Israel has started administering doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine tailored to fight the highly infectious omicron variant.

Scientists estimate that nearly 20 million lives were saved worldwide by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year.

Will you be vaccinating your child?

Germany’s health ministry says the country may have to discard 3 million doses of expired COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June.

We might not be able to claim that 2021 was *the* wildest year in recent history (2020 will likely get that credit for quite some time), but it might be a close second.

Public health authorities in Greece have stepped up a campaign to deliver booster shots to seniors and people with mobility difficulties at home, with some agencies using taxi companies to take healthcare workers to where the vaccinations are needed.

With the omicron variant looming, the mayor of Miami-Dade County has reinstated an emergency order requiring hospitals to report the numbers of COVID-19 cases treated each day and the availability of hospital beds.

Officials say a U.S. Navy commander has been fired from his job as the executive officer of a warship because he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine as required and refused to be tested for the virus.

The European Union drugs regulator has authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for use on children aged from 5 to 11 years.

Israel has begun administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

Austrian media are reporting that young children in Vienna can start getting coronavirus vaccinations next week as part of a pilot project.

Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older.

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech says its earnings grew again in the third quarter.

Senegal and Rwanda have signed an agreement with German company BioNTech for the construction of its first start-to-finish factories to make messenger RNA vaccines in Africa.

U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to pre-order doses starting next week.

Pfizer has submitted research to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children but the shots may not be available until November.

Pfizer has submitted its clinical trial data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 as it moves closer to seeking approval for expanded use of the shots.

Pfizer has submitted research to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children as it moves closer to seeking approval for expanded use of the shots.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) said Tuesday it will wait on recommendations from the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) before releasing a plan to administer booster doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is hopeful that younger children will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is urging countries to ramp up their primary coronavirus vaccine programs and playing down the need for booster shots among the general public.

Taiwan has received its first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Asian shares are gaining, boosted by a near-record rise on Wall Street.

Now that the Pfizer vaccine has full FDA approval, does this change your mind about getting vaccinated?

Israel’s government on Wednesday advanced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions, including sweeping implementation of a digital vaccine passport and tighter restrictions on mass gatherings, as the country struggles with skyrocketing new infections.

Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. have now had at least one vaccine dose, the White House announced Monday.

A third COVID-19 shot from one of America’s top vaccine makers ]might boost protection against the delta variant that’s spreading rapidly across the county.

The husband and wife team who helped develop the first COVID-19 vaccine are contributing to a book.

The head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said Monday that there is no need to waive patents on coronavirus vaccines because manufacturers will be able to produce enough shots to supply the world over the coming year.

Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted a request to the European drug regulator for the approval of their coronavirus vaccine to be extended to include children aged 12 to 15 years old, in a move that could offer younger and less at-risk populations in Europe access to the shot for the first time.

South Korea has begun administering fast-track COVID-19 vaccines to athletes, coaches and others expected to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

A U.S. health panel says it’s time to resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite a very rare risk of blood clots.

For the first time in a year, Mexican school children have returned to classrooms — at least in the southern state of Campeche.

Floridians ages 16 and up can now sign up for a one-time opportunity to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Flagler County, the county announced Thursday.

European countries are diverging on whether to push ahead with giving residents Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of very rare blood clots in a handful of recipients in the United States.

A leading international rights group says Lebanon’s vaccination campaign has been slow and risks leaving behind some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, announced updated results Thursday from their ongoing late-stage study of more than 44,000 volunteers.

— Wyoming’s governor is rejecting a call by President Joe Biden for states to reimpose mask orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus cases nationwide are on the rise, but infections in Wyoming have fallen off sharply since December. Tribal health officials said that the United Kingdom strain was confirmed in a sample obtained in the western part of the reservation. State health officials on Monday announced more than 1 million people in the state, about 17% of Wisconsin’s population, have completed their vaccination cycles. AdThe COVID-related hospitalizations dropped to 549 on Monday, far below the pandemic record of 5,082 on Jan. 11, according to the state’s pandemic dashboard.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)BEIRUT – The government of war-torn Syria said Wednesday it will send emergency oxygen supplies to neighboring Lebanon, which has experienced shortages amid a surge of coronavirus infections in both countries. Lebanon Health Minister Hamad Hassan told Lebanon’s al-Manar TV the oxygen was a “direct gift” from Syrian President Bashar Assad, who responded to Lebanon's humanitarian request for the oxygen. The amount going to Lebanon, reported to be 75 tons by Syrian media, won't impact needs in Syria, he said. A vaccination campaign began in Lebanon last month, with over 970,000 people registered to be vaccinated and some 156,000 doses already administered. Syria said it has received some vaccines but it has yet to launch a national vaccination campaign.

