier Arino, head of the Protourisme consulting firm in Paris, told AFP this month that the pandemic has caused $48.3 billion in losses to the&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;industry and he doesn't expect it to resume normal activity until 2025.

Cruise ships may be able to resume sailing from ports in Florida in mid-July after being shut down for over a year by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new guidelines from US health authorities.

Cruise ships may be able to resume sailing from ports in Florida in mid-July after being shut down for over a year by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new guidelines from US health authorities. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) informed cruise companies on Wednesday of the requirements they would need to meet to begin sailing again. At least 98 percent of the crew and 95 percent of passengers will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the letter obtained by AFP on Thursday. Also read: EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer "Ships may now bypass simulated voyages and move directly to open water sailing with passengers if a ship attests that 98 percent of its crew and 95 percent of its passengers are fully vaccinated," the CDC said. Cruise lines were asked to submit their plans "as soon as possible to maintain the timeline of passenger voyages by mid-July." The multi-billion dollar cruise industry employs thousands of people in Florida and is critical to a state that relies largely on tourism. The three largest cruise lines in the world -- Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean -- run operations out of south Florida. Norwegian announced on April 5 that it would require proof of vaccination for passengers and crew in the hope that the CDC would lift the sailing ban in July. A Norwegian spokesman said the company "is encouraged by the ongoing constructive dialogue (with the CDC) that resulted in recent meaningful modifications to previously issued technical guidelines and the incorporation of vaccines." Jonathan Fishman, a Royal Caribbean spokesman, said the company was encouraged "that we now see a pathway to a healthy and achievable return to service." A Carnival spokesperson said the company is still reviewing the new CDC guidelines. Cruise operations were suspended on March 14, 2020 when the CDC issued a "no sail order" to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Several ships had already had deadly outbreaks on board. Some cruise ships resumed operations in Europe and elsewhere last year but the ban remained in place in the United States. The CDC issued a roadmap in October for cruise ships to resume operations and updated it in April. Didier Arino, head of the Protourisme consulting firm in Paris, told AFP this month that the pandemic has caused $48.3 billion in losses to the cruise industry and he doesn't expect it to resume normal activity until 2025.

US cruise ships could sail again by July: CDC

Dwayne Johnson`s personal strength and fitness coach Dave Rienzi says the Hollywood superstar never needs to take drastic measures or over-stress his body to obtain a certain look. 
 
"We hold his conditioning in a very tight window to allow him to be `scene ready` at any moment. Keeping him at striking distance ensures that we never need to take drastic measures to obtain a certain look, or over-stress his body. The bottom line is that he always needs to be able to perform at his best on screen," said Rienzi, according to a website.&nbsp; 
 
Johnson, who shot to fame as The Rock in the world of professional wrestling before cracking Hollywood, is also on a very strict diet, says his coach. 
 
"The execution of his diet and training needs to be as nuanced and complimentary as possible to allow him to do that consistently," he said in an interview with Muscle &amp; Fitness magazine.

Dwayne Johnson`s personal strength and fitness coach Dave Rienzi says the Hollywood superstar never needs to take drastic measures or over-stress his body to obtain a certain look.

Dwayne Johnson`s personal strength and fitness coach Dave Rienzi says the Hollywood superstar never needs to take drastic measures or over-stress his body to obtain a certain look. "We hold his conditioning in a very tight window to allow him to be `scene ready` at any moment. Keeping him at striking distance ensures that we never need to take drastic measures to obtain a certain look, or over-stress his body. The bottom line is that he always needs to be able to perform at his best on screen," said Rienzi, according to a website. Johnson, who shot to fame as The Rock in the world of professional wrestling before cracking Hollywood, is also on a very strict diet, says his coach. "The execution of his diet and training needs to be as nuanced and complimentary as possible to allow him to do that consistently," he said in an interview with Muscle & Fitness magazine.

Dwayne Johnson never over-stresses body for a certain look on screen

Authorities in northern Italy announced on Monday, they had identified two cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus, in a father and daughter recently returned from India.

