A patient is discharged from a temporary hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sept 26, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

MOSCOW/ NEW YORK / LONDON / SANTIAGO / TRIPOLI / LUSAKA / ROME / BRUSSELS / SAO PAOLO / BUENOS AIRES - 

When the Copa America basketball tournament got underway last month in the midst of a pandemic, the hosts in Cali, Colombia took no chances.

Players and staff from participating men’s national teams from around Latin America lived in a local “bubble” without contact with outsiders; all were tested regularly for COVID-19.

Missing from the contest was Brazil. The country has been so ravaged by coronavirus, including a new and highly contagious home-grown variant known as P1, that Colombia would not permit the Brazilians to land on their soil.

A double header of soccer World Cup qualifiers was also called off this month after Colombia’s health minister said he would not allow a charter flight of Brazilian footballers to land in Colombia for the game.

Sports are just the beginning. Brazil’s neighbors and trading partners are taking steps to limit contact with South America’s largest country - and contemplating more draconian ones. The fear is that the progress many nations in the region have made against COVID-19 could be reversed by new waves of infection from Brazil, whose out-of-control pandemic is incubating virulent new strains that are worrying medical experts worldwide.

As the number of COVID-19 deaths in Brazil passed 300,000 on Wednesday, President Jair Bolsonaro's fourth health minister used his first official day in the job to pledge a vaccination goal of 1 million shots a day to put the brakes on the snowballing crisis.

EU

European Union leaders meet on Thursday to discuss a coordinated path out of the COVID-19 pandemic as infections surge again in many of their countries, seeking agreement on how to ramp up supplies of vaccines after a feeble start to inoculation.

Ahead of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron spelt out the frustration over vaccine rollouts that are far behind those of Britain and the United States, acknowledging that European leaders had been too timid.

“We didn’t shoot for the stars. That should be a lesson for all of us. We were wrong to lack ambition, to lack the madness, I would say, to say: It’s possible, let’s do it,” he told Greek television channel ERT.

As of March 23, Britain had administered nearly 46 vaccines for every 100 people, whereas the 27-nation bloc it left last year had administered 13.8 shots per 100 people, according to public data compiled by Our World In Data website.

Europe’s painfully slow rollout has led to a quarrel with Britain, which has imported at least 11 million doses made in the EU. Britain says it did a better job negotiating with manufacturers and arranging supply chains. The EU says it should share more.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, which faced a fresh onslaught of questions this week, was 76 percent effective in a US study -- a slightly downgraded estimate based on the latest data collected from a contentious clinical trial.

The company issued the new analysis in a statement on Thursday after an independent monitoring board expressed concern that the initial efficacy of 79 percent relied on outdated information. The earlier reading was based on data gathered through Feb. 17.

The latest twist created another layer of uncertainty for a product already facing dwindling public support in Europe following months of confusion and missteps. The data glitch may delay the shot’s ability to win US regulatory clearance, although it will likely still play a crucial role in curbing the global pandemic.

“The primary analysis is consistent with our previously released interim analysis, and confirms that our COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in adults, including those aged 65 years and over,” said Mene Pangalos, the company’s executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals research and development. “We look forward to filing our regulatory submission for Emergency Use Authorization in the US and preparing for the rollout of millions of doses across America.”

AstraZeneca has submitted a request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for authorisation of its Dutch vaccine plant, and a swift approval could lead to the first EU deliveries by the end of this month, the European Union's health chief said on Wednesday.

"EMA is now proceeding with a swift assessment in view of updating of the marketing authorisation under an accelerated procedure this week," Stella Kyriakides, in emailed comments, said of the plant run by AstraZeneca subcontractor Halix. "If the process goes as smooth as expected, we hope to see deliveries from this production site already this month," she said.

AstraZeneca said on Wednesday that some 29 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines found in an inspection at a plant in Italy were destined for the EU and for donations to poorer countries via the COVAX scheme co-led by the World Health Organization. 

Sputnik V

Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Thursday it had reached an agreement with Serbia's Torlak Institute to produce the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 there.

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 124 million while the global death toll topped 2.73 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

UK

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that cooperation between Britain and the European Union (EU) is "very important" to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson made the remarks during the Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons, lower part of Parliament, as tension between Britain and EU over vaccines supply remains high.

