A phial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is pictured at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, Yorkshire on Dec 8, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

NEW YORK / MEXICO CITY / CAIRO / SAO PAULO / MEXICO CITY / LONDON / KIEV / - The coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE is highly effective in preventing COVID-19 and there are no safety concerns that would prevent it from being granted an emergency-use authorization, according to a report by staff of the US Food and Drug Administration.

The report offers a first look at the US review of the vaccine ahead of a public meeting Thursday of outside advisers to the agency. The FDA could clear the shot shortly after the meeting, with as many as 6.4 million doses immediately available to kick off a vast immunization effort designed to end a pandemic that has killed more than 283,000 Americans.

The findings, posted on the agency’s website Tuesday, echoed previously disclosed data from the companies that showed the vaccine was 95 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19. It also said that two months of trial data revealed no significant safety issues.

Pfizer requested an emergency authorization in the US on Nov 20. Regulators in the UK approved the vaccine earlier this month, and on Tuesday, the National Health Service there launched an ambitious vaccination campaign that will begin with tens of thousands of people over the age of 80 in the coming days. The shot is also under review in the European Union.

UK

The UK’s National Health Service launched what it said will be the biggest immunization campaign in its history when it starts vaccinations across the country on Tuesday with a shot from Pfizer Inc.

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother, on Tuesday became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot outside of a trial as Britain began vaccinating its population.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to TV reporters that it was “really very moving” to talk with Keenan.

“It’s important for people to understand that the virus is alas, still rising in some parts of the country,” he said. “We can’t afford to relax now.”

Meanwhile, the UK also plans to test the first choice in combination with another vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc.

Studies aimed at determining whether using the two jabs together can enhance immunity are planned for next year, according to the UK Vaccine Taskforce. 

Another 14,718 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,737,960, according to official figures released Monday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 189 to 61,434, the data showed.

The latest figures were revealed as Wales is considering new restrictions amid a rapid rise in coronavirus infections.

UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday asked for the recovery of the aviation sector from COVID-19 with climate in mind.

"Countries must act urgently to sustain their air transport sectors in the face of these challenges (of COVID-19). Yet, they must do so with climate in mind," said Guterres in a message on International Civil Aviation Day.

WHO

The World Health Organization said it prefers information campaigns to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. Some countries or situations may require the jabs, but there are examples of countries that introduced obligatory shots to improve vaccination coverage that ended up having the opposite effect, officials said at a media briefing.

“All of us who work in public health would rather avoid mandatory vaccination as a means of getting people vaccinated,” said Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies program. “We’re much better served to present people with the data, with the benefits and let people make up their own minds.”

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 67.5 million while the global toll topped 1.54 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

US

The US is now averaging about as many deaths per day from COVID-19 as it was in April when the pandemic ambushed the New York area. 

The seven-day average of reported fatalities rose to 2,201 on Sunday, just one shy of the peak on April 18, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Average daily deaths had been predicted in the range of 1,643 to 1,886 through Dec 26, according to a four-week forecast from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Reich Lab.

Several large states, including California, New York and Pennsylvania, are facing alarming upward momentum in hospitalizations. It’s likely that reported fatalities will increase further due to the lags between infections, deaths and when the deaths are disclosed.

US officials insisted they’ll have enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to let most Americans get inoculated by next summer, downplaying reports that they passed up a chance to secure more of Pfizer Inc.’s shot.

Anthony Fauci warned that the Christmas season could be worse than Thanksgiving in terms of the spread of COVID-19. The holiday is longer and “I think it could be even more of a challenge than what we saw with Thanksgiving,” Fauci said in CNN interview.

Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., the two pharmaceutical companies closest to gaining US clearance for a COVID-19 vaccine, won’t attend a White House summit intended to build confidence in the shots.

Poland 

Poland confirmed on Monday 4,423 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total caseload to 1,067,870, according to the country's health ministry.

The ministry also announced 92 new deaths from the virus, and the national death toll went up to 20,181.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said recently that Poland had signed contracts with various vaccine developers for the delivery of 45 million doses.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands reported on Monday 7,134 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 564,566, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

The country also reported 17 new deaths from the virus, raising the total death toll to 9,704, said the RIVM.

