A board indicating the path for "doctors" is seen as a people wearing protective face masks stand and walk in the coronavirus vaccination center hall during a test run, at the Cologne fair on Dec 22, 2020, in Cologne, Germany. (PHOTO / AFP)

VATICAN CITY / NEW YORK / ROME / CAIRO / PARIS / LONDON  - Germany is poised to extend stricter lockdown measures beyond Jan. 10 amid criticism over alleged failures in the government’s fledgling vaccination program.

Regional and federal officials will hold preliminary talks later on Monday, before Chancellor Angela Merkel consults with the 16 state premiers a day later to decide on prolonging restrictions that include closing schools and non-essential stores.

Authorities have agreed to continue curbs until Jan 31, Bild newspaper reported without identifying the source of the information.

“Open stores, open schools mean such movement, such a large chance of infecting one another without noticing it, that it’s not worth it,” Saxony Premier Michael Kretschmer told ARD television on Monday. “So, it’s better to be more consistent for longer now and then possibly have an easing that doesn’t need to be reversed.”

While there is a broad consensus that it’s too early to ease up, accusations that Germany has bungled its vaccine rollout have spilled out into the open. A top official from the junior partner in Merkel’s ruling coalition criticized Health Minister Jens Spahn for what he said were unacceptable delays in distributing a vaccine jointly developed by Germany’s BioNTech SE.

Europe has become an epicenter of the pandemic since cases began ticking up again in October, with more than 400,000 coronavirus-related deaths and 17.3 million infections. That’s prompted governments across the region to consider sharpening restrictions on movement and contact.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 9,847 to 1,775,513, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.

The reported death toll rose by 302 to 34,574, the tally showed.

UK

Britain begins vaccinating its population on Monday with the COVID-19 shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, touting its position as the first Western country to roll out an inoculation programme against the novel coronavirus.

Britain, which is rushing to vaccinate its population faster than the United States and the rest of Europe in a bid to put the pandemic behind it, is the first country to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot.

Britain’s government is under growing pressure to abandon plans to reopen most primary schools in England, with one teachers’ union demanding evidence it is safe to open and another telling members they do not have to work in an unsafe environment.

The number of COVID-19 infections is rising fast in some parts of Britain and the government is not ruling out any further measure to try and curb the spread, including a national lockdown, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday.

“It is a very difficult situation in terms of the growth of the virus,” Hancock said on Sky News.

Asked whether the government was considering imposing a new national lockdown, he answered: “We don’t rule anything out.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that regional restrictions in England are "probably about to get tougher" in the coming weeks to curb rising coronavirus infections.

Scotland will on Monday enter another effective national lockdown, likely to last until spring, The Times newspaper reported.

Scottish government leader Nicola Sturgeon said earlier her cabinet would meet on Monday to discuss possible further steps to limit the spread of the virus, and ordered Scotland’s parliament to be recalled.

The UK reported more than 50,000 new infections for a sixth consecutive day. The 54,990 new cases on Sunday compare with a daily average of 48,849 over the previous seven days. Another 454 people died, below the weekly average of 584, although deaths in Scotland were not included.

Global tally

Over 85.1 million coronavirus cases have been recorded worldwide while the global death toll topped 1.84 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Moderna 

Officials from Operation Warp Speed, the US government’s vaccine drive, are asking Moderna Inc. and the US Food and Drug Administration to cut in half the dose of the company’s COVID-19 vaccination for people ages 18 to 55 after finding that it induces the same immune response, Chief Scientific Adviser Moncef Slaoui.

That would double the amount of vaccine available for the age group, while providing the same level of protection, he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

US

US daily cases soared to a record of nearly 300,000 after the New Year holiday. The US government’s top infectious-disease doctor said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is picking up speed and could be fully on track within a week or so.

The US government’s top infectious-disease doctor said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is picking up speed and could be fully on track within a week or so.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that in the past 72 hours, about 1.5 million vaccine doses have been administered, or about 500,000 per day, a substantial pickup in pace.

Incidence of the new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus will rise sharply in the US over the next few months, said former Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb.

“There are some estimates that the new variant probably represents about 1 percent of all infections in this country. By March, it’s going to be the majority of infections. It’s going to grow quickly,” Gottlieb said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” The new variant has been found in at least three states after emerging in the UK.