The prime minister said he doesn't believe blockades "are sensible", adding that the long-term damage done by blockades can be "very considerable".

Anyone considering a blockade may want to think about how companies would view a country where such things are imposed, he said.

Johnson also said the UK may need tougher border measures “very soon” to prevent the arrival of COVID-19 variants from continental Europe. 

Ministers need to balance any decision to impose tighter restrictions -- including potential virus checks on haulers coming from France -- “against the very serious disruption that is entailed by curtailing cross-Channel trade,” he said.

Another 5,605 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,312,908, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The country also reported another 98 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 126,382. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

US

The United States squandered both money and lives in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, and it could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths with a more effective health strategy and trimmed federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars while still supporting those who needed it.

That is the conclusion of a group of research papers released at a Brookings Institution conference this week, offering an early and broad start to what will likely be an intense effort in coming years to assess the response to the worst pandemic in a century.

US COVID-19 fatalities could have stayed under 300,000, versus a death toll of 540,000 and rising, if by last May the country had adopted widespread mask, social distancing, and testing protocols while awaiting a vaccine, estimated Andrew Atkeson, economics professor at University of California, Los Angeles.

The United States crossed 30 million coronavirus cases on Wednesday, as states accelerate the vaccination process by lowering age limits.

Health authorities are racing to vaccinate in the face of the first uptick in new cases on a weekly basis since January. Against the advice of health experts, several states have lifted mask mandates and more infectious variants have also spread across the nation.

Poland

Poland will probably decide against introducing full lockdown as part of stricter Covid curbs it plans to announce on Thursday, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reports. The country is considering closing preschools and limiting the number of people in stores as part of additional restrictions.

Poland reported a record 34,151 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, health ministry data showed, the highest since the start of the pandemic, as the country grapples with a worsening third wave. 

The government is expected to announce more restrictions later on Thursday to curb the surging number of infections as hospitals lack enough beds and ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients.

France

The number of people with the COVID-19 disease in French intensive care units rose by 17 on Wednesday to 4,651, setting a high for 2021 so far, health ministry data showed.

The French government is ready to take tougher measures if current restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus fail, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday. 

Last week, France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift course. 

"We think these measures can help reverse the trend. If this does not happen, we will take tougher measures. We still have a few difficult weeks ahead of us," Veran told the TV show "Quotidien" on the French TMC channel.

READ MORE: EU tightens curbs on vaccine exports amid 3rd infection wave

Ukraine 

Ukraine recorded 16,669 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, which has set a new daily record since the onset of the pandemic in March last year, Ukraine's Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said on his official Facebook page Thursday.

The country also recorded its maximum daily deaths since March 2020.

A total of 4,838 patients were hospitalized, 362 patients have died from complications, and 6,748 people have recovered, the official said.

Canada

Canada's health department on Wednesday continues to back AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine even as it updated its label to provide information on rare blood clots associated with a low platelet count following an immunization shot.

Canada is expecting enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to double its supply by the end of next week to help ramp up a slow vaccination program as more contagious virus variants push the country toward a third wave of coronavirus infections.

While COVID-19 continues to impact people of all ages in Canada, new infection rates are the highest among those aged 20 to 39, said Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam in a statement on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Canada reported 2,643 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the cumulative total to 944,962, including 22,754 deaths and 885,604 recoveries, according to CTV.

The country's national-level data show a seven-day average of 3,772 new cases daily on March 17 to 23. Currently, there are 36,310 active cases across the country, Tam said.

Tam said the circulation of COVID-19 in younger, more mobile and socially-connected adults presents an ongoing risk for spread into high-risk populations and settings.

Hungary

Hungary's planned reopening of schools and kindergartens on April 7 now appears "optimistic", Zoltan Maruzsa, a state secretary in charge of education, said in a newspaper interview published on Thursday. 

Hungary's hospitals are under "extraordinary" pressure from rising coronavirus infections, its surgeon general said on Wednesday, as the country became a hotspot in the third wave of a pandemic that has hit Central Europe especially hard. 

"We can rule out that the entire school year will be spent in remote learning. 

