In this undated file photo issued by the University of Oxford, a researcher in a laboratory at the Jenner Institute in Oxford, England, works on the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. (JOHN CAIRNS / UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD VIA AP)

PRAGUE / ROME / MOSCOW / WASHINGTON / SANTIAGO / MADRID / PARIS / LONDON / RIO DE JANEIRO / STOCKHOLM / COPENHAGEN / LISBON / RIGA / UNITED NATIONS / QUITO / PRETORIA / ADDIS ABABA / ALGIERS / OSLO / TBILISI - Britain on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as it battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus.

Boris Johnson’s government, which has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, has jumped ahead of other Western countries with its vaccination programme.

It was the first to approve a shot developed by Pfizer of the United States and Germany’s BioNTech, with the result that hundreds of thousands of people were vaccinated in Britain before European Union countries and the United States even began administering it this month.

The AstraZeneca/Oxford shot, unlikely to be approved for some time by EU or US regulators, will start being administered on Monday, beginning with those most at risk from COVID-19.

Oxford and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine can be 80 percent effective when there are three months between shots, an official involved in approving the vaccine in Britain said, but there is insufficient evidence to back a regime involving a half dose.

ALSO READ: Astra-Oxford vaccine prevents 70% of COVID-19 cases

The vaccine will be prioritized for the country’s most vulnerable groups early in the new year, according to statements from the company and the government on Wednesday. 

The approval provides a path out of the pandemic by the spring, by which time millions of vulnerable people will be protected, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

The shot can be deployed swiftly because it’s is easier to transport and store than the Pfizer-BioNTech one, requiring only refrigerator temperatures rather than deep freezing.

The approval came a day after the government reported 53,135 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number since mass testing started in mid-2020 and up sharply from the previous record of 41,385 set on Monday.

A surge in the number of COVID-19 patients in the UK is overwhelming the country’s hospitals as a new and more transmissible strain infects the population at a record pace.

There were 20,426 coronavirus patients being treated in England’s hospitals as of early Monday, already exceeding the peak recorded in April during the first wave of the pandemic, according to the most recent figures from the National Health Service. 

New cases in Britain reached a record 53,135 on Tuesday, and the country’s total of more than 71,000 COVID-19 deaths makes it one of the worst affected in the world.

The number of deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID test also rose to 414 from Monday’s 357, taking the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 71,567.

Lockdown measures in England will be extended to counter the rapidly growing number of cases of a new variant of COVID-19, Hancock told BBC television on Wednesday.

“We are continuing to see unprecedented levels of COVID-19 infection across the UK, which is of extreme concern particularly as our hospitals are at their most vulnerable,” said Susan Hopkins, a senior medical advisor to Public Health England, on Tuesday.

Hopkins added that some of the daily rise in cases reflected reporting delays due to Christmas, but the figures were “largely a reflection of a real increase”.

READ MORE: UK army to help with virus testing as PM faces school pressure

Also on Tuesday, the chief of the NHS warned that Britain is "back in the eye of the storm" as the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in England's hospitals has overtaken the peak in April.

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 82 million while the global death toll topped 1.79 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

A nurse cares for a patient in a COVID-19 intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital in Bakersfield, California, on Dec 29, 2020. (ALEX HORVATH / BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN VIA AP)

WHO

The head of the World Health Organization urged countries on Wednesday to ensure that vaccines are made available to people at risk everywhere, not just in rich nations.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, appealed for US$4 billion to buy COVID-19 vaccines for distribution in lower and middle-income countries through the COVAX vaccine facility.

“This is the challenge we must rise to in the New Year,” Tedros said in a video message issued a day before the first anniversary of China reporting the first cases of pneumonia of unknown origin to the U.N. health agency.

“Vaccines offer great hope to turn the tide of the pandemic. But to protect the world, we must ensure that all people at risk everywhere - not just in countries who can afford vaccines - are immunised,” he said.

