In this Aug 28, 2019 file photo, an entry sign to the Johnson & Johnson campus shows their logo in Irvine, California. (MARK RALSTON / AFP)

BOGOTA / BRASILIA / DUBLIN / MEXICO CITY / MADRID / BERLIN / BRUSSELS / LONDON / JOHANNESBURG / OTTAWA / LISBON / ROME / BUCHAREST / PARAMARIBO / ALGIERS / HAVANA / SANTIAGO / PARIS / STOCKHOLM / ACCRA / WARSAW / SANTO DOMINGO / ADDIS ABABA / MOSCOW / SOFIA / COPENHAGEN / WINDHOEK - Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, US regulators said, a key milestone on the path toward giving Americans access to the first such shot to work in a single dose.

The vaccine was 72 percent effective in the US-based trial arm of its global study of more than 43,000 participants, Food and Drug Administration staff wrote in a document that summarized the company’s results and confirmed findings J&J released earlier this month.

Vaccines from Moderna Inc and the partnership of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE were authorized by the FDA in December, just before the first major coronavirus variants were seen in the US Since then, mutant versions have become a major concern, and J&J’s vaccine has been found to be less effective in South Africa and Latin America, where two quickly spreading versions were identified. Another variant that first arose in the UK, called B.1.1.7, has been seen at even higher levels in the US

The FDA’s analysis found the shot to have a favorable safety profile. There were no Covid-related deaths in the vaccinated group, the staff wrote, nor any other safety concerns that would preclude an emergency-use authorization. The agency lacked data to determine whether the J&J vaccine prevented asymptomatic cases, according to the report.

Mozambique

Mozambique will receive its first COVID-19 vaccines from China’s Sinopharm, that will be administered to health workers, the government said.

The southeast African nation of 31 million people will take delivery of the donation of 200,000 doses of the VeroCell vaccine at an airbase in Maputo, the capital, the office of Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. Earlier, President Filipe Nyusi said he’d been in contact with China’s President Xi Jinping for the past two months to secure the doses.

The inoculations arrive after the anticipated delivery of 2.4 million doses through the World Health Organization-backed Covax program was delayed until May, the state-owned Jornal Noticias newspaper reported, citing Benigna Matsinhe, deputy national director of public health. Covax is aimed at ensuring equitable access to the vaccines.

Neighboring Zimbabwe also received its first vaccines from China earlier this month.

Mozambique is preparing a national vaccination plan, and evaluating the approval and acquisition of inoculations from Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson, and Oxford-AstraZeneca, Noticias cited Matsinhe as saying.

Denmark

Denmark’s parliament will ease a lockdown imposed shortly after Christmas by agreeing to open retail stores nationally and schools in some regions amid a decline in COVID-19 cases.

The Nordic nation will also allow groups of as many as 25 people to participate in outdoor sports and culture activities. Other restrictions including closures of restaurants and bars will continue through April 5.

The deal will have a positive gross domestic product effect at 2 billion kroner (US$327 million) each month and 37,000 Danes will return to work, according to a statement from the Finance Ministry. The decision to ease restrictions will increase the number of hospitalizations in coming weeks to as many as 880 people, according to forecasts from a group of experts. Denmark’s capacity for Covid-related ICU beds is at 940.

South Africa

South African President Cyril Rampahosa backed a call by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for wealthy countries to donate 5 percent of their vaccines to poorer nations.

“We need to pool our resources, capabilities, knowledge and intellectual property” to ensure equitable access to vaccines and medical supplies across the globe, Ramaphosa said Tuesday.

South Africa and India have urged the World Trade Organization to suspend intellectual-property rights related to COVID-19 to ensure access to vaccines and medication for all.

“We need to pool our resources, capabilities, knowledge and intellectual property” to ensure equitable access to vaccines and medical supplies across the globe, South African President Cyril Rampahosa said

South Africa's health minister said government advisers had organized COVID-19 vaccines into three groups and those considered for "immediate use" were the Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Pfizer and Moderna shots.

Mkhize said the next batch of 80,000 J&J doses for a research study targeting healthcare workers would arrive on Saturday.

