Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves number 10 Downing Street in central London on May 26, 2021, to take part in Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ) session in the House of Commons. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO / KAMPALA / LONDON / ZAGREB / TIRANA / HELSINKI / BUCHAREST / RABAT / WASHINGTON / TUNIS / HAVANA / SANTIAGO / MEXICO CITY / BUENOS AIRES / ADDIS ABABA / MOSCOW / LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was disastrously slow to impose a lockdown in 2020 because he thought COVID-19 was a scare story and even considered getting injected with coronavirus on live television to show it was benign, his former chief adviser said.

Johnson subsequently caught COVID-19 early in the pandemic and was so ill that he was moved to intensive care at a London hospital where he received litres of oxygen. He later said plans had been prepared to announce his death.

In a blistering attack on the British state, Dominic Cummings told lawmakers that the government was completely unprepared for the worst public health crisis in decades and that ministers, including the prime minister, were on holiday in February 2020, some skiing.

Such was Johnson’s scepticism about COVID-19, he even told officials he was considering getting the government’s chief medical advisor to inject him with the novel coronavirus to show the public it was not a big threat, Cummings said.

“The prime minister regarded this as just a scare story,” Cummings said, adding the view of officials was Johnson’s attitude was “don’t worry about it and I’m going to get Chris Whitty to inject me live on TV with coronavirus”.

This photo taken on March 12, 2021 shows AstraZeneca vaccines at a hospital in Caceres province in Spain. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

EU

The European Union attacked AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine supply “failure” and demanded an urgent order for millions more doses in the latest round of a bitter legal dispute over alleged broken promises by the drugmaker.

At a hearing that kicked off on Wednesday, a Belgian court is weighing EU claims that there’s an emergency situation that merits an order for the drug maker to deliver 20 million more shots than it has promised so far by the end of June. The same court will examine later this year whether Astra violated the terms of its contract.

“AstraZeneca hasn’t even tried to use all of the tools at its disposal,” the European Commission’s lawyer Rafael Jafferali told a court hearing in Brussels on Wednesday, referring to six production sites in the region that could be used to make deliveries to the EU. The company’s record so far is “obviously a failure.”

The EU wants the court to demand AstraZeneca to deliver a further 90 million doses by the end of June, 20 million more than it currently plans to hand over by that date, to reach the 120 million target. The EU is also asking for 180 million doses by the end of September, to fulfill the full contract of 300 million doses ordered last year.

Aside from the dispute over deliveries, AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been mired in controversy in Europe over alleged clotting side effects, which have led some EU members to limit its use to specific age groups. The European Medicines Agency has warned doctors to check on patients who may be vulnerable to clots.

South Africa

The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections rose 17 percent in South Africa over the past week and the positivity rate of tests administered is climbing, the Department of Health said.

The country reported a rate of 35.4 new cases per 100,000 people over the seven days to May 25, the department said in a statement. Of tests administered, 11 percent were positive, an increase from a level a week earlier that wasn’t disclosed.

The hospitalization rate rose 11.9 percent over the week, while the death rate climbed by 29.3 percent, the department said. Just over 3,000 new infections were reported in the 24 hours until Tuesday.

Meanwhile, South Africa said on Tuesday that consensus had been reached to hold a special ministerial session of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of the year to consider negotiating a new international treaty on pandemic preparedness.

The WHO, whose handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is under scrutiny, has endorsed a proposal, initially made by the European Union, to negotiate a global treaty as a way to ensure countries' political commitment to fighting outbreaks of new or particularly dangerous diseases.

South African ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, speaking on behalf of 26 main sponsors of the resolution, told the WHO's annual ministerial assembly that the special session would "consider the benefits for such a convention, agreement or other international instrument".

Germany

The coronavirus infection rate in Germany has fallen below 50 per 100,000 people for the first time since October, data showed on Wednesday, and the health minister said the country can have a summer of peace from the virus if it keeps pushing it down.

The incidence rate compiled by the government's disease prevention agency, the Robert Koch Institute, fell to 46.8 per 100,000, though officials said this was partly due to a bank holiday on Monday that reduced the number of cases recorded.

Around a month ago the rate was more than three times higher. The government imposed nationwide lockdown measures to bring it down, which are now gradually being lifted.

After a slow start compared to Britain and the United States, Germany's vaccination rollout is picking up speed. About 40 percent of the population of around 83 million people have received at least one dose and about 14 percent are fully vaccinated.

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 167.86 million while the global death toll topped 3.48 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Croatia

Croatia's National Civil Protection Headquarters on Wednesday announced further easing of anti-COVID-19 measures.

Starting Friday, public gatherings will be allowed to up to 100 people. Bars, restaurants, and cafes will serve their customers one hour longer, to 11 pm. Restaurants will be allowed to serve indoors while bars still only at terraces. Wedding ceremonies will be allowed to up to 120 guests who are vaccinated, have recovered from infection, or with a negative PCR test. Masks will still be mandatory indoors.

Mexico

Mexico will this week receive its first batches of locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID-19, and will send half the consignment to its production partner Argentina, the Mexican government said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico would at the weekend receive 800,000 AstraZeneca doses and send 800,000 more to Argentina, which is working with Mexico to produce vaccines from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company.