The news follows reports of another case in the central region of Tuscany last month, and comes after the Italian government banned arrivals from the virus-hit country.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="'Finally!' Italy reopens as parliament debates recovery plan">'Finally!' Italy reopens as parliament debates recovery plan</a>

"Today in (the city of) Bassano we have the first two patients, two Indians," announced Luca Zaia, head of the Veneto region.

Bassano, in the province of Vicenza, lies some 65 kilometres (40 miles) north-east of Venice.&nbsp;

The two patients were identified as a father and adult daughter of Indian origin who recently returned from a trip to India. They are currently isolating at home.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Sunday announced a new ban on anyone entering Italy who has been in India in the past 14 days.&nbsp;

India is battling a catastrophic, record-breaking outbreak that has overwhelmed hospitals and set crematoriums&nbsp;working at full capacity.

Authorities in northern Italy announced on Monday, they had identified two cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus, in a father and daughter recently returned from India.

Authorities in northern Italy announced on Monday, they had identified two cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus, in a father and daughter recently returned from India. The news follows reports of another case in the central region of Tuscany last month, and comes after the Italian government banned arrivals from the virus-hit country. Also read: 'Finally!' Italy reopens as parliament debates recovery plan "Today in (the city of) Bassano we have the first two patients, two Indians," announced Luca Zaia, head of the Veneto region. Bassano, in the province of Vicenza, lies some 65 kilometres (40 miles) north-east of Venice. The two patients were identified as a father and adult daughter of Indian origin who recently returned from a trip to India. They are currently isolating at home. Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Sunday announced a new ban on anyone entering Italy who has been in India in the past 14 days. India is battling a catastrophic, record-breaking outbreak that has overwhelmed hospitals and set crematoriums working at full capacity.

Indian Covid variant found in northern Italy

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday it will give India at least 450,000 vials of its antiviral drug remdesivir and help boost production, as the world`s second-most populous country reels from surging coronavirus cases.

Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use to treat severe COVID-19 cases, but hospitals are facing supply shortages due to indiscriminate use and the drug is being sold at over 10 times its listed price in the black market.

The shortage has raised concerns about hoarding as people queue up outside clinics and hospitals to buy the drug and millions take to social media to secure supplies.

Also&nbsp;Read |&nbsp;<a href="India's Covid crisis: Bhutanese express solidarity, country to supply oxygen">India's Covid crisis: Bhutanese express solidarity, country to supply oxygen</a>

Earlier this month, India banned the export of the drug and the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) used to make it.

Seven Indian companies have licensed the drug from Gilead, with an installed capacity of about 3.9 million units per month. Gilead said on Monday all of them were scaling up their batch sizes and adding new manufacturing facilities and local contract manufacturers.

There are doubts about the drug's effectiveness in treating COVID-19. The World Health Organization in November issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalised patients, but India has continued to use it.

A senior Indian government health official said last week that remdesivir is only for those patients who need oxygen.

"I am appealing that the hype over this medicine should be decreased, and it should be used in a rational manner," Vinod Kumar Paul said.

On Monday, Russian pharmaceutical firm Pharmasyntez said it was ready to ship up to 1 million packs of remdesivir to India by the end-May once it received the Russian government's approval.

India has reported more than 300,000 new COVID-19 cases per day over the past six days. It has an official tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, health ministry data showed, although health experts say the figures likely run higher.

Nations including Britain, Germany and the United States have pledged support, while the World Health Organization termed the situation as "beyond heartbreaking".

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday it will give India at least 450,000 vials of its antiviral drug remdesivir and help boost production, as the world`s second-most populous country reels from surging coronavirus cases.