US

A more contagious variant of COVID-19 that was first discovered in Britain has been detected in the US state of Colorado, according to the state's governor.

Governor Jared Polis said in a statement the infected patient was a man in his 20s with no recent travel history who is currently in isolation in Denver.

Earlier on Tuesday, US President-elect Joe Biden slammed the slow rollout of the coronavirus vaccine by President Donald Trump’s administration Tuesday, saying the plan was falling “far behind” where it needs to be.

More than two million children in the US have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far, according to the latest data of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association

Biden said about 2 million people have been vaccinated, well short of the 20 million that Trump had promised by the end of the year. 

Also on Tuesday, Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday live on television.

California extended stay-at-home orders for the southern part of the state and the San Joaquin Valley as hospital-bed capacity continues to lag behind demand. 

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo shortened the state’s quarantine guidelines to 10 days from 14 to align with recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, the US has recorded nearly 19.5 million cases with more than 337,400 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. 

A congressman-elect from Louisiana, Luke Letlow, 41, has died of COVID-19, the state’s governor, John Bel Edwards, announced on Tuesday night.

More than two million children in the country have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far, according to the latest data of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association.

Nearly 179,000 new child COVID-19 cases were reported last week ending Dec 24, according to the AAP. Since Nov 12, there had been an increase of one million cases involving children. 

ALSO READ: Politicization of virus reflected in failings

Italy

Italy will not make COVID vaccinations obligatory, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday, adding he was confident there would be a large-scale demand for the shots among Italians on a voluntary basis.

“We are not considering (making it mandatory), we rule it out,” Conte told reporters at his year-end news conference.

Separately, Conte said Italy must hurry up in presenting its national recovery plan to access some 209 billion euros (US$256.55 billion) from a EU fund designed to help the bloc’s economies worst-hit by the pandemic.

Italy in November saw the sharpest increase in total deaths since the country was first hit by the pandemic in February.

Switzerland 

Police in Switzerland are investigating 12 British tourists who left despite being told to quarantine to avoid spreading a new variant of the virus. The nation’s health authority issued a quarantine order on Dec. 22 for people arriving from the UK, with a fine of up to 10,000 Swiss francs (US$11,300) for non-compliance.

Separately, the government said that despite the “concerning” COVID-19 case rate, it had decided against adding to social distancing restrictions, which already include the closing of sporting and leisure facilities and restaurants. Officials will reassess the situation on Jan. 6.

Chile

The Chilean government confirmed on Tuesday the country's first case of the new UK variant.

Chilean Undersecretary of Public Health Paula Daza said at a press conference that on Dec 22, a Chilean passenger who arrived on a flight from Madrid, Spain, tested positive after taking a COVID-19 PCR test at the airport.

"She spent a week in London visiting relatives and on Dec 23, she tested positive," the official said.

After further analysis, it was determined that she carried the new coronavirus strain.

Meanwhile, Daza also announced a new measure requiring all Chileans and foreigners who enter the South American country to quarantine for 10 days starting on Dec 31.

On Tuesday, the Chilean Ministry of Health reported 1,958 new cases and 45 deaths from COVID-19 were registered in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 603,986 and the death toll to 16,488.  

EU

The UK is set to join the US, Canada and most other countries whose residents are unwelcome visitors to the European Union because they haven’t sufficiently contained the coronavirus outbreak.

EU governments are making no changes to their common travel “white list” in the immediate run-up to Britain’s scheduled departure from the European single market on Friday, according to an official familiar with the matter.

The EU was asked on Tuesday to allow an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech to be taken from each vial, a practice allowed elsewhere that would make scarce supplies go further.

Experts say it is possible to obtain six doses from each vial, more than the five approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said he had raised the matter with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with a view to seeking EMA clearance for the extra shot as soon as possible.

BioNTech said each vial was guaranteed to yield five doses, but that it was possible, with the right needle and syringe, to extract a sixth.

Italian regulators have already approved the drawing of six doses, overriding EMA guidance for the EU as a whole.