Mkhize said the Ministerial Advisory Committee on vaccines had placed Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and alternatives from China's Sinopharm and Sinovac in a second group where South Africa is interested but requires more technical information.

A third group where vaccines "may not be suitable for immediate use in South Africa" includes the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines.

Mkhize said that South Africa would be selling, not donating, its stock of AstraZeneca shots to the African Union.

READ MORE: Groundwork urged for Africa effort on jabs

Algeria

Algeria on Tuesday reported 185 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the North African country to 112,279.

The death toll rose to 2,967 after three more fatalities were added, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The total recoveries increased by 175 to 77,442, the ministry said.

Argentina

Argentina expects to receive on Thursday 904,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, the government of the South American country said on Tuesday.

The delivery is part of a purchase of 1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, which will be added to the 1.22 million doses the country has already received of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia. Argentina has also received 580,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

In Argentina, 2.08 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered, 51,510 of them fatal, according to official data. Argentina has a population of about 45 million people.

Belgium

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Tuesday the country was considering lifting the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"We are reaching the point where we will start lifting the lockdown, but we must act with caution over the next few weeks," said the prime minister.

The country's "Consultative Committee" is scheduled to meet this Friday to decide the next steps.

In total, over 400,000 vaccine doses have already been administered in Belgium, representing roughly four percent of the adult population, said Sabine Stordeur, project manager at the vaccination task force.

In the coming weeks, people aged 65 and over living at home, and at-risk patients aged 18 to 64 will be vaccinated. 

To date, Belgium has recorded 755,594 COVID-19 infections and 21,923 deaths.

Health workers carry doses of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate seniors in their homes as part of a vaccination program for the house-bound elderly in Marica, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Feb 22, 2021. (SILVA IZQUIERDO / AP)

Brazil

Brazil had 62,715 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 1,386 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The South American country has now registered 10,257,875 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 248,529, according to ministry data.

Brazil has confirmed 204 cases involving variants of the coronavirus, including the new strains that were first detected in Brazil and the United Kingdom, the ministry's Health Surveillance Secretariat (SVS) reported.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria will reopen restaurants from March and lift a ban on nightclubs from April, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Wednesday, betting on a vaccination program and a solid number of recoveries from COVID-19.

Bulgaria started a mass vaccination programme last week hoping to improve the slow pace of the process that has left it behind its European Union peers amid high public mistrust over the shots.

Despite a gradual increase in new coronavirus infections in the Balkan country in the past month, Borissov said it was quickly building a shield against the infection that justifies further lifting of the restrictions.

Some 150,000 Bulgarians have been vaccinated so far, 17,000 alone on Tuesday, and another 200,000 have recovered from the disease, Borissov said at a government meeting.

Bulgaria reported 1,800 new infections on Wednesday, almost half of the numbers per day seen in November, but up from approximately daily 600 cases last month.

It has registered 240,391 cases including 9,978 deaths so far.

Canada

Canada's cumulative COVID-19 cases have surpassed 850,000, with the total hitting 851,231 as of Tuesday noon, including 21,747 deaths, according to CTV.

Ontario reported 975 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday morning, pushing the province's case total to 295,119, including 6,884 deaths and 277,939 recoveries.

The Ontario government said there were 10,296 active COVID-19 cases across the province, and the total number of cases involving the COVID-19 variants stood at 400.

As of Tuesday, 247,042 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Ontario.

Meanwhile, Quebec reported 739 fresh cases, bringing the total COVID-19 caseload in the province to 283,666, including 10,330 deaths and 265,456 recoveries.

Chile

Chile's health ministry on Tuesday reported 2,356 new COVID-19 infections and 25 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 805,317 cases and the toll to 20,151.

Health Minister Enrique Paris said in a statement that confirmed COVID-19 cases have fallen by 2 percent in the last week and that in 11 regions, the number of infections has declined.

Colombia

Colombia has approved emergency use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, the director of the food and drug regulator INVIMA said as part of a government address on Tuesday.

Colombia has secured vaccine agreements with a raft of pharmaceutical companies and the World Health Organization-backed COVAX program.

"Once more in record time ... INVIMA has approved the authorization for the emergency use of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's vaccine," Julio Aldana, INVIMA's director general, said in a nightly televised program presented by Colombia's President Ivan Duque.

