In this file photo, the logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (PHOTO / AP)

LONDON / BRAZIL / BRASILIA / QUITO / UNITED NATIONS / MEXICO CITY / CAIRO / TUNIS / ADDIS ABABA / PARIS / OTTAWA / ROME / ZURICH / GENEVA - The World Health Organization does not expect widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, a spokeswoman said on Friday, stressing the importance of rigorous checks on their effectiveness and safety.

None of the candidate vaccines in advanced clinical trials so far has demonstrated a “clear signal” of efficacy at the level of at least 50 percent sought by the WHO, spokeswoman Margaret Harris said.

Russia granted regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine in August after less than two months of human testing, prompting some Western experts to question its safety and efficacy.

US public health officials and Pfizer Inc said on Thursday a vaccine could be ready for distribution as soon as late October. That would be just ahead of the US election on Nov 3 in which the pandemic is likely to be a major factor among voters deciding whether President Donald Trump wins a second term.

“We are really not expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year,” Harris told a UN briefing in Geneva.

“This phase 3 must take longer because we need to see how truly protective the vaccine is and we also need to see how safe it is,” she added. This referred to the phase in vaccine research where large clinical trials among people are conducted. Harris did not refer to any specific vaccine candidate.

All data from trials must be shared and compared, Harris said. “A lot of people have been vaccinated and what we don’t know is whether the vaccine works...at this stage we do not have the clear signal of whether or not it has the level of worthwhile efficacy and safety...,” she added.

Russia

Russia’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine induced an antibody response in all participants in early trials and found no serious adverse effects, according to the first vetted data on the controversial project.

The vaccine also produced a response in T-cells -- a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system destroy infection -- according to preliminary results from phase 1 and 2 trials that were published Friday in the Lancet medical journal. Russian officials had previously made broadly similar statements about the shot, prior to review by outside experts.

Despite limitations in the trials, the peer-reviewed data bolster Russia’s prospects in the race with the US, China and Europe to secure a vaccine, following widespread skepticism. Health officials elsewhere criticized the country’s regulatory approval of the shot last month, before it had gone through wider phase 3 trials. Concerns about so-called vaccine nationalism were fueled by allegations that Russian intelligence services orchestrated the hacking of western development programs -- which the Kremlin denied.

Friday’s publication marks a “turning point” following “attacks” on the project, said Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which is backing the vaccine.

“Russia has answered the questions that have been asked about it,” he said on a conference call. “And we are convinced that we have the best vaccine in the world.”

No Placebo

The trials took place in two Russian hospitals and involved 76 healthy adults aged 18 to 60. The vaccine uses two different human adenoviruses -- relatively harmless germs that normally cause common colds -- that were altered to carry coronavirus proteins that induce an immune response.

All participants were given the vaccine and there was no placebo group -- one of several limitations to the trials that were cited in the report.

The investigators took convalescent plasma from 4,817 people who had recovered from mild or moderate COVID-19 to compare post-vaccination immunity with natural immunity. Antibody responses were higher in those vaccinated, according to the data.

The government has announced plans to begin administering the shot more widely to medical personnel and teachers in the coming weeks, ahead of a broader national campaign slated for late this year. The move has led to concerns that political pressure could prevail over safety considerations and risk public health as the world seeks an end to the pandemic.

US

Drugmaker Roche said it had received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for a test to quickly detect whether a patient has SARS-CoV-2 or one of two forms of influenza.

“With the approaching flu season, this new test is particularly important as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infections can hardly be differentiated by symptoms alone. Now, with a single test, healthcare professionals can confidently provide the right diagnosis and most effective treatment plan for their patients,” Roche diagnostics head Thomas Schinecker said in a statement.

WHO

A World Health Organization spokeswoman said on Friday it does not expect widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, stressing the importance of rigorous checks on their effectiveness and safety.

“We are not expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year,” spokeswoman Margaret Harris told journalists at a briefing in Geneva.

“This phase 3 must take longer because we need to see how truly protective the vaccine is and we also need to see how safe it is,” she added referring to vaccine clinical trials.

UN

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on the Group of 20 (G20) countries to take concerted action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and build back better.

Speaking to an emergency meeting of G20 foreign ministers on the COVID crisis, Guterres noted the pandemic has forced "unprecedented lockdowns, travel suspensions and limited movement across borders," adding that "concerns are growing that some of the current movement restrictions could outlast the immediate crisis."

A city health worker takes a resident's blood sample during a city new program that aims to administer 20 thousand COVID-19 tests in Rio de Janeiro's poor neighborhoods, at Morro da Providencia favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept 3, 2020. (SILVIA IZQUIERDO / AP)

Brazil

Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, reiterated on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccinations will not be obligatory when they become available.

“Many people want the vaccine to be applied in a coercive way, but there is no law that provides for that,” Bolsonaro said in a Facebook live chat with his supporters.

Vice President Hamilton Mourão said earlier that mass vaccination was inevitable to fight the pandemic in Brazil, but was firmly in line with Bolsonaro’s stance.

