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Live Updates: WHO Welcomes Start of EU Regulator's Rolling Review of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine

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The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world has topped 2.559 million and almost 115 million cases of the infection have been detected, according... 04.03.2021, Sputnik International

2021-03-04T04:52+0000

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A healthcare worker prepares a dose of Russia's coronavirus vaccine Gam-COVID-Vac, trade-named Sputnik V, at a coronavirus vaccination center at a shopping mall, in Moscow, Russia. - Sputnik International

Live Updates: WHO Welcomes Start of EU Regulator's Rolling Review of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine

04:52 GMT 04.03.2021 (Updated: 10:55 GMT 04.03.2021)

The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world has topped 2.559 million and almost 115 million cases of the infection have been detected, according to Baltimore, Maryland's Johns Hopkins University, which tracks and compiles data from national and local authorities, the media and other sources.

The United States has the highest death toll and overall coronavirus tally, with 28.7 million infected and 518,000 fatalities. It is followed by India (11.13 million cases, 157,000 deaths) and Brazil (10.7 million cases and a death toll of over 259,000), while Mexico has the third-highest death toll, with over 188,000 fatalities and over 2 million infected.

The crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic has severely affected young people in Europe, essentially costing them a whole year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Follow Sputnik’s feed to find out more.

Table of contents

00:48 GMT 05.03.2021

Death Toll From COVID-19 in Brazil Surpasses 260,000 People

20:50 GMT 04.03.2021

South Africa's Review of Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik V Underway, Health Minister Says

20:40 GMT 04.03.2021

Italy, EU Block AstraZeneca Vaccine Shipment to Australia Due to Delay in Shipping

19:48 GMT 04.03.2021

Canadian Health Official Says Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Decision to Come Down Within Week

18:52 GMT 04.03.2021

Iraq Approves Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik V

17:08 GMT 04.03.2021

France: Weekend Lockdowns Extended to Pas de Calais Region, PM Says

17:07 GMT 04.03.2021

US Treasury Announces $9Bln Emergency Fund for Communities Hardest Hit by COVID

16:32 GMT 04.03.2021

Israel, Denmark, Austria Reportedly Agree a Deal for COVID Vaccine Development

16:30 GMT 04.03.2021

Swiss Politicians Propose to Free From Quarantine Those Inoculated Against COVID-19

15:28 GMT 04.03.2021

Italy Blocks Shipment of AstraZeneca Vaccine to Australia Upon EU Scheme, Source Says

14:21 GMT 04.03.2021

Sri Lanka Approves Russian Sputnik V Cronavirus Vaccine, RDIF Says

13:46 GMT 04.03.2021

Ukraine to Get 1st Batch of Chinese Sinovac COVID Vaccine by Mid-March

13:45 GMT 04.03.2021

Hungary Tightening Coronavirus Restrictions Amid Growing Incidence Rate

13:38 GMT 04.03.2021

Croatia Ready to Order Russia's Sputnik V, Relevant Documents Requested, Prime Minister Says

13:08 GMT 04.03.2021

Sweden Detects 4,838 New COVID-19 Cases

12:40 GMT 04.03.2021

Authorities Ban All Rallies in Madrid on 8 March Because of COVID-19 Pandemic

12:26 GMT 04.03.2021

UK COVID Variant Seen as Behind Spike in Infections in Bulgaria in Past 2 Weeks, Reports Say

11:21 GMT 04.03.2021

No Talks Underway to Buy Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine, EU Says

11:08 GMT 04.03.2021

Palestine Extends State of Emergency Over COVID-19 By 1 Month

10:55 GMT 04.03.2021

WHO Welcomes Start of EU Regulator's Rolling Review of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine

10:35 GMT 04.03.2021

German Vaccine Authority Recommends AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine for Older People, Reports Say

10:27 GMT 04.03.2021

Italian Health Ministry Allows Vaccination of Recovered COVID-19 Patients With Single Dose

10:15 GMT 04.03.2021

WHO Sees Resurgence of COVID-19 Cases in Central and Eastern Europe

10:05 GMT 04.03.2021

Number of Deaths After AstraZeneca Shots in South Korea Reaches 5

08:27 GMT 04.03.2021

Russia Registers 11,385 COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours

08:27 GMT 04.03.2021

Ukraine Registers 6,385 New COVID-19 Cases

04:58 GMT 04.03.2021

Number of COVID-19 Cases in India Rises by 17,407 Over Past 24 Hours

04:52 GMT 04.03.2021

Moldova Health Ministry Approves Use of 10 Types of COVID-19 Vaccines, Including Sputnik V

04:52 GMT 04.03.2021

UK Reports 6,385 New COVID-19 Cases

New firstOld first

00:47 GMT 05.03.2021

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The number of people, who have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, has increased by 1,699 to 260,970 within the past 24 hours, the national Health Ministry said on late Thursday.