Colombia has reported over 2.2 million coronavirus cases, as well as close to 60,000 deaths. So far it has administered just under 50,000 vaccine doses.

Cuba

Cuba on Tuesday reported 836 fresh COVID-19 infections and four more deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 46,197 and the toll to 304, the Ministry of Public Health said.

According to the ministry's report, 824 of the new cases were transmitted within the community and 12 were imported.

Havana registered the most community transmitted cases in one day, followed by the western provinces of Mayabeque and Pinar del Rio.

So far, 40,979 patients, or 88.7 percent, have recovered from the virus, the ministry reported, while 4,858 cases remained active.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic will need to tighten measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus to prevent a "catastrophe" in hospitals in the coming weeks, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday.

"Hellish days await us," Babis said at a news conference.

Hospitals in the Czech Republic are nearing “total exhaustion” as beds at intensive-care units become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, forcing hospitals to curb other care and possibly seek help from neighboring countries, a government official said.

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic received a shipment of vaccines developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac on Tuesday night, authorities said.

The cargo was received at the airport in the capital by an official delegation headed by Vice-President Raquel Pena.

"The arrival of this important batch of vaccines against COVID-19 will strengthen the already started national vaccination plan, and thus bring peace, hope and tranquility to the Dominican family," said Pena.

Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health on Tuesday evening reported 716 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 154,257.

Another 12 fatalities and 1,338 new recoveries were also reported, bringing the death toll to 2,305 and the total recoveries to 133,051.

In this Feb 19, 2021 photo, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and European Council President Charles Michel take part in the virtual G7 Summit at the European Council headquarters in Brussels. (OLIVIER HOSLET / POOL / AFP)

EU

The European Union's (EU) most senior administrator said she would happily receive AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine as officials rushed to find ways of ensuring doses refused by skittish Germans did not go to waste.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen's remarks came amid growing concerns that unfavorable comments by top European officials, including French President Emmanuel Macron, had slowed take-up of one of only three vaccines currently approved EU-wide.

Earlier this month, Macron said Britain had taken a risk in authorizing AstraZeneca so rapidly. A German official study also found evidence that, though effective, the vaccine has more severe side effects than its two main rivals.

I would take the AstraZeneca vaccine without a second thought, just like Moderna's and BioNTech-Pfizer's products.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

"I would take the AstraZeneca vaccine without a second thought, just like Moderna's and BioNTech-Pfizer's products," von der Leyen told the Augsburger Allgemeine.

In Germany, where a widespread preference for the German-designed BioNTech vaccine has led to a growing number of unused AstraZeneca doses, officials and politicians competed to suggest ways of making sure they did not go to waste.

ALSO READ: Virus: AstraZeneca doses go unused in Germany

A person familiar with the matter confirmed a report by Reuters that AstraZeneca is expected to deliver about half the COVID-19 vaccines it had committed to supply the EU in the second quarter.

According to Reuters, the company told EU officials it would deliver fewer than 90 million doses, compared with a commitment of 180 million. It also plans to deliver about 40 million doses in the first quarter, down from a previous commitment of 90 million.

In another development, von der Leyen supported a call by Macron to donate vaccines to healthcare workers in Africa, as a star-studded event was announced to support equitable distribution.

"Vaccines are still scarce everywhere but it is in our common interest to share," von der Leyen said in a webcast with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Global Citizen, an international pressure group that aims to end extreme poverty by 2030, launched a campaign to support equitable distribution of vaccines that will feature a broadcast special in May. Artists scheduled to participate include Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter, Billie Eilish.

France

France's number of patients treated in intensive care units for COVID-19 has gone up again on Tuesday, reaching a 12-week peak of 3,435 as regional officials urge for a ban on public gatherings and consider a partial weekend lockdown.

France reported 20,064 new COVID-19 cases, up from the previous Tuesday's 19,590, bringing the cumulative tally to 3.63 million. 

The death toll rose by 431 to 85,044.

The northern French port city of Dunkirk is urging the government to impose a ban on all public gatherings there until March 15 as a "last chance" move to halt a spike in COVID-19 infections.