“There is no way for the government - unless we live in a dictatorship - to force everyone to get vaccinated,” Mourão said in a radio interview.

In the second worst outbreak outside of the United States, Brazil has recorded more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and the official death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 124,614, the health ministry said.

In the 24 hours preceding Thursday afternoon, 43,773 new cases were reported in the country and there were 834 deaths from the virus.

Brazil last month signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to buy 30 million doses of the vaccine it is developing with Oxford University, with an option for 70 million more doses if the vaccine works.

ALSO READ: Brazil's court rules govt must protect tribes from coronavirus

Canada

Nearly 1,000 flights in Canada have carried at least one COVID-19-positive passenger since February, according to CTV News Thursday.

More than 370 domestic flights and nearly 600 international flights had at least one passenger who tested positive for COVID-19.

From Feb 4 to Aug 24 this year, 973 flights in total flew into or within Canada with passengers infected with the coronavirus on board.

The last flight known to carry a COVID-19 case arrived in Toronto on Sunday from Edmonton in the Alberta province.

Early Thursday, Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the government is taking a very serious and layered approach to minimize the risk of passengers bringing the novel coronavirus into Canada.

A total of 129,923 COVID-19 cases have been reported nationwide with 9,135 deaths, the Public Health Agency of Canada said on Thursday.

Colombia

The Colombian Ministry of Health reported on Thursday that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 641,574, with 20,618 deaths.

According to the ministry, 270 more deaths and 8,235 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, and 23,735 PCR tests were carried out over the last day.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic confirmed 650 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a record daily increase, according to data published by the Ministry of Health on Thursday.The increase brought the country's total infections to 25,773 with 7,022 active cases, showed the data.

Ecuador

Ecuador's Emergency Operations Committee (COE) on Thursday urged people to keep protecting themselves from the novel coronavirus.

The COE, which is in charge of the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reminded citizens of three key steps to avoid infections: using a face mask, washing hands often and practicing social distancing.

A total of 903 infections were reported with 29 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the national count to 116,360 cases with 6,648 deaths, the country's health ministry said on Thursday.

As the state of emergency declared by the government will expire on Sept 13, the South American country will no longer impose special restrictions against the pandemic.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 55,213 after 804 new cases were registered on Thursday, the country's Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said in a statement that 10 more patients succumbed to illnesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic during the last 24 hours, which brought the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 856.

According to the ministry, some 20,283 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had recovered, including 380 in the last 24-hour period.

The ministry also said a total of 34,072 COVID-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, including 306 in severe condition.

Egypt

Egypt on Thursday reported 145 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total cases in the country to 99,425, said the Egyptian Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, 18 more patients died from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 5,479, while 789 others were cured and discharged from hospitals, increasing the total recoveries to 75,415, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

People queue up at a temporary screening center to take COVID-19 tests in front of the city hall in Paris, France, Aug 31, 2020. (AURELIEN MORISSARD / XINHUA)

France

French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said on Friday 22 schools were closed in France due to cases of COVID-19.

“In mainland France there are currenly 12 schools closed out of a total of over 60,000, which is a small figure. Adding 10 schools in La Reunion (island), that makes it 22,” Blanquer told Europe 1 radio.

As over 12 million pupils returned to school in France on Tuesday some parents and teachers’ unions have voiced concern at plans for reopening classrooms as the spread of the virus gathers renewed pace.

France has confirmed 7,157 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, a figure comparable to the level of the day before (7,017), the country's public health agency announced on Thursday.

It is the fourth time that France recorded a daily tally of above 7,000 since the beginning of the epidemic. Last Friday, 7,319 new cases were confirmed and the peak (7,578) was recorded on March 31.

The number of patients in intensive care increased for a third consecutive day by 18, bringing the total to 464. The figure had increased by 15 on Tuesday and 22 on Wednesday. According to the French Health Ministry, the death toll since the start of the epidemic increased by 21 to 30,706,

Across the country, 23 departments are now in "high vulnerability" and 37 in "moderate vulnerability", announced the agency.

ALSO READ: Virus: France unveils 100b-euro economic rescue plan

Italy

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been hospitalised in Milan for further checks after testing positive for the coronavirus, his Forza Italia party said on Friday.

The party said his medical condition was not a cause for concern.

The 83-year-old-media tycoon had been in isolation in his house in the town of Arcore, north of Milan.

Libya

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Thursday reported 617 new COVID-19 cases with 110 recoveries and four deaths.

A total of 15,773 cases have so far been reported nationwide with 1,856 recoveries and 254 deaths, said the center.

Mexico

More health workers have died from the coronavirus in Mexico than any other country on the planet, Amnesty International said on Thursday, highlighting the high toll the pandemic was taking on frontline medical staff around the globe.

At least 7,000 health workers around the world have died after becoming infected with the coronavirus, including 1,320 in Mexico, Amnesty said.