Mexico, which is using an active ingredient made in Argentina, had initially aimed to begin production of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March. Hold-ups at the plant in the State of Mexico near the capital have pushed back the deadline.

Ebrard was speaking at a news conference with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that also featured Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on video link as the two governments celebrated the start to production.

The production at the Liomont plant aims to supply AstraZeneca doses across Latin America, where a number of leading politicians have complained that richer countries have been hoarding vaccines at the expense of poorer nations.

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on developed countries to show solidarity with Africa in the fight against COVID-19.

"To end the pandemic, support economic recovery and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to ensure equitable and universal access to COVID-19 vaccines," he said in a message for Africa Day, which falls on May 25.

Currently, there is a profound imbalance in vaccine distribution among countries. The latest figures show that to date, African countries have received just 2 percent of vaccines, he noted. "On this Africa Day, I renew my call to developed nations to stand in solidarity with Africa."

COVID-19 has triggered a global recession that has exposed deep-seated inequalities and vulnerabilities. It is endangering hard-won development gains throughout Africa and beyond, he said.

France

The number of new COVID-19 cases, patients and deaths in France continued on a downward trend as the gradual further unwinding of France's third nationwide lockdown showed no signs of leading to a resurgence of the epidemic.

The number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units in France - the best measure of a health system's ability to cope with the virus - fell by another 49 to 3,447 on Tuesday, down from more than 6,000 at the end of April.

The overall number of people in hospital with the virus also fell by 271 to 19,430. Both numbers have been on a downward trend for several weeks.

The health ministry also reported 198 news deaths in hospitals from the virus, after the death tally fell below 100 per day for three days in a row on Saturday through Monday.

The seven-day moving average of deaths fell further to 120, the lowest level since mid-October.

The seven-day moving average of new cases fell to a new 2021 low of 10,709, from more than 42,000 mid-April.

Meanwhile, several French social media sites say they have been approached by a communications agency which offered them money to spread negative publicity about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, a ploy the health minister described as dangerous and irresponsible.

Leo Grasset, whose DirtyBiology Youtube channel has more than a million subscribers, said on his @dirtybiology Twitter account that he had been offered money to criticise the Pfizer shot.

He added that the address of London-based agency which had contacted him was a fake.

It was not clear how many people had received such requests, where they originated or why they targeted the Pfizer vaccine, the most commonly administered in France, a country which has a tradition of vaccine scepticism.

Moderna Inc

Moderna Inc said on Tuesday that its COVID-19 vaccine was effective in children age 12 to 17 years old in a new study, and is planning to ask health regulators in the United States and other countries early next month to expand the shot's use to this age bracket.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company said that the vaccine induced immune responses among children that were comparable to those seen in a study of adults last year, a finding that could clear the way for a second shot for use in adolescents after Pfizer-BioNTech.

There were no cases of symptomatic COVID-19 among vaccine recipients, Moderna said, suggesting 100 percent vaccine efficacy in adolescents, though overall very few among the 3,700 children in the study got sick.

Based on the results, Moderna said that it plans in early June to request that regulators in the United States and other countries authorize the use of its vaccine in children age 12 to 17 years old.

Brazil

Brazil reported on Tuesday 2,173 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 452,031, the country's Ministry of Health said.

A total of 73,453 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 16,194,209, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, Brazil now has about 215 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

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

Uganda

Uganda's ministry of health on Tuesday said the east African country has registered 155 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 44,074.

Out of the 2,428 samples tested on Sunday, 155 contacts and alert cases, 119 of them in the capital, Kampala, turned positive for the novel coronavirus, the ministry said in a statement issued here.

Britain

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was forced to backtrack over its attempt to restrict travel to coronavirus hotspots in England where the so-called Indian variant is spreading.

The U-turn came after ministers were accused of introducing “local lockdowns by the back door” with the new guidance against travel to eight areas in England, which was published without fanfare online late last week but didn’t reach the attention of local leaders for several days.

By late Tuesday that was downgraded to advice to “minimize travel in and out of affected areas.” The move followed a backlash from members of Parliament and local leaders over the unclear guidance, which led to the cancellation of public events and some people halting planned vacations.

“I’m really sorry it’s disrupted people’s plans,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC radio on Wednesday. “The better these things are communicated the better. We will make sure that communication - particularly with local health authorities - works as smoothly as possible in future.”

Albania

Albanian Health Ministry has decided to close all regional hospital wards dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients as new coronavirus cases in the country have dropped significantly, Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu said on Tuesday.

According to the minister, all intensive care wards opened in regional hospitals to treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19 will be closed due to the improvement of the epidemiological situation across the country.

United States

More than half of all adults in the United States have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said on Tuesday, roughly six weeks before US President Joe Biden's July 4 goal of 70 percent of the adult population receiving at least one shot.

The halfway mark comes as federal, state and local leaders press ahead with delivering COVID-19 shots to people who have not yet received them, while also battling vaccine hesitancy, fears and misinformation.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday the seven-day average case count in the United States is now below 23,000 per day, down about 25 percent from the prior week.

