- South African vaccine programmes are organised into three groups.
- EU leaders will agree to maintain non-essential travel curbs within the bloc.
- The presidents of Mexico and Argentina called for better vaccine access for poorer nations.
Covid-19 vaccine makers told the US Congress that supplies should surge in the coming weeks, while an EU official said AstraZeneca expects to deliver less than half the vaccines it was contracted to supply to the bloc in the second quarter.
Middle East and Africa
* South Africa's government advisers organised vaccines into three groups and those considered for "immediate use" were the Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna shots.
* The World Bank threatened to suspend its multi-million- dollar financing for Lebanon's vaccinations over politicians jumping the line.
* Israel is giving small amounts of surplus vaccines to Palestinian-run territories as well as to several countries.
Europe
* European Union government leaders will agree to maintain curbs on non-essential travel within the EU despite the bloc's executive asking six countries to ease border restrictions.
* Britons rushed to book foreign holidays after the government laid out plans to gradually relax restrictions.
* Sweden is preparing new measures to try to curb a resurgence in cases.
Asia-Pacific
* Deaths in China - excluding Wuhan - fell slightly during the first three months of 2020, suggesting efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 reduced deaths from other causes, a study showed.
* Regional Japanese governments have requested emergency pandemic measures be lifted ahead of the 7 March scheduled end as new cases trend lower.
* India said mutated versions of coronavirus were not responsible for an upsurge in cases in two states.
* The Philippines will let thousands of its healthcare workers, mostly nurses, take up jobs in Britain and Germany if the two countries agree to donate vaccines.
* Thailand received its first batch of vaccines, with inoculations set to begin in a few days.
Americas
* The presidents of Mexico and Argentina pressed the UN and the world's richest countries to improve poorer nations' access to vaccines.
* Brazil has fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine, though a dispute over a supply deal means it has none with which to start an immunisation programme.
* Colombia has approved the emergency use of AstraZeneca's vaccine.
Medical developments
* The US Food and Drug Administration plans to approve Pfizer and BioNTech SE's request to store their vaccine at standard freezer temperatures instead of in ultra-cold conditions, the New York Times reported.
Economic impact
* Bond markets steadied, the US dollar fell and stocks edged ahead after central banks from Washington to Wellington vowed to keep monetary policy loose for a long time.
* US consumer confidence increased in February, with households slightly more upbeat about the labour market amid declining new infections.
* Canada's economy will see a solid and sustained rebound this year as inoculations ramp up, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said.
* US bank profits fell 36.5% in 2020 from the prior year as banks set aside massive amounts to guard against potential losses, a regulator reported.
* Hong Kong plans to run a much lower budget deficit in the coming fiscal year as the economy is expected to recover from its longest recession on record, Finance Secretary Paul Chan said.
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