Soren Brostrom, head of the Danish Health Authority, said it was even possible to draw a seventh dose from some Pfizer vials, and that it might be feasible to vaccinate more than the 250,000 people envisaged in the first two months of Denmark’s campaign.

Russia

Russia will have supplied more than 1 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V to its own national inoculation programme by the end of this year, a government minister said on Wednesday.

Russia, which began rolling out the vaccine in early December, has so far produced over 2 million doses in total, Industry Minister Denis Manturov told state television.

Russia has prohibited more British citizens from entering the country in retaliation for London's anti-Russian sanctions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the ministry summoned the British ambassador to Russia, informing her of the entry ban, which covers those who are involved in escalating anti-Russian sanctions.

Russia recorded 26,513 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 27,002 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Wednesday.

The overall tally has increased to 3,131,550, including 56,426 deaths and 2,525,418 recoveries, the center said.

Moscow will extend the school holiday by one week until Jan 17 in hopes of stabilizing the situation regarding new infections and avoid new restrictions, the Russian capital’s mayor said on Tuesday.

The longer school holidays in Moscow, a city of nearly 13 million, “will stabilize the incidence of the COVID-19 at a lower level than at present,” Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement.

Spain

Herd immunity against the coronavirus is not yet in sight for Spain’s population, although the start of a vaccination program marks a turning point in the fight against the virus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

Soon there will be more people vaccinated against the virus in Spain than people infected with the virus, Sanchez said during a televised end-of-year address.

Brazil

Brazil recorded 58,718 additional confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, along with 1,111 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

It was the highest daily toll reported since Oct 3.

Brazil has registered nearly 7.6 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 192,681, according to ministry data.

Brazil's Vice-President Hamilton Mourao is recovering well after being diagnosed with COVID-19, his press office reported Tuesday.

"The Vice President of the Republic Hamilton Mourao is in good health. He has no fever, only minor body aches, and is recovering well," the office said in a statement.

France

France’s slow start to its COVID-19 vaccination campaign compared to its European neighbours came under fire from some doctors and scientists on Wednesday, although the government has said it planned to ramp up the programme.

France will not enforce a new lockdown for the time being to curb the spread of the coronavirus but it could soon impose an earlier curfew in eastern areas of the country, the worst-hit by infections, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday.

“We’re ruling out the idea of a lockdown for now, whether it be nationally or locally”, Veran said on France 2 public TV channel. “But we will propose an extension of the curfew that could start at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. in all the areas where it will be deemed necessary”, Veran said.

French health authorities earlier reported 11,395 new infections over the past 24 hours, jumping above the 10,000 threshold for the first time in four days.

The COVID-19 death toll was up by 969, at 64,078 - the seventh-highest in the world.

France, which has the highest cases count in Western Europe and the fifth in the world at 2.57 million, has already been through two lockdowns, the first from March 17 to May 11 and the second from Oct 30 to Dec 15.

Sweden

A number of the most senior members of Sweden’s government, including the prime minister, have been caught apparently ignoring their own COVID-19 guidelines.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and Justice Minister Morgan Johansson were among those named in Swedish media this week for seeming to flout restrictions they insist must be followed if the country is to rein in the coronavirus.

Lofven went Christmas shopping in a mall without a face mask after explicitly appealing to Swedes to avoid such excursions ahead of the festive season. His spokesman has acknowledged the trip took place, which he says was “carefully planned” to avoid unnecessary risks.

The development adds a layer of potential embarrassment to Sweden’s handling of the crisis. The country initially defended its no-lockdown strategy, before backtracking in recent weeks amid a resurgence of cases that threatens to overwhelm its health-care system. Lofven is now trying to persuade parliament to give him the power to impose a full lockdown.

Nearly 3,000 people have been turned away at the Swedish-Danish border in the first week after Sweden introduced an entry ban from neighboring Denmark, Swedish Television reported on Tuesday.