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday it will give India at least 450,000 vials of its antiviral drug remdesivir and help boost production, as the world`s second-most populous country reels from surging coronavirus cases. Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use to treat severe COVID-19 cases, but hospitals are facing supply shortages due to indiscriminate use and the drug is being sold at over 10 times its listed price in the black market. The shortage has raised concerns about hoarding as people queue up outside clinics and hospitals to buy the drug and millions take to social media to secure supplies. Also Read | India's Covid crisis: Bhutanese express solidarity, country to supply oxygen Earlier this month, India banned the export of the drug and the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) used to make it. Seven Indian companies have licensed the drug from Gilead, with an installed capacity of about 3.9 million units per month. Gilead said on Monday all of them were scaling up their batch sizes and adding new manufacturing facilities and local contract manufacturers. There are doubts about the drug's effectiveness in treating COVID-19. The World Health Organization in November issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalised patients, but India has continued to use it. A senior Indian government health official said last week that remdesivir is only for those patients who need oxygen. "I am appealing that the hype over this medicine should be decreased, and it should be used in a rational manner," Vinod Kumar Paul said. On Monday, Russian pharmaceutical firm Pharmasyntez said it was ready to ship up to 1 million packs of remdesivir to India by the end-May once it received the Russian government's approval. India has reported more than 300,000 new COVID-19 cases per day over the past six days. It has an official tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, health ministry data showed, although health experts say the figures likely run higher. Nations including Britain, Germany and the United States have pledged support, while the World Health Organization termed the situation as "beyond heartbreaking".

Gilead to help speed up Remdesivir availability in India

Hong Kong will reopen bars and nightclubs from April 29 for people who have been vaccinated and who use a government mobile phone application, the Asian financial hub's health secretary said on Tuesday.

Sophia Chan told a press briefing the measures extended to bathhouses and karaoke lounges and would enable the venues to stay open until 2&nbsp;am. All staff and customers must have received at least one vaccine dose for the venue to be operational and they must operate at half capacity, she said.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="Hong Kong's new immigration bill could give authorities arbitrary control over people's movement">Hong Kong's new immigration bill could give authorities arbitrary control over people's movement</a>

We all hope life can return to normal but we need to allow some time for everyone to adapt to these new measures," Chan said.

The former British colony has recorded over 11,700 total coronavirus cases, far lower than other developed cities. 
Hong Kong has banned non-residents in the city since March 2020, but announced this week a long-delayed travel bubble with Singapore will begin on May 26, its first bilateral resumption of travel ties with another city.

Chan's announcement comes as authorities try to incentivise residents to get vaccinated with only around 11% of the city's 7.5 million population having received their first vaccine dose.

The take up of vaccines has been sluggish since the scheme began in the Chinese special administrative region in February due to a lack of confidence in China's Sinovac vaccine and fears of adverse reactions.

Hong Kong began vaccinating residents with doses from Sinovac in February and started offering a vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech in March.

The BioNTech shot has shown far greater take up since its launch with two to three times more people booking it on a daily basis than for Sinovac, according to government figures.

Under the new rules, restaurants in the city will be allowed to increase the number of diners per table to six from four currently, provided staff and customers have also received their first vaccine dose. They will be able to dine until midnight, from 10&nbsp;pm&nbsp;now.

Restaurants will set up different areas for customers who are not vaccinated and for those who choose to write their contact details down on paper rather than registering with the government app. This segment will only be allowed to dine up to four people to a table.

A tracing app pushed by the government has met with distrust.

Hong Kong will reopen bars and nightclubs from April 29 for people who have been vaccinated and who use a government mobile phone application, the Asian financial hub's health secretary said on Tuesday.

Hong Kong will reopen bars and nightclubs from April 29 for people who have been vaccinated and who use a government mobile phone application, the Asian financial hub's health secretary said on Tuesday. Sophia Chan told a press briefing the measures extended to bathhouses and karaoke lounges and would enable the venues to stay open until 2 am. All staff and customers must have received at least one vaccine dose for the venue to be operational and they must operate at half capacity, she said. Also Read: Hong Kong's new immigration bill could give authorities arbitrary control over people's movement We all hope life can return to normal but we need to allow some time for everyone to adapt to these new measures," Chan said. The former British colony has recorded over 11,700 total coronavirus cases, far lower than other developed cities. Hong Kong has banned non-residents in the city since March 2020, but announced this week a long-delayed travel bubble with Singapore will begin on May 26, its first bilateral resumption of travel ties with another city. Chan's announcement comes as authorities try to incentivise residents to get vaccinated with only around 11% of the city's 7.5 million population having received their first vaccine dose. The take up of vaccines has been sluggish since the scheme began in the Chinese special administrative region in February due to a lack of confidence in China's Sinovac vaccine and fears of adverse reactions. Hong Kong began vaccinating residents with doses from Sinovac in February and started offering a vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech in March. The BioNTech shot has shown far greater take up since its launch with two to three times more people booking it on a daily basis than for Sinovac, according to government figures. Under the new rules, restaurants in the city will be allowed to increase the number of diners per table to six from four currently, provided staff and customers have also received their first vaccine dose. They will be able to dine until midnight, from 10 pm now. Restaurants will set up different areas for customers who are not vaccinated and for those who choose to write their contact details down on paper rather than registering with the government app. This segment will only be allowed to dine up to four people to a table. A tracing app pushed by the government has met with distrust.