People queue up outside a vaccination center for BioNTech in Hong Kong Wednesday, March 24, 2021. Hong Kong suspended vaccinations using Pfizer shots - known as BioNTech shots in the city - on Wednesday after they were informed by its distributor Fosun that one batch had defective bottle lids. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)HONG KONG – Hong Kong suspended use of the Pfizer vaccine Wednesday after its Chinese distributor informed the city that one batch had defective bottle lids. The semi-autonomous territory of Macao also said Wednesday that its residents will not receive the Pfizer shots from the same batch. The two vaccines are the only ones that were offered to residents in Hong Kong.

It was also the first time in a week all five federal- and state-supported vaccination sites in Duval County administered more than 60% of their total vaccine supply. The day before the vaccine age requirement dropped to 50 and over, the federal vaccination site at Gateway Mall administered shots to 500 people. In addition to retail pharmacies and federally-supported and state-run vaccination sites in Jacksonville, a pop-up vaccination clinic near Jacksonville’s historic Springfield neighborhood was set up Tuesday. The clinic offered 250 shots of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine without appointments. Shelton said she is medically vulnerable and came to the pop-up vaccination clinic specifically to get a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Ozlem Tureci founder of the BioNTech company speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, March 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)BERLIN – The scientist who won the race to deliver the first widely used coronavirus vaccine says people can rest assured the shots are safe, and the technology behind it will soon be used to fight another global scourge — cancer. “There is a very rigid process in place and the process does not stop after a vaccine has been approved,” she said. “We have several different cancer vaccines based on mRNA," said Tureci, who is BioNTech's chief medical officer. “You began with a drug to treat cancer in a single individual,” Steinmeier told the couple.

Partial vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 63% effective in preventing new infections in residents at two nursing facilities, a report released Monday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. The findings are similar to other first-dose effectiveness estimates for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the broader adult population in non-congregate settings. Another 154,255 people in Florida long-term care facilities are fully vaccinated due to the program. Meanwhile, according to the latest state data, 3,478 nursing-home and long-term care residents are COVID-19 positive. At least 10,860 long-term care residents and staff members have died of COVID-19, according to the state.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)ATLANTA – Georgia will expand COVID-19 vaccine criteria starting Monday to everyone 55 and older, plus younger adults who are overweight or have serious health conditions, making more than two-thirds of Georgians who are 16 and older eligible for vaccination. The same data show Georgia has administered the lowest share of doses delivered among states, with more than one-third of doses still awaiting injection. At the rate shots were given in Georgia last week according to state numbers, that’s more than three weeks of supply. That’s where we are,” said Amber Schmidtke, an epidemiologist who writes a daily report about COVID-19 in Georgia. Adults younger than 55 who will qualify include those who have asthma, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Georgia teachers and other school and child care employees gained access to the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, per the latest executive order from Gov. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and parents of children with complex medical conditions are now also able to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia under new guidelines issued last week. Blackstone said his teachers are relieved and excited to sign up for their shots. He said he will wait until his teachers and staff get vaccinated before he gets a shot himself. “In addition to becoming eligible for vaccines through the Health Department, Southeast Georgia Health System, and local retail providers, our employees have been given the opportunity to register for a vaccine clinic next weekend,” Tucker said.

(Jerome Favre/Pool Photo via AP)HONG KONG – South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency has allowed health workers to squeeze extra doses from vials of coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Pfizer. However, she said the KDCA isn’t allowing health workers from combining vaccines left in different bottles to create more doses. South Korea, which launched its public vaccination campaign on Friday, is administering the AstraZeneca shots to residents and workers at long-term care facilities and the Pfizer ones to front-line medical workers. Registration details for those wishing to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech shots haven't been announced yet. Sri Lankan began its inoculation drive in January starting with health workers.