Gottlieb, a board member of Pfizer Inc., said the trend further raised the need for a more rapid rollout of the vaccination regime against COVID-19, which has been off to a slow start but is picking up pace, according to US health officials on Sunday.

Vatican

Pope Francis condemned on Sunday people who had gone abroad on holiday to escape coronavirus lockdowns, saying they needed to show greater awareness of the suffering of others.

Speaking after his weekly noon blessing, Francis said he had read newspaper reports of people catching flights to flee government curbs and seek fun elsewhere.

“They didn’t think about those who were staying at home, of the economic problems of many people who have been hit hard by the lockdown, of the sick people. (They thought) only about going on holiday and having fun,” the pope said.

Italy

Italy reported 347 COVID-19 deaths Sunday, down from 364 a day earlier, and 14,245 new cases versus 11,831 the previous day as the government struggled to tame the outbreak.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met with leaders of his ruling coalition’s parties to discuss new measures to combat the pandemic after winter holiday travel and business restrictions expire Jan. 6.

When Italy’s second wave of the epidemic was accelerating fast in the first half of November, hospital admissions were rising by about 1,000 per day, while intensive care occupancy was increasing by about 100 per day.

France

France’s coronavirus vaccinations have started far slower than in other countries, a situation President Emmanuel Macron may struggle to fix because of a vaccine-skeptical population.

Progress is being hit by administrative red tape, a lack of enough nursing staff over the year-end holidays and the fact that only the elderly in nursing homes were due to be targeted in the first stage. The government is also proving deliberately cautious, allowing a consent period between the time people sign up for the vaccine and actually receiving the shot.

In a country where the comparison with neighboring Germany is a national obsession, the figures are particularly embarrassing for Macron: France has vaccinated only 516 people, compared with almost 239,000 in Germany as of Sunday.

With opposition politicians crying “national scandal” and “fiasco,” and doctors calling for faster rollout of the Covid shot, the government has said it will speed up the effort. The president will meet with both the Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran later on Monday.

France reported 12,489 new cases on Sunday, compared with 3,466 registered on Saturday. Deaths rose by 116 to 65,037 in Sunday’s update, the smallest increase since Oct 25.

READ MORE: US COVID-19 cases surpass 20 million

Bulgaria 

Bulgaria received a second delivery of about 25,000 Pfizer vaccines, which will be distributed among medics. The Balkan country started vaccination along with other EU countries on Dec. 27 and has so far vaccinated about 4,700 medics. The vaccinaiton of teachers and people in nursery homes will start in about two weeks, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said.

Bulgaria registered 171 positive cases Monday, the lowest result in two weeks, with 34 deaths, after entering a partial lockdown on Nov. 23 to try to contain one of the highest death rates in the EU. “We’ve managed to break the curve of contamination,” Angelov said.

Denmark

Denmark extended its ban on travelers arriving from the UK and also advised Danes against visiting the country on business trips due to fears over the new mutation of the coronavirus. The ban on travelers from the UK, which covers all non-Danish citizens or citizens without a Danish residence, will last until Jan 17, the ministry of justice in Copenhagen said in a statement on Sunday.

During the final week of 2020, nursing homes in Denmark registered the largest nationwide tally of COVID-19 infections among residents and employees, local media and municipalities informed on Monday.

Authorities have registered coronavirus outbreaks in 116 out of the country's 942 nursing homes, reported the Danish news agency Ritzau.

Norway

Norway is tightening restrictions amid evidence that infections are rising after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Prime Minister Erna Solberg said it will be forbidden to serve alcohol in restaurants and bars, while private gatherings outside the home will be limited to five people. The measures, which also advise limiting social visits and postponing sporting and cultural events, will be in place for an initial 14 days.

ALSO READ: Johns Hopkins University: US COVID-19 deaths top 350,000

A resident at the King's Point retirement home receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 30, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Sweden

Stockholm has reported four new cases of the mutant strains of coronavirus first found in the UK and South Africa, city authorities announced in a press release on Sunday.

The four cases include three infected with the strain first found in the UK and one with the variant first detected in South Africa.

Greece

Greece has detected four cases of the new coronavirus variant in people who recently travelled from Britain, according to a Health Ministry official.

The new variant of the coronavirus, now spreading around the world, was first found in Britain and is more transmissible than the original variant of the virus first identified a year ago. Another recent new variant was first found in South Africa.