However, it takes some degree of optimism to take the April 7 reopening for granted," Maruzsa told the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.

Iceland

Iceland, whose handling of the pandemic is regarded as one of the best in the world, is imposing tighter social measures following a surge in infections linked to the British variant. The new restrictions, which will be in effect for three weeks, include closing schools and universities.

Austria

Three eastern states of Austria will go into a lockdown during the Easter holidays to contain a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said Wednesday evening.

With the spread of the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain more dramatic than previously thought and the intensive care units under enormous pressure, Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland will impose more restrictive measures from April 1 to 6, said Anschober at a press conference.

All-day exit restrictions will apply again as during the previous two lockdowns. There will only be a few exceptions, including covering basic needs.

Retailers, with the exception of supermarkets and pharmacies, will have to close during the week, so will hairdressers and other body-friendly services.

ALSO READ: UK warns EU of reputation damage if it reneges on vaccines

Finland

Finland will apply stricter restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 as parties of the coalition government reached a consensus on Wednesday.

The final consultations among the five parties cleared the way for a legislative bill to increase restrictions, which will be applied to the worst-hit areas including its capital Helsinki.

For the first time, the use of face masks in transit or public places would be required. A penalty of 40 euros (about US$47.2) would be levied otherwise.

People should in principle stay in their houses or courtyards, with exceptions such as trips to a shop, bank, or pharmacy. To commute to work or travel to their second homes at other locations will also be allowed.

Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday defended her government's decision to procure coronavirus vaccines jointly with other European Union member states, saying a failure to do so would shake the bloc to its core.

Merkel asked the German people for forgiveness after making a rare public apology for sparking massive criticism with plans for a five-day Easter shutdown.

Merkel dropped the proposal, calling it a “mistake,” after a hastily-arranged video conference with the heads of Germany’s 16 states around 33 hours after announcing the move.

The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany jumped on Thursday by 22,657 to 2.713 million, the biggest increase since Jan. 9 as the country struggles to agree measures to contain the third wave of the pandemic. 

The reported death toll rose by 228 to 75,440, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.

Danmark

One in three Danes would decline to get a COVID-19 shot using AstraZeneca's vaccine, local media outlets TV 2 and Politiken reported late on Wednesday, citing a recent survey. 

Two weeks ago, Denmark was among the first countries in Europe to temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine due to a small number of reported cases of rare brain blood clots, registered both in Denmark and elsewhere. 

Several countries, including France and Germany, have resumed using the vaccine following an investigation into the reports by the European Union's drug watchdog, which said last week it was still convinced the benefits outweigh the risks.

Cyprus 

Cyprus will open its borders starting April 1 to visitors from the US, Russia and Ukraine, the tourism ministry said Wednesday. All travelers who were tested and proven to be COVID-free and who haven’t come into close contact with a confirmed case will be guaranteed a quarantine-free stay, it said. 

Cyprus said Tuesday that it will reopen borders in April for those coming from Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, while visitors from the UK can come from May 1.

Russia

Russia's Chumakov Center has started phase three trials of CoviVac, Russia's third vaccine against COVID-19, the Interfax news agency cited a government minister as saying on Thursday. 

The most well known Russian coronavirus vaccine is Sputnik V. Moscow has also given emergency approval to two others, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.

Russia on Thursday reported 9,221 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 1,787 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 4,492,692. The country also reported another 393 deaths, raising the official toll to 96,612.

Spain

Spain restarted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday after a temporary suspension over fears of its relevance with blood clotting, as daily COVID-19 vaccination peaks record high in the country.

The return of the vaccine saw an increase of vaccination on Wednesday with 210,897 doses of vaccine administered, the highest daily vaccinations since the start of Spain's vaccination program on Dec. 27, 2020.

A total of 6,620,093 doses of vaccine have been administered since then, with 2,276,233 people receiving both doses of the vaccine.

Also on Wednesday, the Spanish Ministry of Health confirmed 7,026 new COVID-19 cases, lifting the total number of cases to 3,241,345. The total number of deaths increased by 320 to 74,064.

Belgium

Belgium’s federal government and regions tightened virus restrictions for the first time since late October, closing schools one week ahead of a two-week Easter break, and ordering hairdressers and beauty salons to shut again for four weeks starting Saturday.