A closed cafe in Paris on Nov 24. France reported more than 3,400 new confirmed cases on Monday. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

France

France may have to delay unwinding some lockdown restrictions next week after signs the downward trend in new cases has flattened out after shops were allowed to reopen late last month, two government sources said.

France reported 3,411 new confirmed Covid cases on Monday, when numbers are usually at a low due to a lull in testing over the weekend. The seven-day average of cases fell 0.8 percent to 10,489, with a decline in cases stalling for the past week. Deaths increased by 366 to 55,521.

Greece

Greece will extend some of the current nationwide lockdown restrictions to Jan. 7, 2021, in order to control the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, it was announced here on Monday.

The new lockdown in Greece started on Nov. 7 and was initially scheduled to end on Nov. 30, but in light of the surging case numbers, it was first extended to Dec. 7 and then to Dec. 14.

Shops selling seasonal decorations opened on Monday and hairdressers and retail shops will gradually reopen in the coming days, government spokesperson Stelios Petsas told a regular press briefing outlining a roadmap to a "safe return to normality."

Germany

Germany plans to vaccinate as many as 8 million people in the first quarter of 2021, including potentially 2.5 million in January, Health Minister Jens Spahn told a parliamentary committee Tuesday. There may be enough doses in the second or third quarter to allow anyone to get a shot.

A soft shutdown in all of Germany has so far failed to bring contagion rates down to manageable levels, and some states are pushing through tougher measures. The eastern state of Saxony, which has the nation’s highest rate of infection, plans to close all non-essential shops from next week.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz laid out an agenda on Tuesday that sees Europe’s largest economy continuing to spend aggressively beyond the immediate fallout of the coronavirus.

Germany should administer its first COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff in senior citizen and nursing homes, as well as those aged over 80, according to draft recommendations by its expert panel seen by Reuters on Monday.

Italy

Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, according to an official source.

"My best wishes to minister Lamorgese, who tested positive for the COVID-19," Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio wrote on his official Facebook page.

Italy is showing indications that its second peak in the coronavirus pandemic may be abating, at least temporarily, with rates for new infections and deaths reaching their lowest levels in weeks.

According to the Ministry of Health, Italy recorded 13,720 new infections Monday, down more than 5,000 from Sunday and the lowest one-day tally since Oct. 20, when there were 10,874 new infections.

Similarly, the one-day coronavirus death toll was 528, a slight drop from 564 a day earlier and the lowest 24-hour mortality figure since there were 504 on Nov. 16. The daily death figure has now dropped every day since reaching its all-time high of 993 Thursday.

Belarus 

Belarus reported 1,796 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its total to 148,953, according to the country's health ministry.

There have been 1,310 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the national total to 126,084, the ministry added.

So far, 1,215 people have died of the disease in the country, including eight over the past 24 hours, it said.

Croatia 

All high school students in Croatia will have to attend classes online from Dec. 14 until the start of the winter holidays, the Croatian government decided on Monday.

The students will not return to school until Jan. 18 next year, as the government has also extended the winter holidays, which were originally scheduled to last from Dec. 23 to Jan. 11.

According to a study published on Monday, tests have revealed that only one percent of primary school students and two percent of high school students in Croatia have been infected with the coronavirus. More than 2,000 students had been tested over a week in eight elementary and seven high schools.

Ukraine

The number of new COVID-19 cases over the past week showed a decrease for the first time since the end of August in Ukraine, the country's Health Minister Maxym Stepanov said in a briefing on Monday.

"Last week, 89,322 people got infected. This is the first time we recorded a decrease in the number of patients compared to the week since the end of August. There were 96,936 patients the week before from 23 to 29 Nov ... That is almost 7,500 cases less," said Stepanov.

According to Stepanov, a total of 10,100 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 last week in Ukraine, which is 1,500 less than the week before.

Spain

Spain's Health Ministry reported on Monday 17,681 new coronavirus cases over the weekend, taking the national tally to 1,702,328.

The country's COVID-19 death toll has hit 46,646 after 394 deaths were added over the weekend, it said.