The number of confirmed cases in the country has risen by 75,102 to 10,793,732 within the same period of time. More than 9.63 million people have recovered since the start of the outbreak.

20:50 GMT 04.03.2021

JOHANNESBURG (Sputnik) - South Africa is reviewing Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V after receiving an application for registration, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday.

"At the moment they [Russia] have submitted their application for registration and the paper work is being processed," Mkhize told the National Press Club.

The minister said that he is planning to meet with the Russian ambassador amid talks with the vaccine developer.

"I will be meeting with the Ambassador to take the discussion forward because we have been interacting with the Gamaleya Institute [Sputnik V developer] … and there is quite a lot of discussion going amongst our scientists about the details and components involved inside the Sputnik V vaccine. There is quite a lot discussed at that level," he added.

20:38 GMT 04.03.2021

A vial of some of the first 500,000 of the 2-million AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine doses that Canada has secured through a deal with the Serum Institute of India in partnership with Verity Pharma at a facility in Milton, Ontario, Canada March 3, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920

EU, Italy Block Shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines to Australia Over Supply Delays

4 March 2021, 20:38 GMT

19:47 GMT 04.03.2021

TORONTO (Sputnik) - A review of the coronavirus vaccine produced by the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals will be completed soon and a regulatory decision will come down within the next seven days, Health Canada Chief Medical Advisor Supriya Sharma said during a briefing on Thursday.

“The review of the Johnson & Johnson submission is going very well, it’s progressing. And we’re expecting to have that completed and a decision in the next few days - I would say in the next seven days or so,” Sharma told reporters in Ottawa.

18:51 GMT 04.03.2021

Iraq has authorized Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V for emergency use, Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said on Thursday.

"After the approval of the (Russian Sputnik) vaccine by the Ministry of Health, and based on what was presented by Minister of Health Hassan Al-Tamimi in the Council of Ministers, he directed, in turn, direct contracting with Sputnik and [Russian pharma company] R Pharm to import the vaccine," al-Badr told the INA news agency.

He noted that the prime minister had instructed the oil minister, who is currently on a visit to Russia, to sign a contract to import the Russian vaccine.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has confirmed that Iraq became the 45th country in the world to register Sputnik V, which one of the world's top three coronavirus vaccines in terms of the number of approvals issued by national regulators.

"The total population of 45 countries which have registered Sputnik V now exceeds 1.2 billion people. The vaccine is now authorized in 8 countries of the Middle East and we are seeing rising demand for it. Sputnik V is already one of the key global vaccines to fight coronavirus," RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev added.

According to the Iraqi Health Ministry, the first 1 million doses of the Sputnik vaccine will arrive in the country within two weeks.

Iraq embarked on a coronavirus vaccination campaign on Tuesday, using China’s Sinopharm shots.

17:08 GMT 04.03.2021

17:04 GMT 04.03.2021

The US Treasury Department announced on Thursday a $9 billion Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) to provide funding to communities traditionally excluded from the financial system and ones that have struggled the most during the coronavirus crisis.

“The program will ultimately invest $9 billion in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and minority depository institutions, supporting their efforts to provide financial products for small and minority-owned businesses and consumers in low-income and underserved communities,” the Treasury Department said in a news release.

The $9 billion ECIP will also complement some $3 billion of grants provided by the CDFI Fund through the CDFI Rapid Response Program and the Emergency Support and Minority Lending Program, the release said.

“America has always had financial services deserts, places where it’s very difficult for people to get their hands on capital so they can, for example, start a business. But the pandemic has made these deserts even more inhospitable,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in the release. “The Emergency Capital Investment Program will help these places that the financial sector hasn’t typically served well. It will allow people to access capital, especially in communities of color and rural areas.”

The Treasury Department explained the programs under the ECIP were designed to provide relief at a moment when many households and small businesses were struggling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and the pain was not evenly distributed across the country.

Aside from piecemeal programs like the ECIP, the Biden administration is also working to issue through Congress a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, which will provide, among others, $1,400 checks to most Americans and grants for small businesses.

16:31 GMT 04.03.2021

16:30 GMT 04.03.2021

The Council of States, the upper house of the Swiss parliament, has supported a proposal to free those already inoculated with a coronavirus vaccine from quarantine, local media reported.

At least 19 parliamentarians voted for the proposal sponsored by politician Thomas Minder, 18 against and six abstained.

According to the latest data, the number of COVID-19 infected has reached over 561,000 people with more than 9,300 dead.