“The four persons recently travelled to Greece from Britain. They are in quarantine,” a Health Ministry Official who declined to be named told Reuters. It was the first time that Greece has reported cases of the new variant.

The country, which started the first vaccinations against COVID-19 last week, has reported 140,099 confirmed coronavirus cases and 4,957 related deaths.

Ireland

Ireland recorded almost 5,000 new infections, signaling what health authorities called a significant surge in the virus.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ireland topped 100,000. 

The government may introduce additional curbs such as reducing the distance people can travel from home to 2 kilometers from 5 kilometers, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said Sunday. Most sectors are already locked down with bars, restaurants, nonessential stores and personal services such as hairdressers shuttered.

Hospitalizations rose 16 percent to 685 in the past 24 hours, the country’s emergency task force said.

Cyprus 

Cyprus has detected 12 cases of the new coronavirus variant in people who had arrived from the UK, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry said in a press release that the new variant was detected after a specialized screening of samples taken from those arrivals who were diagnosed with the virus.

From the 19 samples taken between Dec. 6 and 20, 12 were found positive for the new strain, it said.

The ministry added that it acted on instructions by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control as part of a Europe-wide program.

Canada

Canada's COVID-19 cases surpassed 600,000 as of Sunday afternoon, with the total hitting 601,653, including 15,865 deaths, according to CTV.

Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, reported 2,964 new cases and 25 additional deaths.

Chile

Chile registered 2,289 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours, for a total of 618,191 cases, as well as another 43 deaths, bringing the death toll to 16,767, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

The ministry said that of the total confirmed cases, 584,457 patients had recovered from the disease, while 16,620 were in the active stage.

Argentina 

Argentina registered 5,884 new cases of COVID-19 in the past day, taking the national count to 1,640,718, the health ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry also reported 107 more deaths from the disease, bringing the nationwide death toll to 43,482.

There are 144,276 active cases in the country and 3,433 people are currently hospitalized in intensive care units, it said.

The Argentine government has extended mandatory social distancing measures until Jan. 31.

Colombia 

Colombia registered 9,412 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 1,675,820, health authorities said Sunday.

Meanwhile, the country reported 200 more deaths, raising the national death toll to 43,965, said the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, adding that 1,542,353 patients have so far recovered.

Brazil 

Brazil has registered 293 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the national death toll to 196,018, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

The ministry also confirmed 17,341 new cases, taking the nationwide count to 7,733,746.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, has registered 46,845 deaths and 1,471,422 cases in total.

Brazil has the world's second highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States, and the third largest outbreak, after the United States and India.

Cuba

As thousands in Cuba are set to return to work and school on Monday after Christmas break, the government strives to keep the COVID-19 pandemic in check amid a new surge in cases.

New statistics released by the health ministry shows that December 2020 has been the worst month in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba, with more than 3,000 infections.

So far, 147 people have died from the virus nationwide as Cuba on Sunday registered 199 new COVID-19 confirmed cases, bringing the national count to 12,424.

Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, urged people to be cautious and minimize the risk of COVID-19 contagion.

Ecuador 

Ecuador is unlikely to reimpose a nationwide lockdown despite an increasing COVID-19 infection rate, said Vice Minister of Health Xavier Solorzano on Sunday.

His remarks came the same day as a state of emergency imposed since Dec. 21 was declared unconstitutional.

The 30-day state of emergency, which included a daily curfew and restrictions on mobility, drinking and hospitality industry, could have a strong adverse effect on the economy as well as people's mental health, Solorzano said in a television interview.

Bolivia

The Bolivian government said Sunday that it will enlist the support of the armed forces, the police, and local governments to carry out an operation against surging COVID-19 cases.

Bolivian Minister of Health and Sports Edgar Pozo Valdivia said at a press conference in the city of La Paz that inter-institutional coordination will be developed with the heads of the armed forces and the police.

After holding meetings with police and military leaders, Pozo said that the actions are meant to help the country fight a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Africa

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent has reached 2,807,864 of Sunday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The continental disease control and prevention agency said in a statement that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reached 66,631 as of Sunday afternoon. 

Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health on Sunday reported 573 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, as the total number of confirmed cases hit 125,622 in the country.