Hong Kong to reopen bars, nightclubs from April 29 for vaccinated customers

The developers of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday criticised Brazil's refusal to import the jab as politically motivated.

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Monday denied requests from several states to receive batches of Sputnik V, saying it did not have the data needed to verify the jab's safety and efficacy.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="COVID-19: Brazil health regulator Anvisa rejects Russia's Sputnik vaccine">COVID-19: Brazil health regulator Anvisa rejects Russia's Sputnik vaccine</a>

"Anvisa's delays in approving Sputnik V are unfortunately of a political nature and have nothing to do with access to information or science," the official Sputnik V Twitter account said.

It pointed to a recent US government report that said Washington had tried to persuade Brazil not to use Sputnik.

"The United States Department of Health, in its 2020 annual report several months ago, publicly stated that the United States health attache 'persuaded Brazil to reject the Russian vaccine against COVID-19,'" the account added.

Anvisa said its experts had flagged "uncertainties" about the jab, which has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Russian vaccine has so far been approved for use in at least 60 countries, including more than 10 in Latin and Central America.

Argentina signed a deal with Russia earlier this month to become the first Latin American country to produce Sputnik V shots, and will aim for full-scale production to start in June.

The Kremlin said Tuesday it needed more information about the Brazilian decision before commenting, adding that it was not in touch with Brazilian authorities on the issue.

But in general, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We are against the use of vaccines as a political tool."

Some Western countries have been wary of Sputnik V -- named after the Soviet-era satellite -- over concerns the Kremlin would use it as a soft power tool to advance its interests.

Moscow registered the jab in August before large-scale clinical trials, but leading medical journal The Lancet has since said it is safe and more than 90 percent effective.

The developers of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday criticised Brazil's refusal to import the jab as politically motivated. Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Monday denied requests from several states to receive batches of Sputnik V, saying it did not have the data needed to verify the jab's safety and efficacy.

The developers of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday criticised Brazil's refusal to import the jab as politically motivated. Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Monday denied requests from several states to receive batches of Sputnik V, saying it did not have the data needed to verify the jab's safety and efficacy. Also read: COVID-19: Brazil health regulator Anvisa rejects Russia's Sputnik vaccine "Anvisa's delays in approving Sputnik V are unfortunately of a political nature and have nothing to do with access to information or science," the official Sputnik V Twitter account said. It pointed to a recent US government report that said Washington had tried to persuade Brazil not to use Sputnik. "The United States Department of Health, in its 2020 annual report several months ago, publicly stated that the United States health attache 'persuaded Brazil to reject the Russian vaccine against COVID-19,'" the account added. Anvisa said its experts had flagged "uncertainties" about the jab, which has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Russian vaccine has so far been approved for use in at least 60 countries, including more than 10 in Latin and Central America. Argentina signed a deal with Russia earlier this month to become the first Latin American country to produce Sputnik V shots, and will aim for full-scale production to start in June. The Kremlin said Tuesday it needed more information about the Brazilian decision before commenting, adding that it was not in touch with Brazilian authorities on the issue. But in general, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We are against the use of vaccines as a political tool." Some Western countries have been wary of Sputnik V -- named after the Soviet-era satellite -- over concerns the Kremlin would use it as a soft power tool to advance its interests. Moscow registered the jab in August before large-scale clinical trials, but leading medical journal The Lancet has since said it is safe and more than 90 percent effective.