Portugal 

As of Monday evening, Portugal reported 2,597 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 325,071, said the health ministry.

Meanwhile, 78 more COVID-19 deaths were recorded, taking the country's death toll from the disease to 5,041.

Ireland

Ireland reported 242 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours as of midnight Sunday, bringing the national tally to 74,468, the country's health authorities said in a statement.

No new COVID-19 deaths were recorded, with the country's death toll from the disease standing at 2,099, said the statement.

As of Monday afternoon, 223 patients of the disease are hospitalized, 28 of them in intensive care units, it added.  

Romania 

Romania reported on Monday 3,660 new cases of COVID-19, bringing its total number of infections to 517,236, according to official statistics.

The country also reported 127 new deaths from the virus, raising the total death toll to 12,447, statistics show. Meanwhile, a total of 409,121 patients have recovered so far.

Alexandru Rafila, a well-known microbiology expert in Romania, told local media recently that the intensive care units of many hospitals across the country are now overcrowded, and the number of deaths has been increasing.

Lithuania

The Lithuanian government on Monday decided to further extend the existing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown till Dec. 31, and it also announced new restrictions.

Residents are advised to leave home only for essential reasons, such as going to work, grocery shopping or for medical reasons. Close contacts of more than two families or households are prohibited, except in urgent cases.

It is not allowed to hold private parties in public and private spaces if more than two families (up to 10 people) are involved.

Canada

Canada could roll out its COVID-19 vaccine plan as early as next week, with the arrival of the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

Canada reported 6,499 new COVID-19 cases on Monday evening, bringing the nationwide tally to 423,054, according the country's health authorities.

The country also reported 84 more deaths from the virus, raising the total death toll to 12,777.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Saturday that although Canada is making preparations for a COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the operation will face a range of logistical and operational challenges, and Canadians should continue to fight the coronavirus with established public health measures.

Brazil

Brazil’s most populous and affluent state will start vaccinating its 46 million residents on Jan. 25, in the first concrete announcement of its kind in Latin America. 

Shots of the Chinese developed CoronaVac will first be given to healthcare professionals, people over 60 years old and the indigenous population, Governor Joao Doria said at a press conference on Monday. The priority groups, which make up about 9 million people, will start getting the shots on Jan. 25 -- the anniversary of the state’s capital city -- with the the second dose coming on Feb. 15. Vaccinations of the elderly population will go until late March, with dates varying depending on age.

Sao Paulo, which recorded the first case of the virus in Latin America and has been the epicenter of the pandemic in Brazil, is leading the region when it comes to obtaining a vaccine. The local government closed an agreement with China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. to import ready-made vaccines and produce more locally in partnership with Instituto Butantan.

Argentina 

Argentine authorities on Monday urged the public to continue social distancing and practicing good hygiene as a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is looming.

Argentina reported 3,119 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 1,466,309, the country's health ministry said on Monday.

It also reported 118 new fatalities, taking the country's total death toll from the disease to 39,888, according to the ministry's daily report. Meanwhile, 1,300,696 patients have recovered from COVID-19 so far.

Argentina has the ninth highest number of novel coronavirus infections and 11th highest death toll worldwide, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Chile

Chile on Monday registered 1,760 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 562,142, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The ministry also reported 35 more COVID-19 fatalities in 24 hours, raising the nationwide count to 15,663.  

Chile's capital Santiago will reimpose weekend lockdowns starting Thursday due to rising COVID-19 cases, the country's Health Minister Enrique Paris said Monday.

Under the new measure, non-essential businesses must close on weekends, only restaurants offering alfresco dining on terraces will be able to open, and interregional trips will be banned all week, according to Paris.

In the greater Santiago Metropolitan Region, there has been an 18-percent increase in new daily cases. "Given the number of inhabitants in the metropolitan region, this figure has a very high impact and concerns us a lot," Paris said at a press conference.

Colombia 

Colombia reported 5,997 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 1,377,100, Colombian health authorities said on Monday afternoon.

The country also confirmed 187 new fatalities from the virus, raising the total death toll to 37,995, according to the official Twitter account of the country's Ministry of Health and Social Protection.

