(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
COVID vaccine rollout slow and uncertain in Europe -sources
Many European Union nations say they are receiving lower-than-expected supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and complain in internal meetings of uncertainty over future deliveries, EU officials told Reuters, as distribution proceeds unevenly among EU states.
Trust in vaccines put at risk by European regulator hack
Europe’s medicines regulator said some of the emails leaked on the internet from the cyber attack it disclosed last month had been manipulated by the perpetrators in a way which could undermine trust in vaccines. (https://bit.ly/3idxkS1)
Biden to unveil vaccine distribution plan
President-elect Joe Biden will on Friday outline his plan to ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 as he prepares to take office amid soaring infection rates and an early rollout by the Trump administration he called “a dismal failure”.
Some U.S. nursing home residents face vaccine delays
A former Arkansas health official is sounding alarms about the pace of coronavirus vaccines being administered to residents of long-term care facilities under a U.S. plan that puts major pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens in charge of many of the shots.
Global polls shows higher mistrust of Russia, China shots
People across the world are generally likely to say yes to getting a COVID-19 vaccine, but would be more distrustful of shots made in China or Russia than those developed in Germany or the United States, an international poll showed on Friday.
China rolls out vaccine to developing nations
China is stealing a march on Western drugmakers in the COVID-19 vaccine race in developing nations, with Indonesia and Turkey rolling out huge campaigns with a Chinese shot this week, Brazil to follow soon, and even EU member Hungary signing up.
COVID infections in Germany pass 2 million mark
Germany surpassed 2 million coronavirus infections and the death toll from the pandemic reached almost 45,000, experts said on Friday, a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded “very fast action” to curb the deadly virus.
Europe’s biggest economy and most populous country managed the pandemic better than neighbours last spring. But it has seen a sharp rise in cases and deaths recently and daily per capita mortality has often exceeded the U.S. rate since mid-December.
Japan caught off-guard by scant testing; closes borders
Japan missed opportunities to coordinate coronavirus testing and secure hospital beds in the months before the latest wave of infections, health officials, doctors and experts say, missteps that hampered its response as winter set in.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh and Philippa Fletcher)