Belgium is shying away from stricter lockdown measures enacted twice last year, however, allowing non-essential retailers to stay open on appointment and not issuing limits to domestic movements.

Malta

The Maltese government has extended a scheme that aims to help ailing businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes a moratorium on the repayment of bank loans and the deferral of tax payments.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana told a press conference here on Wednesday that the focus for now should be on saving businesses, safeguarding employment and the economy as a whole rather than on collecting taxes.

The scheme was originally rolled out last year as the country faced the first wave of the pandemic. Now that Malta is faced with the second wave and as Europe braces itself for a third wave, Caruana said the scheme was extended to give "breathing space" to the country's cash-strapped businesses.

Albania 

Albania will continue to keep the COVID-19 restrictions in force for the next two weeks despite the decrease in the number of new coronavirus cases, the Technical Committee of Experts on the coronavirus situation said here on Wednesday.

Mira Rakacolli, deputy minister of health and social protection and head of the committee, said that the restrictive measures imposed by the authorities have proved to be effective.

She said that the coronavirus situation has improved in the country and reported a decrease in the number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

Argentina 

Argentina reported 8,300 new COVID-19 cases and 123 related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the national counts to 2,269,877 and 54,946 respectively.

So far, a total of 3,357,772 people have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in the South American nation with 2,722,622 having got the first dose and 635,150 the second.

Some 4,190,015 doses have been distributed throughout the country since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 29, 2020.

At a press conference, Health Minister Carla Vizzotti ruled out the possibility of new lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus, but said some restrictions could be applied, including reducing the "mobility of people during a certain time slot."

"We have been on alert for weeks, not only because of the situation in Argentina but also because of the global situation," she said.

Chile

Chile's vaccination drive against COVID-19 on Wednesday reached the population of healthy adults after nearly 6 million people in high-risk groups had been first immunized, the government said.

"Today we begin a very important milestone, which is the start of vaccination for the healthy population," Chile's Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza said at a vaccination center at Nunoa, a community in the capital Santiago and metropolitan area.

The healthy population refers to people under 60 years of age with no underlying medical conditions.

According to the Ministry of Health, 5,948,696 people have been vaccinated, mainly healthcare workers, the elderly and those with chronic ailments. Of those, 3,105,216 have gotten both doses.

Chile reported on Wednesday 4,826 new COVID-19 cases and 18 more deaths in one day, bringing the national tallies to 947,783 and 22,402 respectively, said the Health Ministry.

Mexico

Mexico will accelerate its rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to protect the public against any new wave of infections, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday as the country's pandemic death toll approached 200,000. 

Lopez Obrador said the armed forces and medical personnel would be used to inoculate more people against the virus. "We have to get a move on with vaccinations so that if there's a new outbreak, we'll be vaccinated when it hits, in particular the older people," he told a news conference. 

Although Mexico began vaccinating the public against COVID-19 last year, the rollout has been hampered by delays in delivery of doses due to bottlenecks in supply, prompting the government to complain about hoarding by richer countries.

Ecuador

Ecuador's Health Ministry reported on Wednesday 3,237 new COVID-19 infections and 32 more deaths in the last 24 hours.

According to the ministry's daily report, the total number of cases rose to 316,807, while the death toll climbed to 11,720, with another 4,820 "probable deaths" due to the virus.

The South American country has seen a spike in COVID-19 infections in several provinces and the saturation of hospital capacity.
Peru

Peru said on Wednesday it was investigating allegations of 'VIP' preferential access for COVID-19 vaccines in a hard-hit region of the Amazon, just weeks after prosecutors said hundreds of top officials elsewhere in the Andean nation had received shots before they were available to the public. 

Loreto regional governor Elisban Ochoa told reporters at least 64 people, including government officials, had jumped the line in the remote Loreto region to receive early jabs of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. 

Peru's Deputy Minister of Public Health, Percy Minaya, said such access to inoculations was "unacceptable" in a television interview, and vowed further investigation and possible criminal charges.

Africa

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 4,150,680 as of Wednesday evening, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stood at 110,550, while 3,707,205 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

South Africa has lost 52,251 lives due to COVID-19, the most among African countries, followed by Egypt and Morocco, according to the Africa CDC.

