(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Cases soar anew in Europe
Austria entered its fourth national lockdown on Monday after tens of thousands of people, many of them far-right supporters, protested in Vienna against renewed curbs on movement as Europe again becomes the epicentre of the pandemic.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia banned unvaccinated people from pubs and services after a surge in cases filled hospitals’ intensive care wards, with most of the seriously patients not inoculated.
People were lining up for COVID-19 shots outside Budapest’s main hospitals on Monday as Hungary for the first time offered vaccinations without prior registration.
Germany will promote Moderna for Germans seeking booster shots as high demand for the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine risks depleting stocks and derailing efforts to tame a fourth wave, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday lashed out at “idiot” rioters who rampaged through cities across the Netherlands this weekend in protests against coronavirus policies.
Police and protesters clashed in the streets of Brussels on Sunday in demonstrations over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, with police firing water cannon and tear gas at demonstrators throwing rocks and smoke bombs.
U.S. vaccine mandates
The White House is set to announce Monday that more than 90% of 3.5 million federal employees covered by a presidential COVID-19 vaccine mandate have received at least one vaccine dose ahead of a Monday deadline, Biden administration officials told Reuters.
In total, the administration has deemed 95% of federal workers comply with its requirements in that either they have been vaccinated or are completing vaccinations, or they have a pending religious or medical exemption request, the officials said.
The U.S. Marine Corps is set to have the worst vaccination record among military branches, with thousands of active-duty personnel set to miss the service’s Nov. 28 deadline to be fully inoculated.
Living with the virus in Australia, New Zealand
New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the coronavirus virus from Dec. 3, which will end tough restrictions and allow businesses to operate in its biggest city, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from the start of December, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, the latest step to restart international travel and support its economy.
No boosters in India
India is not considering authorising booster COVID-19 vaccine doses yet as many in the country have been naturally infected and the government believes two doses offer sufficient protection for now, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Back to school
For the first time since South Korea began battling its coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, all schools across the country resumed full-time in-person classes on Monday.
As the first country outside China to face a major outbreak of the virus, South Korea’s schools have seen various stages of shutdowns, remote learning, and hybrid arrangements.
Pfizer trial
Pfizer said on Monday its vaccine provided strong long-term protection against the virus in a late-stage study conducted among adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.
A two-dose series of the vaccine was 100% effective against COVID-19, measured seven days through over four months after the second dose, the company said.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
