Live Updates: Italy Not Ruling Out Purchase of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine

Since January, the EU has been facing delays in the deliveries of vaccines as producers fail to meet the growing demand. In early March, the bloc's immunization campaign facing another blow as a number of countries suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over reported adverse effects, namely the development of blood clots.

The global death toll from the coronavirus infection has topped 2.699 million; more than 122 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 remains the hardest-hit country in the world, with more than 29.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic erupted. It is followed by Brazil (over 11.7 million cases) and India (more than 11.5 million cases).

Meanwhile, European countries are resuming inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found no evidence that the jab was associated with an increased risks of blood clotting. The vaccine has lately been under intense scrutiny in light of reports about some recipients developing blood clots after vaccination.

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