(Malaysia Health Ministry via AP)Many nations in the Asia-Pacific region are rolling out the first shots for COVID-19 this week. AUSTRALIATwo elderly people have been administered with higher-than-prescribed doses of the Pfizer vaccine, Australia’s health minister said Wednesday. Thai officials have said they had secured an additional deal with AstraZeneca for a total of 61 million doses. More than half a million health care and front-line workers will be given priority in the first phase. CHINAChinese regulators are looking at two more potential COVID-19 vaccines, one from state-owned company Sinopharm and another from a private company, CanSino.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)BEIRUT – The World Bank threatened Tuesday to suspend financing for coronavirus vaccines in Lebanon as it investigated suspected favoritism amid accusations that lawmakers were inoculated in parliament without prior approval. The World Bank is a major financier of Lebanon’s coronavirus campaign and has approved $34 million to pay for vaccines for 2 million people. The vaccination campaign began Feb. 14 and Lebanon has so far received nearly 60,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The World Bank and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have signed an agreement for independent monitoring of the coronavirus vaccination campaign in Lebanon. The World Bank “may suspend financing for vaccines and support for COVID19 response across Lebanon!

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to clobber the aviation industry, Emirates Airlines, the Middle Easts biggest airline is seeking to play a vital role in the global vaccine delivery effort. The arrival was part of an effort by the Middle East's biggest airline to pivot from shuttling people to shipping cargo — and grabbing a central role in the global vaccine delivery race. The key transit hub, previously used for the global shipment of pharmaceuticals, is now at the center of a growing vaccine supply network based in the United Arab Emirates. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, reported as being 95% effective, must be preserved at the frigid temperature of negative 70 Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit). On the one hand, the federation of seven emirates is accelerating efforts to import vaccines despite supply lags.

SAVANNAH, GA - DECEMBER 15: A nurse shows off a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine outside of the Chatham County Health Department on December 15, 2020 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)The Georgia Department of Public Health on Saturday reported 2,422 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of Saturday, a total of 803,349 confirmed cases had been reported by the state Department of Public Health. Ad(Note: There are variations in the day-to-day data reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health. At times, cases and deaths are removed from the overall running total reported by the Department of Public Health.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Pfizer and BioNTech have begun a clinical trial of their COVID-19 vaccine on pregnant women as they aim to examine the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness among expecting mothers. The drugmakers announced the trials Thursday, saying about 4,000 healthy pregnant women will be part of the months-long study. Besides testing the vaccine’s effects on pregnant women, the study will also evaluate how it affects infants and whether antibodies are passed along from mother to child. “The reality is, you want that protection throughout the whole pregnancy period,” Dr. Reza said. He said pregnant women should speak with their primary doctor and OBGYN about their risk and exposure to the virus.

The news came only hours after Pfizer and BioNTech said they had signed a deal to deliver an additional 200 million vaccine doses to the bloc. Von der Leyen also unveiled EU plans to better detect virus variants and to speed up the approval of adapted vaccines capable of countering them. Authorities in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, expressed concerns that some people appeared less willing to take the AstraZeneca vaccine than those made by Moderna or Pfizer. Ad“The authorized AstraZeneca vaccine isn't a second-class vaccine,” the state's health ministry said. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech confirmed that they, too, have finalized an agreement to supply the EU with another 200 million vaccine doses.

Fauci won a $1 million award from the Israeli Dan David Foundation for courageously defending science during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)TEL AVIV, Israel — Dr. Anthony Fauci has won the $1 million Dan David Prize for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The shots were supplied by Pfizer, which has a contract to sell 10 million vaccines to Colombia. The U.K.’s rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines to the most at-risk groups has also helped. The good news: Many of the new COVID-19 vaccines are made with new, flexible technology that’s easy to upgrade.

Coronavirus cases are continuing to decline in the U.S. after a winter surge. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in the country dropped below 100,000 on Friday, Feb. 12 for the first time since November 4. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)ATLANTA – Average daily new coronavirus cases in the United States dipped below 100,000 in recent days for the first time in months, but experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the pandemic must remain in place. That average dropped below 100,000 on Friday for the first time since Nov. 4. “We are still at about 100,000 cases a day.

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2021, file photo, a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 is prepared at a vaccination center of the 3rd district, in Paris. Japan on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and said it would start nationwide inoculations within days, but months behind the U.S. and many other countries. Japans health ministry said it had approved the vaccine co-developed and supplied by Pfizer Inc. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)TOKYO – Japan on Sunday formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and said it would start nationwide inoculations within days, but months behind the U.S. and many other countries. Japan’s health ministry said it had approved the vaccine co-developed and supplied by Pfizer Inc. Under the current plan, about 20,000 front-line medical workers at hospitals in Japan will get their first shots beginning around Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 504 new coronavirus cases for the latest 24-hour period. Although coronavirus cases stayed relatively low in Japan last year compared to the United States and Europe, infections have been climbing recently. Kate Brown says outdoor contact sports, including high school football, can resume this week amid a decline in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. On Wednesday, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute reported 8,072 new virus cases and 813 deaths in 24 hours. ___MADRID — Spain’s official 14-day rate of coronavirus cases has fallen to 584, from a peak of 900 two weeks ago.