Health Minister Olivier Veran will head to Dunkirk, between the port of Calais and the Belgian border, on Wednesday.

People stand outside a COVID-19 test site in Nice, southern France, on Feb 23, 2021. (SERGE HAOUZI / XINHUA)

Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany is in the midst of a third wave of coronavirus infections and should proceed carefully with reopening schools and businesses, putting a damper on discussions to loosen lockdown curbs.

The note of caution comes as Germany struggles on numerous fronts to control the pandemic. Infection rates haven’t come down for days, while the pace of vaccinations remains sluggish

Germany approved three COVID-19 tests for home use as part Health Minister Jens Spahn's strategy for mass testing to help Europe's biggest economy emerge from a lockdown that has been in place since mid-December.

Spahn told broadcaster ZDF earlier that further home test kits would be approved next week.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 8,007 to 2,402,818, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday. The reported death toll rose by 422 to 68,740.

The infection rate stood at 59.3 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days, compared with 57 a week earlier.

People traveling to Germany from the Czech Republic and the Austrian province of Tyrol face border controls until at least March 3 after restrictions were extended by eight days, news agency DPA reported, citing a spokesman for the interior ministry.

Ghana

The World Health Organization's (WHO) global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX delivered its first COVID-19 shots on Wednesday, as the race to get doses to the world's poorest people and tame the pandemic accelerates.

A flight carrying 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India landed in Ghana's capital Accra, the WHO and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said in a joint statement.

The shots will be used to kick-start a vaccination drive that will prioritize frontline health workers and others at high-risk, according to a plan presented by Ghanaian health officials on Friday.

"This is a momentous occasion, as the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines into Ghana is critical in bringing the pandemic to an end," Anne-Claire Dufay of UNICEF Ghana, and WHO country representative, Francis Kasolo, said in the statement.

Ghana aims to deliver a total of 2.3 billion doses by year-end, including 1.8 billion to poorer countries at no cost to their governments, and to cover up to 20 percent of countries' populations.

Guatemala

Guatemala's Health Minister Amelia Flores said on Tuesday that Guatemala hopes to receive the first batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in the coming weeks.

"They already have the emergency registration to be able to enter the country and we are only waiting for the date, which we believe will be in a few weeks," Flores said while leaving a meeting at Congress on Tuesday.

Flores added that Guatemala is also expecting to receive the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine in the first week of April.

The Central American nation has recorded 172,000 positive cases of coronavirus and 6,315 deaths.

Hungary

Hungary cannot yet ease a partial lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic as a third wave of infections has boosted the number of new cases and just  small part of the population has received a COVID-19 vaccine so far, the prime minister said.

In a video posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban also urged Hungarians to get inoculated against COVID-19.

Iceland

Starting Wednesday, the gathering limit in Iceland will be 50 people instead of 20, and up to 200 will be allowed to attend sporting events, stage performances and museums as long as social distancing is observed, the country’s health minister said. 

Iceland has had no domestic infections outside of quarantine since the beginning of the month.

Ireland

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin announced on Tuesday that the current Level-5 or the highest-level COVID-19 restrictions in the country will be further extended until April 5, the third extension since the curbs were implemented on Dec 24.

Martin also said that childcare services, primary and secondary schools as well as pre-school classes will be reopened in a phased way starting from March 1.

Following the announcement, the Irish Department of Health reported 575 new cases and 45 more deaths, bringing the tally to 216,300 and the toll to 4,181.

The arrival of fewer AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in the European Union during the second quarter has been factored into Irish forecasts that were updated on Tuesday, Prime Minister Micheál Martin said.

Martin said earlier that if vaccines arrive on schedule, up to 82 percent of adults will have received their first dose and 55 percent to 60 percent will be fully vaccinated by the end of June.

As of Saturday, a total of 350,322 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in Ireland, accounting for about 7 percent of the country's total population, according to the department.

Italy

Italy plans to impose a hard lockdown in the northern province of Brescia and other municipalities of the Lombardy region following a surge of infections related to variants of COVID-19. The area is close to the original epicenter of the pandemic in Italy.

Italy reported 356 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday against 274 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 13,314 from 9,630 the day before.