The seven-day average of new infections at 22,877 on Sunday was the lowest since June and less than one-tenth of its peak of more than 250,000 following the Christmas and New Year holidays, according to CDC data.

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Finland

In Finland, residents can now download or print their national COVID-19 certificate free of charge directly from the online health record system Omakanta, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

The STM has issued a decree stipulating that residents may do so if they have received a COVID-19 vaccine; have a recent negative COVID-19 test; or have immunity based on recovery.

The decree that took effect on Tuesday does not specify where the certificates can be used. The new measure is widely seen as aimed at facilitating tourist travel.

The new service will be introduced in stages. As of May 26, a national COVID-19 vaccination certificate will be made available, which will include information about the vaccines administered. From July, the system would also issue the European Union's (EU) digital COVID-19 certificate, which will include vaccination details, negative test results and proof of recovery, the STM said.

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Romania

The number of fatalities related to COVID-19 in Romania surpassed 30,000 on Tuesday, reaching 30,040 after 63 new deaths were recorded, the latest official data showed.

The total infections stood at 1,076,154, a rise of 381 over the past 24 hours, according to the data released by the Strategic Communication Group, Romania's official COVID-19 communication task force.

Currently, there are 10,999 active cases in the eastern European country, and 3,332 people are being treated in hospital, 545 of them in intensive care units, the data showed.

Morocco

A total of 8,011,014 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Morocco as of Tuesday, the Moroccan Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The statement added that the tally of people vaccinated with two doses reached 4,947,483.

Tunisia

The Tunisian scientific committee for the fight against the coronavirus described on Tuesday the COVID-19 epidemic situation in Tunisia as "worrying and serious." 

"The citizens must be cautious and follow the health protocol," Amen Allah Messaadi, a member of the committee, was quoted as saying by the Tunis Afrique Presse.

Tunisian Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 1,115 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 337,529.

The death toll from the virus rose by 69 to 12,342 in Tunisia, the ministry said in a statement.

Cuba

Cuba reported 1,291 new daily COVID-19 infections and 11 more deaths, reaching 135,499 cases and 901 deaths, the Ministry of Public Health said on Tuesday.

Havana registered another 570 new cases and continues to have the highest incidence rate in the country, the ministry's director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran said during his daily COVID-19 report.

Chile

Chile reported on Tuesday 4,188 new COVID-19 infections and 37 more deaths in one day, bringing the total caseload to 1,339,421 and death toll to 28,585, the Ministry of Health said.

According to its daily report, 1,270,769 patients have recovered from the disease, while 39,243 cases are in the active stage.

Meanwhile, Chile on Tuesday began vaccinating people under the age of 30 as part of the country's mass inoculation campaign against COVID-19, which has immunized 50 percent of the target population so far.

According to the ministry, 15,200,840 people, or 80 percent of the country's total population, will be inoculated by June 30, including about 23 percent between 18 and 29 years old.

Argentina

Argentina reported on Tuesday 576 more COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, for a total of 75,056 deaths, the Ministry of Health said, adding that there were also 24,601 new cases reported, to a total of 3,586,736.

The government decreed a lockdown that began on May 22 and will last until Sunday, in an effort to curb an exponential increase in the number of infections.

Russia

As Russia struggles to get its population to take the coronavirus vaccines heralded by President Vladimir Putin, the far east region of Yakutia is passing the strictest inoculation requirements yet.

All companies, both public-sector and private, are required to organize shots for their workers, according to a decree by the region’s chief medical authority. Employers that fail to do so may face fines, Yakutia President Aisen Nikolaev’s press service said separately.

The target is to cover at least 70 percent of all adults by July.

Canada

Canada's latest COVID-19 hotspot of Manitoba said on Tuesday it was planning to fly additional critically ill patients to other provinces as infections multiply, even as Quebec and British Columbia announced plans to ease restrictions.

A third wave reached Manitoba later than other provinces, and pushed up its rate of daily cases to 233 people per 100,000 during the past week, the highest in Canada and triple the national average, mainly due to spread in the city of Winnipeg.

Manitoba has flown 18 critically ill COVID-19 patients to Ontario hospitals in the past few days, officials said. The provincial government is also talking with Saskatchewan and North Dakota officials about receiving patients, they said in a briefing, without providing a number.

The province has scrambled to more than double its intensive care unit capacity by cancelling surgeries and occupying other spaces in hospitals.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia registered 282 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 269,782 as of Tuesday evening, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The ministry said nine new deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 4,093.

Africa

African countries have conducted over 46.9 million COVID-19 tests so far, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Wednesday.

The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), said some 930,026 COVID-19 tests were conducted by African countries during the past week, registering a 20 percent increase from the previous week of 774,076 tests.

The agency said the continental cumulative COVID-19 test positivity ratio currently stands at 10.2 percent.

Russia

Russia confirmed 8,373 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 5,026,168, the official monitoring and response center said Wednesday.

The national COVID-19 death toll rose by 406 to 119,600 in the past day.

Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 2,416 new cases, taking the city's total to 1,164,017.