Last week, the government made a decision to ease coronavirus restrictions. Shops, museums and zoos are opened since March 1. Besides, people are allowed to gather in a group of up to 15 persons. The government stated that the gradual easing of the restrictive measures would help normalize social and economic life.

15:28 GMT 04.03.2021

14:20 GMT 04.03.2021

Russian vaccine Sputnik V in the city hospital Leninskaya CRH in the city of Leninsk. - Sputnik International, 1920

Sri Lanka Approves Russian Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine

4 March 2021, 14:20 GMT

13:45 GMT 04.03.2021

Preparations are underway to deliver the Chinese Sinovac Biotech's coronavirus vaccine to Ukraine before 15 March, Ukrainian pharmaceutical company Lekhim, the authorized representative of the Chinese manufacturer in Kiev, said on Thursday.

"The Group of Pharmaceutical Companies 'Lekhim' ... announces its intention to deliver to Ukraine the first batch of the CoronaVac vaccine by Sinovac until 15 March 2021. The shipment will be carried out by 'Lekhim,'" the company said in a statement, as cited by the national Suspilne broadcaster.

In mid-December, Kiev reached an agreement with the Chinese company to receive 1.9 million doses of its vaccine as soon as possible. Sinovac said it filed a registration application in early February and is still waiting for the answer.

Ukraine has already received the first batch of 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine from India. The country is also set to receive 117,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine through the COVAX scheme, and another 2.2 million to 3.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the first quarter of the year.

13:44 GMT 04.03.2021

The Hungarian authorities have decided to impose additional coronavirus-related restrictions amid a worsening epidemiological situation in the country, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said on Thursday.

"Gov't to tighten restrictions.‘We close now so that we can open’Nurseries, prmry schools to close until 7 Apr. All shops must remain closed 8-22 March, except food stores, pharmacies, petrol stations, drugstores. Wage support program extended to shops that have to close," Kovacs said on Twitter.

Agnes Galgoczi, the head of the national public health center, previously said that shopping malls, elementary schools and shops should be temporarily closed due to the rapid spread of coronavirus variants in Hungary. She noted that almost 700,000 Hungarians had already been vaccinated, but the third wave of coronavirus has started in Hungary with more "contagious" variants of the virus.

13:37 GMT 04.03.2021

Croatia is ready to order Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V after the national regulator's assessment, and has already requested the necessary document from the developer, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday.

"We have requested additional documentation on the Sputnik V vaccine from the Russian authorities so that we can be confident in the effectiveness and reliability of the vaccine, after which we can decide on further steps in accordance with the recommendations of HALMED [the national drug regulator] and the EU Medical Agency, which also began the verification procedure," Plenkovic was quoted as saying by the cabinet on Twitter, adding that the country "is more than ready" to order the vaccine.

13:07 GMT 04.03.2021

12:40 GMT 04.03.2021

The Spanish authorities have decided to ban all rallies related to the International Women's Day on March 8 in Madrid and the surrounding areas due to the coronavirus pandemic, the central government delegation in the country's capital said on Thursday.

"After having studied all proposals about holding demonstrations and rallies, the government delegation in the Community of Madrid has decided to ban all that was put forward ... for Sunday,7 March, and Monday, 8 March," Jose Manuel Franco, the delegate of the Spanish government.

The official explained that various events, with over 60,000 potential participants in total, had been proposed.

"The Community of Madrid is one of Spain's regions with the highest rates of infection, and there are much more hospitalized people than the national average," Franco added.

The Spanish capital has detected 261 coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the last two weeks, while the country's average is 159.

12:25 GMT 04.03.2021

Bulgaria has seen a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks due to the spread of the UK-linked coronavirus variant, national media reported, citing Health Minister Kostadin Angelov.

Of 6,182 tests for coronavirus performed over the past 24 hours, 1,154 — roughly 19 percent — came back positive, marking the highest share of positive results per day since early 2021.

According to the health minister, there has also been an increase in the number of admissions to hospitals over the past two weeks, The Sofia Globe news portal reported.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Bulgaria has confirmed as many as 253,183 cases, including 10,413 fatalities. Over 5,000 people are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.

In a bid to curb the virus, the authorities extended in late January the epidemiological emergency regime until April 30. In addition, the country is currently carrying out a mass immunization campaign, using the vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna pharmaceutical companies.

11:17 GMT 04.03.2021

"Currently no talks are ongoing to integrate the Sputnik vaccine in the portfolio," of COVID-19 shots ordered by the European Union, the spokesman said.

11:08 GMT 04.03.2021

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree extending the state of emergency over COVID-19 by 30 days starting 4 March, the official news agency, WAFA, reported on Thursday.

In late February, the authorities extended COVID-19-related restriction across the West Bank through at least March 12, according to media reports.

