Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.
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Nearing vaccine target, Britain offers Covid shots to more people
LONDON – Britain will begin giving Covid-19 shots to those aged 65 and over on Monday as it closes in on its target to offer vaccines to 15 million people in priority groups, including the elderly and frontline healthcare workers.
The government set Monday as the deadline to deliver a first vaccine dose to everyone in its top four priority segments, including all those aged 70 and over, a goal it looks likely to reach.
According to the latest official figures, 14.56 million people have received a shot, allowing health officials to expand the programme to those aged 65 to 69, and to other clinically vulnerable people.
The National Health Service (NHS) said about 1 million people had already received invitations.
"Every jab in the arm is another step closer to returning to normality in the future and that's why we're now inviting the next priority group to book their appointments," Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said in a statement.
Britain, which has recorded more than 120 000 deaths from Covid-19, was the first Western country to begin mass vaccinations in December, and is ahead of other European countries in rolling out the shots.
- REUTERS
Over 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines administered - US CDC
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it had administered over 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning, and delivered about 69.9 million doses.
The tally of vaccine doses are for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 06:00 (ET) on Saturday, the agency said.
According to the tally posted on Friday, the agency had administered 48.4 million doses of the vaccines, and delivered about 69 million doses.
The agency said about 37.1 million people had received 1 or more doses, while over 13 million people have got the second dose as of Saturday.
About 5.7 million vaccine doses have been administered in long-term care facilities, the agency said.
- REUTERS
New Zealand orders largest city Auckland into snap Covid lockdown
Wellington – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered the city of Auckland into a three-day lockdown on Sunday after three Covid-19 cases emerged in the community.
The city's 1.7 million residents were told to stay at home from midnight, when the level-three lockdown begins, with schools and businesses to close except for essential services.
Ardern said the lockdown is "just in case it could be one of the more transmissible strains of Covid that we need to act with a high degree of caution around".
- AFP
Israel sees reopening of restaurants on 9 March amid vaccination drive
JERUSALEM – Israel plans to reopen restaurants around 9 March, as part of its gradual return to normality as a Covid-19 vaccination campaign gathers pace, an official said on Sunday.
With more than 41% of Israelis having received at least one shot of Pfizer's vaccine, Israel plans to partially reopen hotels and gyms on 23 February to those deemed fully inoculated, or immune after recovering from Covid-19.
Nachman Ash, the national pandemic-response coordinator, said the reopening of hotel dining rooms, restaurants and cafes would follow two weeks later.
"That would be around March 9," he told Ynet TV. "We want to open gradually, carefully so we don't have another breakout of another wave, and another lockdown."
Israel began emerging from its third lockdown last week.
The country is on course to fully inoculate 30% of its 9 million population with the two-dose vaccine regimen this month, a benchmark for a preliminary easing of curbs. It hopes for 50% coverage and a wider reopening next month.
- REUTERS
Brazil reports 44 299 new coronavirus cases, 1 043 deaths
SAO PAULO – Brazil recorded 44 299 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 1 043 more deaths from Covid-19, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Brazil has registered more than 9.8 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 238 532, according to ministry data.
- REUTERS
Mexico reports 9 741 new coronavirus cases, 1 214 more deaths
Mexico's health ministry on Saturday reported 9 741 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the country and 1 214 more fatalities, bringing its total to 1 988 695 infections and 173 771 deaths.
The real number of infected people and deaths is likely significantly higher than the official count, the health ministry has said.
- REUTERS
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 6 114 - RKI
BERLIN – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 6 114 to 2 334 561, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 218 to 64 960, the tally showed.
- REUTERS
Russia reports 14 185 new Covid-19 cases, 430 deaths in past 24 hours
MOSCOW – Russia reported 14 185 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, including 1 559 in Moscow, taking the national infection tally to 4 071 883 since the pandemic began.
Authorities said 430 people had died of the disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 80 126.
- REUTERS
China reports 7 new Covid-19 cases vs 8 a day earlier
BEIJING – China reported seven new coronavirus cases in the mainland for 13 February, compared to eight cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Sunday.
All of the new cases were imported infections, the National Health Commission said in a statement. New asymptomatic infections, which China does not classify as confirmed Covid-19 cases, rose to 17 from 14 a day earlier.
China saw a major resurgence of the disease in January, when a cluster emerged in the northern province of Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.
The disease spread to northeastern Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in the country's worst outbreak since March, triggering an aggressive package of measures including lockdowns in the worst-hit areas to curb the spread of the virus.
But data from recent days adds to evidence that China was able to effectively stamp out the latest wave of infections and avoid another full-blown Covid-19 crisis heading into the current Lunar New Year holiday.
As of Saturday, mainland China had 89 763 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The Covid-19 death toll remained at 4 636.
- REUTERS