Italy has registered 96,348 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak began in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 2.8 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19, excluding those in intensive care, stood at 18,295 on Tuesday, rising from 18,155 a day earlier .

There were 197 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 162 on Monday. The total number of intensive care patients rose slightly to 2,146 from a previous 2,118.

Mexico

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday urged the United Nations (UN) to intervene to ensure equitable access to vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on behalf of poorer nations.

More than 100 countries around the world have yet to receive a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference, accompanied by his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez.

"That is totally unfair. Where is the universal brotherhood?" Lopez Obrador said. "So the UN has to intervene because it looks like a decorative vase (otherwise). And it is an agreement by all governments that must be enforced," he added.

READ MORE: WHO stresses need for equity on vaccines

Mexico's reported an additional 1,273 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total death count to 181,809, according to the country's health ministry.

The health ministry data showed Mexico also registered 8,634 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, pushing the tally to 2,052,266.

Morocco

Morocco registered 446 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the tally in the North African country to 481,709, the health ministry said in a statement.

The death toll rose by 15 to 8,574 while the total recoveries increased by 808 to 466,105, the ministry said.

There were 440 people in intensive care units, the ministry added.

So far, a total of 2,635,859 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Namibia

COVID-19 vaccines allocated through the COVAX facility are expected in Namibia in March, Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula said on Wednesday.

Shangula said the country has proposed a total budget of about 583 million Namibia dollars (US$40 million) for COVID-19 vaccines under the Deployment and Vaccination Plan, of which 485 million Namibia dollars will be for the actual procurement of vaccines.

"This will enable Namibia to procure vaccines for an additional 40 percent of the population to attain a 60 percent vaccination coverage," he said, adding that China has pledged to donate 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine and India has pledged to donate 30,000 doses of the vaccine from the Serum Institute of India.

Namibia has so far reported 37,896 cumulative confirmed cases. There are currently 2,058 active cases.

Netherlands

The Netherlands on Tuesday slightly eased COVID-19 restrictions, allowing schools and hairdressers to reopen, as the government seeks to relieve months of lockdown even as infection rates rise again.

A controversial night-time curfew, which sparked a string of riots when it was introduced on Jan 23, will remain in place until at least March 15, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

New coronavirus cases increased 19 percent to 29,997 in the week through Tuesday, the Dutch Institute for Public Health RIVM said, as new variants continued to take hold.

The RIVM estimated that the curfew and a one visitor per household rule had reduced the virus reproduction rate by around 10 percent in recent weeks.

Rutte said schools will welcome students for at least one day a week as of next week, following the re-opening of primary schools earlier this month.

Non-essential stores, which have been closed since mid-December, can receive a limited number of customers per day.

The Netherlands surpassed 1 million cases this month and has recorded more than 15,000 related deaths.

Nigeria

One in four people in Lagos, Africa’s biggest city, may have had COVID-19. 

 A survey showed that 23 percent of people in the West African nation’s commercial hub of Lagos, which has a population of 21 million people, have been infected. That’s far above the official estimate of 152,616 cases in the whole of Nigeria.

Poland

Poland will announce tougher coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, especially in some regions hit particularly hard by the British variant of COVID-19, Poland's Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday.

Some 12,146 new cases were registered in the previous 24 hours, a rise of more than 3,500 in the space of a week, the minister told radio station TOK FM.

"We are moving in the direction of limiting entries at the border. We will also want formal changes in the wearing of protective face shields or scarves instead of masks...and we also have to regionalize restrictions," Niedzielski said.

The new restrictions should be introduced on Saturday but could also come into force earlier, he added.

Portugal

While the number of COVID-19 cases in Portugal is falling, the the far slower decline in hospitalizations and intensive care patients has left Lisbon residents resigned to the nationwide lockdown lasting for many more weeks. 

Daily cases and death tolls have fallen rapidly to just 63 deaths and 1,032 new cases on Tuesday - levels last seen in October when businesses were still open.

But the number of people in hospital remains around double the level authorities say must be reached to alleviate measures. 

A lockdown put in place on Jan 15, shutting non-essential services and schools, is expected to last until at least the end of March.