10:55 GMT 04.03.2021

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge praised on Thursday as "good news" the beginning of the rolling review of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine by the EU drug regulator.

"We believe that this is good news, we have been saying before that the Russian Federation does have a robust and proven past of vaccine development, manufacture, and uptake. They had a major role in the fight against polio and yellow fever among other ones. But we are always very consistent, independent of the country of origin, the same criteria go for quality, safety, and efficacy, and we desperately need to enlarge our portfolio of vaccines, so I see this as a very welcome development," Hans Henri Kluge said at a WHO press briefing.

10:35 GMT 04.03.2021

Germany authorizes the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those over 65 years old as sufficient data has surfaced proving its effectiveness, but the interval between the first and second shots will be extended to the maximum of 12 weeks, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

"The [German] vaccine commission, whose recommendations we are happy to follow, will authorize AstraZeneca for older age groups," she said during a meeting with regional health authorities.

Previously the vaccine was recommended only to people under 65 years of age due to insufficient data on its effects on older people. However, Merkel told the reporters after the meeting that recent studies had now provided enough evidence to approve it for all ages.

"The pause between the first and second shot should be used effectively, which means that the second dose should be administered at the very end of this period. For Pfizer/BioNTech it is 42 days, for AstraZeneca — 12 weeks. This way we can vaccinate the most number of people, " she said.

The German government was severely criticized for its previous stance on AstraZeneca, which fueled negative public perception of the vaccine. It resulted in mass rejections of vaccination with the vaccine, leaving the country with thousands of unopened doses.

10:27 GMT 04.03.2021

Italy has approved giving a single shot of a coronavirus vaccine to recovered patients provided that they recovered at least three months prior, the country's health ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, the initiative has already received the support of the Italian Higher Health Council, the ministry's senior advisory body.

"Vaccination [with a single dose] is to be done no earlier than three months after a diagnosed infection and preferably six months after it," the ministry said in a statement, signed by Giovanni Rezza, the head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Italian National Institute of Health, which operates under the health ministry.

Meanwhile, the ministry allowed for reconsidering the practice in case of the emergence of viral strains that pose an increased threat of repeated infection.

The Italian authorities have set an objective to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the population and achieve herd immunity by early autumn. The country has been ratcheting up its vaccination campaign, with over 120,000 people getting a vaccine daily, which is still not enough to meet the lofty goal.

10:10 GMT 04.03.2021

The "continued strain on our hospitals and health workers is being met with acts of medical solidarity between European neighbours. Nonetheless, over a year into the pandemic, our health systems should not be in this situation," WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said.

09:56 GMT 04.03.2021

Number of Deaths After AstraZeneca Shots in South Korea Reaches 5, Health Authorities Say

4 March 2021, 10:05 GMT

08:27 GMT 04.03.2021

Russia registered 11,385 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, up from 10,535 the day before, taking the overall tally to 4,290,135, the coronavirus response centre said on Thursday.

"Over the past day, 11,385 coronavirus cases were confirmed across 85 regions, including 1,409 cases (12.4 percent) that were detected actively, with people showing no clinical symptoms," the centre said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 4,290,135, with the rate of increase at 0.27 percent.

Moscow confirmed 2,150 new coronavirus cases over the given period, up from 1,284 the day before. The Russian capital was followed by St. Petersburg with 986 new cases, up from 962 the day before, and the Moscow Region with 693 new cases, up from 691 on Wednesday.

The response centre reported 475 COVID-19 fatalities, up from 452 the day before, raising the country's death toll to 87,823.

Total recoveries increased by 16,123 over the given period, up from 15,694 the day before, and reached 3,869,857.

06:58 GMT 04.03.2021

04:58 GMT 04.03.2021

India has confirmed 17,407 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with the total number of those infected having reached 11,156,923, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday.

The death toll from the disease has reached 157,435 people, with 89 new fatalities being recorded over the past day. More than 10.82 million people have recovered in India since the start of the outbreak.

04:52 GMT 04.03.2021

The Moldovan Health Ministry's national advisory committee of immunization experts decided to use 10 types of vaccines against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), including the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, the ministry said in a statement.

"The national advisory committee of immunization experts held a meeting on March 3 to discuss the vaccination process. The committee members approved the use of vaccines in Moldova, which received authorizations in the countries of origin and were included in the WHO lists," the ministry said.

Thus, the use of the following types of vaccines was approved: Pfizer BioNTech, AstraZeneca - UK, AstraZeneca - Sk Bio, AstraZeneca - SII, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Moderna, Janssen, The Gamaleya National Center (Sputnik V), CanSinoBio. The list may be expanded, it said.

04:52 GMT 04.03.2021