Since Dec 22, Sweden has barred travelers from both Denmark and the UK after the countries reported cases of a new variant that was first detected in the UK.  

The entry ban is in place at least until Jan 21, and do not apply to Swedish citizens and those living or working in Sweden as well as those involved in the transport of goods.

Sweden confirmed 205 COVID-19 related deaths between Dec 23 and Dec. 29, bringing the total number of fatalities to 8,484. However, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said Tuesday that the figure is expected to rise since there has been a lag in record over the Christmas break.

A total of 338 COVID-19 patients were admitted to ICUs during that period.

Denmark

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Tuesday the extension of the current nationwide lockdown until Jan 17.

"Let me say it very clearly," Frederiksen told journalists. "The situation with infection rates and hospitalizations is more serious now than it was in the spring."

As COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise in the country, Frederiksen called upon Danes to revise their plans for the New Year celebrations and see only members of their own household or possibly a few acquaintances from the closest circle of friends.

Denmark's Statens Serum Institut (SSI) reported on Tuesday 2,621 new infections and a further 22 deaths in the past 24 hours.

To date, the country has registered 158,447 cases and 1,226 deaths, according to the SSI.

Portugal

Portugal registered another 3,336 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the nation's tally to 400,002.

According to the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), the death toll rose by 74 within one day to 6,751.

The DGS epidemiological bulletin also showed 2,930 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, 37 fewer than on Monday. Of them, 486 were in intensive care, down by 17.

Meanwhile, 6,112 more people have recovered from the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 327,794.

Ireland

Ireland’s government will meet on Wednesday to weigh tighter restrictions to limit the virus’s spread, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told RTE Radio. 

New restrictions may include closing non-essential stores and further restricting house visits, he said.

Eritrea

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Eritrea has risen to 1,220 after the Red Sea nation recorded 181 new cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday.

It was the highest daily tally reported in the country.

According to the ministry, the number of recoveries rose by 20 to 643.

The country has so far recorded only one COVID-19 related death.

UN

Volkan Bozkir, president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), on Tuesday called on all people to continue to work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As we begin the New Year, I call on all people of the world to continue to work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic," the UNGA president said in his video message for the new year.

"We can be proud that, as individuals, we looked out for our neighbors over the past year. We have made it through a dark period in history, but there are brighter days ahead in 2021, as we begin the rollout of vaccines for all, which will be fundamental to our collective efforts, to safeguard humanity," he said.

Bozkir stressed that each individual, community, and country has a role to play, locally and globally, to reduce inequalities, protect the most vulnerable people, and create more just, safer societies.

Latvia 

The Latvian government on Tuesday agreed in principle to impose an overnight curfew on New Year's Eve and Orthodox Christmas to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking to the press after a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said that the "holiday curfew" is being planned during Dec 30 to Jan 4, and from Jan 8 to 10.

Under the curfew, people will not be allowed to leave their homes from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am.

The government also decided to extend the state of emergency, which was scheduled to end on Jan 11, until Feb 7. 

Belarus

Belarus has started its vaccination program with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Belarus received the first batch of the vaccine on Dec 29, the press service of the health ministry reported.

Medical workers, teachers and specialists who come into contact with people will receive the vaccine in the first phase, said Health Minister Dmitry Pinevich.

South Africa

South Africa's Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday called on citizens to adhere to COVID-19 health protocols to combat the spread of the disease.

Dlamini-Zuma said that people have lowered their guard and started partying during the festive season, resulting in an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize encouraged people to take their children for immunization, offer antenatal care for expectant mothers and go for screening and testing for non-communicable diseases.

"We are also cognizant of the non-COVID related services that need to continue. We do not want a situation where we bring COVID-19 under control, only to find that other major public health burdens become exacerbated by neglect," said Mkhize.

ALSO READ: Africa's virus capital risks becoming vaccine laggard

Ecuador

Ecuador on Tuesday reported 478 new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths, raising the total caseload to 210,236 and the death toll to 9,447.