Southern Africa is the most affected region in terms of confirmed cases, followed by northern Africa and eastern Africa regions. 

Algeria 

Algeria on Wednesday reported 89 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the North African country to 116,438.

The death toll from the virus rose to 3,069 after three new fatalities were added, said the Algerian Ministry of Health in a statement.

Meanwhile, 84 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 81,065, the statement added.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday got his first shot of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in the resort town of Victoria Falls.

On the occasion, the president also launched the second phase of the country's vaccination drive, as Zimbabwe steps up efforts to fight the pandemic.

Mnangagwa's vaccination follows that of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who received his second and final shot of China's Sinopharm vaccine on March 18.

The launch of the second phase of the vaccination program in Victoria Falls, targeting all eligible residents in the resort city, is strategic, as it is aimed at boosting tourism in the country, Mnangagwa said.

Mnangagwa encouraged all Zimbabweans to embrace vaccination as the only way to fight the pandemic and ensure the country embarks on post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Mauritania 

Mauritania received on Wednesday the Chinese government's donation of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and medical ventilators.

Mauritanian Health Minister Mohamed Nedhirou Ould Hamed welcomed the donation at Nouakchott Oumtounsy International Airport, along with the Charge d'Affaires ad interim of Chinese Embassy in Mauritania, Wang Jian.

On behalf of the Mauritanian government and people, Hamed thanked the Chinese government and people for the donation and supports during Mauritania's fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Sudan

Sudan's Higher Committee for Health Emergencies on Wednesday warned against increased infection and death cases of COVID-19.

The committee on Wednesday held an emergency meeting to discuss the necessary measures to confront the pandemic.

"Reports indicate continued increase in the number of infection and death cases of COVID-19, particularly in Khartoum and Gezira States," Omer Al-Najeeb, Sudan's Health Minister, said in a statement.

"The situation in Khartoum state is worrying, particularly among school children and teachers," he noted.

Ethiopia 

Ethiopia registered 1,981 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 192,575 as of Wednesday evening, the country's Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said 25 new deaths from the COVID-19 were reported across the country, bringing the national death toll to 2,718.

The East African country reported 1,052 more recoveries, taking the national count to 150, 642.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, has so far reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the East Africa region, and the fifth most affected country in Africa in terms of positive cases.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone called an end on Wednesday to its one-year-long state of public health emergency introduced to stem the spread of COVID-19 as the government saw the pandemic under control.

In a statement, the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC) said that proactive structures and measures put in place have helped Sierra Leone effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government has also started rolling out vaccines throughout the country," it said, adding the government has sought to protect lives and livelihoods while maintaining its bold commitment to ensuring personal freedom guaranteed by the constitution.

Benin

The Beninese government said Wednesday that it will launch a nationwide immunization campaign against COVID-19 on Monday.

The campaign will target primarily health workers, people with co-morbidity and those aged 60 and above, said the government in a statement.

"Thanks to the COVAX facility, the Chinese cooperation and the domestic resource mobilization, the government has made vaccines available, especially the AstraZeneca vaccines and the Chinese Sinovac vaccines", said the statement.

According to the World Health Organization, Benin has so far registered a total of 7,100 COVID-19 cases with 90 deaths. The country reported its first case on March 16, 2020. 

South Sudan

South Sudan received a consignment of 132,000 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax initiative and will start inoculations next week, according to Unicef’s country representative, Hameda Lasseko.

The nation expects a total of 732,000 doses to arrive in the first six months of its vaccination program and aims to inoculate 2.5 million people, starting with health workers, Health Minister Elizabeth Achuei Yol told reporters in the capital, Juba.

Many African nations are using the Astra shots provided through Covax and continued administering them even as countries across the European Union temporarily halted their use over concerns about the risk of blood clots.

Belarus 

Belarus reported 1,141 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the country's total tally to 314,993, the health ministry reported.

According to the ministry, a total of 2,193 people have died of the disease so far, including nine over the past 24 hours.

There have been 1,083 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 305,560, the ministry added.

Belarus' health ministry said on Thursday the country had started mass producing Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and planned to produce up to 500,000 doses of the shot per month.