On Tuesday, Germany sent a replacement team of military doctors and nurses to take over from the first deployment sent three weeks ago to prop up Lisbon's underresourced hospitals.

Portugal's total number of infections stood at 799,106, and the total death toll stood at 16,086.

German army medics board a bus after disembarking from a German air force airplane that landed at Lisbon airport in Portugal on Feb 23, 2021. (ARMANDO FRANCA / AP)

Romania

A senior official in charge of Romania's COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Tuesday called on those already vaccinated to continue to comply with the health protection measures as nearly 4,500 people have been infected with COVID-19 after being vaccinated.

So far, 848,790 people have been vaccinated in the country.

As many as 3,969 people tested positive after receiving the first vaccine dose and 446 after the second dose, Valeriu Gheorghita, president of the National Committee for Coordination of Vaccination Activities against COVID-19 (CNCAV), said in a press release.

Over 95 percent of those infected received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, he said.

Gheorghita explained that the vaccines work "at least seven, 10 or 14 days after the administration of the second dose, depending on the type," emphasizing the importance of following preventive measures.

Romania on Tuesday reported 3,382 new cases and 119 more deaths, bringing the tally to 784,711 and the toll to 20,013.

Russia

Russia on Wednesday reported 11,749 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including 1,417 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 4,200,902 since the pandemic began.

The daily national tally is the lowest since Oct 8.

The government coronavirus task force also reported 383 deaths, taking Russia's official death toll to 84,430.

Serbia

Daily infections spiked to the highest in two months in Serbia, despite one of the fastest vaccinations in Europe. 

The country reported 3,257 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest increase since Dec 25, a spike the authorities warned would happen after tens of thousands used a long February weekend to go skiing and ditched face masks too soon.

Spain

Spain will approve an 11 billion-euro (US$13.4 billion) package to support struggling companies and self-employed workers to help them cope with the economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

The package will be geared toward the tourism sector, restaurants and bars and other small businesses, Sanchez said, without providing additional details.

Spain's coronavirus incidence slipped below 250 cases per 100,000 people - a threshold the Health Ministry considers as "extreme risk" of contagion - for the first time in two months on Tuesday.

The indicator, measured over the past 14 days, fell to 236 cases from 252 the previous day and from a record 900 cases at the end of January, health ministry data showed.

It added 7,461 cases to its tally of infections on Tuesday which now stands at 3,161,432  since the start of the pandemic.

The death toll increased by 443 to a total of 68,079, although most of the newly-registered deaths occurred in the previous days, the data showed. The daily death toll has been in decline for the past month.

Suriname

Suriname launched a coronavirus vaccination campaign on Tuesday with a small batch of donated doses, as the South American nation seeks a steady supply of inoculations.

The impoverished country, which has a population of about 600,000, has reported 8,869 cases of COVID-19 and 168 deaths. It hopes to bring in 400,000 doses by the end of the year.

It began the inoculation effort with 1,000 doses provided by Barbados and is expecting to receive a donation of 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India as early as this week, Public Health Minister Amar Ramadhin said.

The vaccinations will first focus on about 1,500 healthcare workers, followed by 2,000 residents of retirement homes.

Indigenous people are also a priority.

Sweden

Sweden will ease restrictions on elderly residents of care homes who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the country's top epidemiologist said on Wednesday, at the same time as rules for the rest of the country were tightened.

More than 80 percent of residents of care homes for the elderly have received their first vaccination against COVID-19 and 64 percent have completed a course of two shots, according to daily Dagens Nyheter.

Fearing the new and more infectious coronavirus strains, two of Sweden's most populous regions on Tuesday recommended distance schooling once the winter break is over.

The regions of Stockholm and Skane - with a combined population of nearly 3.8 million - urged schools to refrain from on-site schooling for pupils in years 7-9 and upper secondary schools when the winter holidays end.

Stockholm also issued new recommendations regarding face masks, urging citizens to always use disposable face masks on public transport and in indoor environments.

As of Tuesday, Sweden had recorded 642,099 cases and 12,713 deaths.

UK

The British government pledged a 700 million-pound (US$988 million) package of support to help children in England catch up on learning lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shut schools to most students.