The actual death toll is closer to 14,000, as another 4,554 deaths were likely caused by COVID-19 but have not been verified, the health ministry said.

Health authorities have attributed a rise in infections to lack of compliance with social distancing regulations, and an uptick in social gatherings due to the Christmas holidays.

In an interview on Tuesday, Public Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos ruled out a ban on travelers who have been to Britain in the past 10 days.

Algeria

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has returned home on Tuesday night after more than two months of treatment in Germany.

"Being away from home is too hard, and the accumulating duties are harder," Tebboune was quoted as saying by the state-run ENTV channel upon his arrival to Algiers.

"I thank God for my safe return, and I'm not far from full recovery," he said.

Tebboun was rushed to Germany late October to get treatment after contracting COVID-19.

Norway

The ban on flights from Britain to Norway will be extended until 1600 GMT on Jan 2 because of ongoing concerns over the new variant, the Norwegian health ministry said late on Tuesday.

“It is still possible that the ban is extended further,” the ministry said in a statement.

Germany

Germany expects the European Union to give rapid approval to the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca that was cleared for use in Britain on Wednesday, its top vaccines official said.

Germany’s new coronavirus deaths surpassed 1,000 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, just days after the country started its vaccination campaign.

There were 1,122 new fatalities in the 24 hours through Wednesday morning, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That exceeded the previous high of 986 recorded on Dec 23.

There were 5,649 coronavirus patients in intensive care on Wednesday, one of the highest numbers since the outbreak of the disease.

The country is still far from containing the pandemic, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday evening on ARD TV. “Without doubt there will be restrictions” after Jan 10, he added.

Merkel and the 16 regional state leaders will talk on Jan 5 to discuss how to proceed with the restrictions that were put in place shortly before Christmas.

Germany has recorded more than 1,69 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. In the 24 hours through Wednesday morning, the number of infections rose by another 19,466.

Seychelles

Seychelles has reintroduced strict measures after nine people in the local community tested positive for COVID-19.

The government introduced eight measures which will remain in place for 14 days, President Wavel Ramkalawan said in an emailed speech. These include restrictions on public gatherings, the shutting of schools, the prohibition of religious ceremonies except funerals and the closure of bars, casinos and cinemas. Year-end celebrations are allowed, but with close family members only.

The airport remains open without any additional conditions to existing ones, Ramkalawan said.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic had a record of 16,329 new cases in the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed, confirming one of the worst outbreaks of the disease in Europe. 

The Czechs are battling a virus resurgence after the country eased lockdown restrictions in early December. The government approved a return to stricter measures, tightening curbs on businesses and movement of people on Sunday.

Georgia

Georgia reported 1,738 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing its tally  to 225,893.

Of the new cases, 743 were confirmed in the capital city of Tbilisi, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) said.

Another 38 deaths were also reported, taking the death toll to 2,481, the center said, adding that a total of 210,445 patients have recovered.

Earlier on Tuesday, NCDC confirmed that the center's head, Amiran Gamkrelidze, had tested positive for COVID-19.

Lithuania 

Lithuania reported 3,934 COVID-19 cases in the past day, the biggest daily spike since the country confirmed its first case on Feb. 28, according to official data released on Wednesday.

To date, 14,22 people have died in the country, up by 75 in one day, while 66,485 have recovered. The total number of cases in the Baltic country now stands at 138,219.

In light of the rising infections, the government has extended the existing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown until Jan. 31 and tightened restrictions on movement from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3.

Zambia 

Health authorities in Zambia on Wednesday officially confirmed the outbreak of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the country has started recording an increase in the number of cases as well as daily deaths from COVID-19, signifying an upsurge in the pandemic.

He said during a COVID-19 update briefing that a new variant similar to the one in South Africa has broken out in the country.

"We have seen clearly the pandemic returning with increased numbers. This clearly shows that the second wave is here. The call to action is for us to respond," he said.