The ministry also disclosed that the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the country reached 1,948 as of Sunday evening, including four new COVID-19 related deaths reported during the last 24-hour period.

Morocco 

Morocco on Sunday reported 1,005 new COVID-19 cases, taking the number of infections in the country to 443,146.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco hit 413,393 after 1,225 new ones were added, the ministry of health said in a statement.
Egypt

Egypt said on Saturday that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm has been officially licensed for emergency use in the country. Meanwhile, Israel on Sunday detected seven more cases of the new coronavirus variant.

In a local TV show on Saturday, The Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said that the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) had issued the license for the emergency use of the Chinese vaccine.

Egypt received the first batch of Sinopharm vaccines on Dec. 10, 2020. The minister said that the batch went through four tests conducted by the EDA and they all proved the safety of the vaccine. She added that Egypt will receive the second shipment of COVID-19 vaccines within days, which are expected to be provided to citizens later in January.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Egypt and China have been cooperating closely in the fight against the pandemic through medical aid and expertise exchanges.

Libya 

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Sunday reported 670 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national count to 101,414.

With 1,129 more recoveries and 23 more deaths reported, a total of 74,381 recoveries have so far been reported nationwide with 1,510 fatalities, the center said.

Since the first case was reported in March 2020, Libyan authorities have taken a series of precautionary measures against the pandemic, including closing the country's borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings and imposing a curfew.

Botswana 

Botswana announced on Sunday extension of nighttime curfew up to Jan. 31 following the emergence of a new and more transmissible strain of COVID-19.

Minister of Health and Wellness Edwin Dikoloti made the announcement through national television, saying the curfew, enacted by the president on Dec. 23, will continue to be enforced between 20:00 and 04:00 (1800-0200 GMT) daily.

Austria 

Austria has scrapped plans to allow anyone with a negative coronavirus test to exit lockdown a week early, effectively extending strict measures and keeping restaurants and non-essential stores shut until Jan. 24, news agency APA reported on Monday.

The decision came after Austria’s opposition parties blocked a draft law that would have allowed an early exit from lockdown for anyone producing a negative test for the coronavirus, APA cited Health Minister Rudolf Anschober as saying.

It was not immediately clear whether schools are also to remain closed until Jan. 24 or if they can open as originally planned on Jan. 18, APA reported.

The draft law would have allowed those with a negative coronavirus test to attend cultural or sport events, buy non-essential goods and get their hair cut, a week before the official end of the lockdown on Jan 24.

Zambia 

Zambia health authorities on Monday reported 411 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 21,993 in the southern African nation.

The Zambia Institute of Public Health, a government agency, also reported that the country recorded four new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total deaths to 398.

The agency said that the new cases were picked from 5,190 tests done in the last 24 hours.

About 146 patients were discharged during the same period from various health facilities, bringing the total recoveries to 19,229.

It also reported that some 2,366 of the total COVID-19 cases were active cases.

Georgia 

Georgia reported 594 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing its nationwide caseload to 229,763.

Among the new cases, 226 were confirmed in the capital city of Tbilisi, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) said.

As of Monday, 222,405 patients have recovered from the disease, while 2,628 others have died, said the center.

Russia 

Russia recorded 23,351 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 24,150 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Monday.

The national tally of COVID-19 cases has increased to 3,260,138, including 58,988 deaths and 2,640,036 recoveries, the center said.

Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 3,591 new cases over the past day, taking the city's total caseload to 828,570. 

South Africa

South Africa’s largest labor union for health workers urged the government to accelerate its COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan, criticizing the existing program as “scant on details and very ambiguous on the timelines.”

While at least 29 countries, from Mexico to Germany, have begun inoculating their populations against the virus, South Africa has yet to conclude any supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies. With more than 1.09 million confirmed coronavirus infections and almost 30,000 deaths, South Africa is the worst-hit country on the African continent.

The government’s failure to conclude talks with manufacturers of the shots has left the country “bearing the brunt of the scarcity of vaccines,” the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union said in an emailed statement. “We share the sentiments of our federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, that government was caught napping while we are facing a deadly pandemic that has killed millions of people.”

South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Sunday the government plans to vaccinate more than 40 million of the population against Covid-19 in an “urgent” and phased approach to ultimately eliminate infections. Funding assistance is being sought from business and medical-insurance companies, he said in an online briefing.