Mexico’s health ministry on Thursday reported 5,937 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 513 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 616,894 cases and 66,329 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Morocco

Morocco announced on Thursday 1,402 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally in the North African country since March 2 to 66,855.

The number of recoveries from the coronavirus in Morocco increased to 51,223 after 866 more were added, while the death toll rose by 37 to 1,253, the ministry of health said in a statement.

Norway

Norway said on Thursday it will impose a 10-day quarantine on all people arriving from Italy and Slovenia from Sept. 5 due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in those countries.

Restrictions will also apply to the Vatican and San Marino, but will be eased for those coming from Cyprus and six regions of Sweden and one in Denmark, the Norwegian foreign ministry said in a statement.

To try to prevent a domestic resurgence of the coronavirus, Norway quarantines all travelers from countries with more than 20 confirmed new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population during the past two weeks.

It also advises Norwegians against traveling to those nations.

With its latest additions to the list, Norway will be restricting travel from most countries, only allowing quarantine-free travel from EU countries Hungary, Slovakia, Finland, Cyprus and the Baltic states and parts of Denmark and Sweden.

Tunisia

Tunisia on Thursday recorded 198 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 4,394, said the Tunisian Ministry of Health.

A total of 1,681 patients have recovered from the virus in Tunisia while 84 others have died so far, the ministry said in a statement.

Since June 27, when Tunisia reopened borders to tourists, 3,193 confirmed cases have been reported across the country, including 574 imported cases and 34 deaths, the statement said.

In this April 6, 2020 file photo, a pedestrian walks past a street art mural, depicting "Mass Hysteria" related to the COVID-19 pandemic, near a digital advertising board with a message about social distancing by J Sainsbury Plc in Birmingham, UK. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

UK

The United Kingdom recorded 1,735 daily confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to government data published on Thursday, up from 1,508 a day earlier and the highest since June 4.

The daily number of deaths within 28 days of testing positive for the virus was 13, the government said.

No changes were made to the list of countries on England’s quarantine list on Thursday, British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

The weekly number of positive COVID-19 cases in England in late August was the highest since the end of May, the latest data from the test and trace scheme showed on Thursday.

NHS Test and Trace said 6,732 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England between 20 August and 26 August - an increase of 6 percent in positive cases compared to the previous week.

English holidaymakers in Portugal were awaiting the decision after the number of cases in the country rose above the threshold at which the 14-day quarantine for returning travellers is considered. Quarantine is already in place for popular destinations France and Spain.

Scotland will require travellers returning from Portugal and French Polynesia from 0300 GMT on Saturday to quarantine for 14 days, Scotland’s Justice Minister Humza Yousaf said on Twitter on Thursday.

Wales earlier on Thursday also added Portugal to its quarantine list, but England did not do so, despite the number of cases in the country rising above the threshold at which the measure is considered.

READ MORE: UK puts cash into immunity research

Austria

The COVID-19 "traffic light" system has officially started operation in Austria, the government announced on Friday.

Due to the consistently high number of new infections, Austria's three large cities -- Vienna, Linz and Graz -- as well as the Tyrolean district of Kufstein light up in "yellow" (medium risk), while the rest of the country is designated "green" (low risk), according to a press conference held by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and other government officials.

In the "yellow" regions, the mask requirement in schools, in retail, in gastronomy as well as at events will be tightened, said Kurz.

He also noted the "traffic light" will be evaluated weekly and it is important that there are regional measures.

There are currently neither "orange" (high risk) nor "red" (acute situation) zones in the country.

Mozambique 

Health authorities in Mozambique will start conducting a study in this month to assess the possibility of using the Tuberculosis vaccine to combat COVID-19 infections in the country, Radio Mozambique reported on Friday.

According to the report citing the research coordinator for acute respiratory infections and evasive bacterial diseases at Manhica Health Research Center in Maputo province, the study will be carried out among health professionals.

"These studies test a hypothesis that the vaccine may have a positive effect. Recent results that have emerged in the world indicating that the possibility of the Tuberculosis vaccine could have a positive effect in combating COVID-19," said Tembe.

The official explained that the study is already funded and the center is currently waiting for authorization.

Mozambique is also expected to be part of a larger trial of COVID-19 vaccines developed by other countries, which is already underway in the world.

"Different countries, including China and the US, are working to create a vaccine to end COVID-19. We expect our center to be one of the institutions to be reached by the trials of these vaccines," he said.  

Georgia 

Georgia confirmed 28 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing its total to 1,596.

Two of the 28 new cases were imported, the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) said.

As of Friday, 1,294 of the 1,596 patients have recovered, while 19 others have died, the center said.

Georgia reported its first confirmed case on Feb. 26.

Belarus 

Belarus reported 183 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking its total to 72,485, according to the country's health ministry.

There have been 305 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 71,510, the ministry added.

So far, 671 people have died of the disease in the country, including five over the past 24 hours, it said.

As of Friday, over 1,564,000 tests for the virus have been conducted across the country, including 10,329 over the past 24 hours, according to official figures.