Colombian President Ivan Duque has extended the health emergency until Feb. 28, 2021, and adopted measures to help reactivate the economy.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico on Monday began tightening its curfew, imposing a Sunday lock-down and banning weekend alcohol sales as it attempts to control the spread of the virus. The new restrictions run through Jan. 7. The U.S. territory of 3.2 million people has reported 1,203 deaths due to the virus.

Ecuador

Ecuador's capital Quito, the city hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the South American country, plans to fully reactivate tourism once its population is immunized against the disease in early 2021, Mayor Jorge Yunda said Monday.

Mexico 

Mexico reported 6,399 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 1,182,249, according to the country's health ministry.

Meanwhile, the country's death toll from the virus increased by 357 to 110,074, with 873,555 recoveries and 198,620 active cases.

According to the Mexican government, the real number of infections is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Africa tally

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent has reached 2,261,589, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Monday.

Morocco 

Morocco registered 1,531 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the North African country to 381,188, the health ministry said in a statement.

It also reported 75 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the death toll in Morocco to 6,320.

Tunisia

Tunisian Health Ministry reported 327 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 104,329.

The death toll from the virus rose by 35 to 3,596 in the North African country, according to the ministry statement. The total number of recoveries has reached 77,798 in the country.

Namibia 

Namibia has set in motion plans to construct facilities that will be used to store COVID-19 vaccines which need to be stored in extremely cold conditions, Minister for of Health Kalumbi Shangula told Xinhua in an interview on Monday.

Shangula said they are preparing for the challenge associated with storing possible vaccines in their medical facilities which were not tailor-made for such conditions.

Zimbabwe 

Zimbabwe police have arrested two people who were allegedly found with fake COVID-19 certificates at the country's northern border of Chirundu.

A statement released on Monday from the Zimbabwe Republic Police said that Simbarashe Tsetse and Freddy Katamanga were arrested on Dec. 3 for originating fake COVID-19 certificates for travelers at Chirundu border post.

The border post is one of several gateways between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Ethiopia 

Ethiopia on Monday reported 440 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 113,735, the country's Health Minister Lia Tadesse said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, eight more COVID-19 deaths were recorded, taking the country's death toll from the disease to 1,755, she said.

The minister also reported 1,972 new recoveries from the disease over the same period, taking the total recoveries to 82,803. 

Uganda 

Uganda on Monday registered 701 new COVID-19 cases, the highest-ever daily increase, bringing its national count to 23,200.

The new cases were out of the 5,578 samples tested for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said in a statement.

Hungary 

Hungary on Tuesday registered 2,219 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the national tally to 256,367, according to official figures.

Over the last 24 hours, 136 people died from COVID-19, raising the toll to 6,120, while 75,281 people have recovered. Meanwhile, critical cases were 656 and active cases topped 174,966.

Russia 

Russia has recorded 26,097 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 28,142 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Tuesday.

The national tally of COVID-19 cases has increased to 2,515,009, including 44,159 deaths and 1,981,526 recoveries, the center said.

Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, reported 5,232 new cases over the past day, bringing the city's total to 660,073.

So far, over 80 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country.

Slovakia 

Slovakia registered 1,949 new COVID-19 cases and 28 related deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the latest official data from the government website Tuesday.

The total caseload in the country has topped 119,232, with the total death toll at 1,046, active cases at 30,753, and total recoveries at 87,433.

There are currently 270 critical cases, according to official figures.  

Belgium 

Belgium has reported 859 new COVID-19 cases by Tuesday, bringing the national tally to 592,615, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

It also reported 66 coronavirus-related deaths, taking the country's death toll from the disease to 17,386. Active cases were at 535,291 and total recoveries have reached 39,938.

The number of new daily cases has been steadily decreasing amid a second wave in the country, which witnessed a peak of 21,048 daily confirmed cases in late October, the data showed.

Honduras 

Honduras on Tuesday reported 684 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 111,707, its health ministry tweeted on its official account.

The country also reported four more deaths from the virus, raising the total death toll to 2,950, said the ministry.

In total, 49,781 people have recovered from the disease across the Central American nation.