The move came after the government announced that English primary and secondary schools will reopen on March 8.

The education ministry said on Wednesday it would introduce a 'Recovery Premium' targeting disadvantaged students, alongside other measures, amid concerns that those from poorer backgrounds have been falling behind.

READ MORE: UK speeds vaccine push to offer all adults shot by July 31

Another 8,489 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the cumulative caseload to 4,134,639, according to official figures released Tuesday. An additional 548 deaths pushed the toll to 121,305. 

Nearly 18 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest data.

Following his announcement of the roadmap out of lockdown on Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday that he is "hopeful" that all coronavirus restrictions in England will be removed by June 21.

Also on Tuesday, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the roadmap out of the lockdown in the region, with four people from two households being allowed to meet outdoors from March 15. 

Scotland is targeting a substantial reopening of its economy from late April if recent progress in suppressing the virus continues.

Unitaid

The global health agency Unitaid and the charitable foundation Wellcome joined forces to launch an emergency taskforce on Tuesday to secure oxygen supplies and technical support for the countries worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Half a million people, many of them treated for coronavirus, in the world's low and middle-income countries require oxygen during their in-patient care, and hospitals running out of oxygen very often results in preventable deaths, Unitaid spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said at a press conference.

"Since the start of the pandemic, affordable and sustainable access to oxygen has been a growing challenge in low and middle-income countries, where COVID-19 has put a huge pressure on health systems," the spokesperson said, adding that 25 countries currently are reporting surges in demand, the majority of them in Africa.

According to the spokesperson, the taskforce will need immediate funding of US$90 million for up to 20 low-income countries, and that figure is projected to grow to US$1.6 billion for the next 12 months. 

US

The decline in COVID-19 fatalities is exceeding expectations in the United States, and virus modelers are revising forecasts to reflect a more optimistic outlook heading into March.

The country is expected to have about 7,922 such deaths in the week ending March 20, the lowest since the first week of November, according to the University of Massachusetts’ Reich Lab COVID-19 Forecast Hub, which issued a 28-day forecast on Tuesday based on dozens of independent models.

The development comes as the US surpassed 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Monday. In total, the nation has reported more than 28.2 million confirmed cases.

President Joe Biden will announce a program to send cloth masks to disadvantaged US communities to curb the pandemic while deciding for now to shelve a proposal to send masks to every American, according to two administration officials familiar with the plans.

In this Feb 19, 2021 file photo, people wait in line at a 24-hour walk-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Temple University's Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. (MATT ROURKE / AP)

The US may issue guidance easing public health protocols for fully vaccinated people, Biden’s chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci suggested, amid expectations of a surge in vaccine availability in March.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) said it will be ready next month to ship 20 million doses of its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, adding to a coming surge in vaccine availability in the US, according to Bloomberg analysis of drugmaker promises.

Along with vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which both require two doses, the delivery targets through next month will be enough to fully vaccinate 130 million Americans.

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee scheduled a meeting for Sunday and Monday regarding J&J’s application for emergency use of its vaccine candidate. An authorization could swiftly follow the meeting. 

AstraZeneca sees its vaccine gaining emergency-use authorization in the US in April.

Zambia

Zambia's cumulative COVID-19 cases have climbed to 76,484 following new cases recorded in the last 24 hours, figures released by its health ministry on Wednesday have shown.

The country recorded 901 cases out of 5,231 tests done in the last 24 hours.

About 367 patients were discharged during the same period, bringing the total recoveries to 69,803, representing a 91 percent recovery rate.

Cyprus

Cyprus' COVID-19 vaccination campaign is picking up speed as larger vaccine shipments were due to be delivered on Wednesday under the European Union's joint vaccine procurement scheme, a Health Ministry official said.

Elena Panayiotopoulou, a senior official of the ministry's Medical Services section, told CyBC state radio that close to 20,000 vaccination appointments have been made for the current week, equal to one third of the total number of vaccine doses administered since the program started at the beginning of February.

Georgia

Georgia on Wednesday reported 443 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total to 269,438, according to the country's National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC).

Data from the NCDC showed that 461 more patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 263,257.

Meanwhile, six people have died in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 3,463.