Russia says Brazil's refusal to import Sputnik V is 'political'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a call to resign on Monday after claims he dismissed the prospect of thousands dying from Covid, as a row over government "sleaze" escalated.

In a front-page headline, the Daily Mail newspaper reported Johnson had said he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than impose a third coronavirus lockdown.

Ultimately, Johnson did order a new round of restrictions in January.

But he is now locked in a damaging war of words with his former top aide Dominic Cummings over his coronavirus policies last year and financial dealings.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Daily Mail report, based on unnamed sources, was "not true" and had been "categorically denied by practically everyone".

"None of this is serious. The prime minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid," he told Sky News.

The main opposition Labour party wants an urgent inquiry into Cummings' claims made in an explosive blog post.&nbsp;

"We cannot go on like this day after day with the drip, drip, drip of allegations," said Labour leader Keir Starmer.&nbsp;

"We need to get to the bottom of it because I think for a lot of people, this is beginning to feel very strongly like one rule for them and another rule for everybody else."

But the Scottish National Party (SNP)'s leader in the UK parliament, Ian Blackford, went further, demanding Johnson step down if his comments are confirmed.

"These comments are utterly abhorrent. If they are true, @BorisJohnson has a duty to resign," he tweeted.

"The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster."&nbsp;

Johnson has faced sharp criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In Britain, one of the countries worst hit in the world by the disease, more than 127,000 people have died from Covid.

But increasingly the prime minister is facing questions over his wider judgement and integrity, following weeks of stories about alleged inappropriate lobbying and special favours.

Cummings, the strategist behind the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, quit Downing Street in December under a cloud of acrimony.

The former senior adviser wrote on his personal blog on Friday that Johnson had sought to use potentially illegal donations to renovate his publicly funded Downing Street accommodation.

Cummings also wrote that Johnson had raised the prospect of blocking an internal inquiry into leaks because they could implicate a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds.

Simon Case, Britain's most senior civil servant, is to be questioned by lawmakers later on Monday over the allegations against Johnson, his ministers and officials, which Downing Street have dismissed as false.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a call to resign on Monday after claims he dismissed the prospect of thousands dying from Covid, as a row over government "sleaze" escalated.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a call to resign on Monday after claims he dismissed the prospect of thousands dying from Covid, as a row over government "sleaze" escalated. In a front-page headline, the Daily Mail newspaper reported Johnson had said he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than impose a third coronavirus lockdown. Ultimately, Johnson did order a new round of restrictions in January. But he is now locked in a damaging war of words with his former top aide Dominic Cummings over his coronavirus policies last year and financial dealings. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Daily Mail report, based on unnamed sources, was "not true" and had been "categorically denied by practically everyone". "None of this is serious. The prime minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside Cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid," he told Sky News. The main opposition Labour party wants an urgent inquiry into Cummings' claims made in an explosive blog post. "We cannot go on like this day after day with the drip, drip, drip of allegations," said Labour leader Keir Starmer. "We need to get to the bottom of it because I think for a lot of people, this is beginning to feel very strongly like one rule for them and another rule for everybody else." But the Scottish National Party (SNP)'s leader in the UK parliament, Ian Blackford, went further, demanding Johnson step down if his comments are confirmed. "These comments are utterly abhorrent. If they are true, @BorisJohnson has a duty to resign," he tweeted. "The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster." Johnson has faced sharp criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In Britain, one of the countries worst hit in the world by the disease, more than 127,000 people have died from Covid. But increasingly the prime minister is facing questions over his wider judgement and integrity, following weeks of stories about alleged inappropriate lobbying and special favours. Cummings, the strategist behind the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, quit Downing Street in December under a cloud of acrimony. The former senior adviser wrote on his personal blog on Friday that Johnson had sought to use potentially illegal donations to renovate his publicly funded Downing Street accommodation. Cummings also wrote that Johnson had raised the prospect of blocking an internal inquiry into leaks because they could implicate a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds. Simon Case, Britain's most senior civil servant, is to be questioned by lawmakers later on Monday over the allegations against Johnson, his ministers and officials, which Downing Street have dismissed as false.

UK PM under pressure over 'let bodies pile high' comment

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