FILE - Residents wait to be cleared after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at The Palace assisted living facility, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – More than 2 million people in Florida have been vaccinated against COVID-19, with most age 65 and older, according to numbers released Monday by the state Department of Health. Florida topped 2 million people vaccinated on Sunday, with the total at 2,016,291. That included 1,322,426 people who had received first doses of vaccines and 693,865 who had completed two-dose series. Ron DeSantis focused on vaccinating seniors, 1,481,132 of the people who had been vaccinated were age 65 and older. “A third or more of the seniors in Florida have gotten one shot,” DeSantis said Monday during an appearance in Miami.

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Friday reported 3,620 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of Friday, a total of 766,604 confirmed cases had been reported by the state Department of Public Health. The agency on Friday reported 98 additional confirmed deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 13,146 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic. (Note: There are variations in the day-to-day data reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health. At times, cases and deaths are removed from the overall running total reported by the Department of Public Health.)

(Pfizer Media Relations via AP)NEW YORK – Pfizer, the first company to get U.S. emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine, swung to a small profit in the fourth quarter as it started shipping vaccines globally. Excluding one-time items, adjusted earnings came to 42 cents per share, or 4 cents shy of Wall Street projections. Initial COVID-19 vaccine sales late in the year came to $154 million. AdPfizer also posted revenue of $1.5 billion from its business making sterile injectable drugs, and $1.4 billion in revenue from partnerships. For all of 2020, Pfizer reported net income of $9.6 billion, or $1.71 per share, on revenue of $41.9 billion.

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)BRUSSELS – The European Union on Monday defended its flagging coronavirus vaccine program, which has come under criticism from the World Health Organization, EU states and recently departed member Britain. Britain’s media had a feast, depicting the EU as untrustworthy, though the U.K. government kept a low profile on the issue. Ad“These are things which happen when you are working at full speed to deal with a developing situation,” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said. Gallina said the bloc expects to have received 400 million doses by the end of June. Still, critics have said that the European Commission should have started clinching contracts much earlier.

Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantzs office said Sundya, Jan. 31, 2021, that Israel has agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinians to immunize front-line medical workers. It is the first time that Israel has confirmed the transfer of vaccines to the Palestinians. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)JERUSALEM – Israel has agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinians to immunize front-line medical workers, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s office announced Sunday. It was the first time that Israel has confirmed the transfer of vaccines to the Palestinians, who lag far behind Israel's aggressive vaccination campaign and have not yet received any vaccines. The campaign includes Israel's Arab citizens and Palestinians living in annexed east Jerusalem.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The National Guard is sending airmen from the 125th Fighter Wing to assist with COVID-19 vaccinations at Jacksonville’s only state run-site. Sixty airmen will help vaccinate those eligible to get the shot at Regency Square Mall. They’ve provided a variety of support, including testing, screening, food distribution and traffic control support. “The opportunity to serve our citizens is the very reason that I chose to enlist in the Florida National Guard. Regency opens at 9 a.m. and will vaccinate those 65 and up and health care workers until 5 p.m.

At least one in three Americans say they will not get a COVID vaccine when it becomes available to them. One myth floating around is a vaccine will make you test positive. A COVID-19 vaccine will not make you test positive for a current COVID infection on a viral test. However, you could test positive on some antibody tests if you develop an immune response. One of the most common myths is vaccines give you the virus.

Moskowitz said that if Florida had the supply, it has the capacity to administer as many as 250,000 doses a day. Supply continues to be the number one issue facing vaccine rollout. “They know it’s a supply issue. Every state knows it’s a supply issue. You know it’s a supply issue,” Moskowitz said.

A nurse administers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a resident at DomusVi nursing home in Alcala Henares, Spain, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)GENEVA – National tensions are erupting over slow coronavirus vaccine rollouts and production delay issues are real, but “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” the European chief for the World Health Organization said Thursday. The cautionary note comes as the EU has accused pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca of failing to deliver the coronavirus vaccine doses that it promised to the 27-nation bloc despite getting EU funding to ramp up vaccine production. The company says the production issues at EU plants are slowing the amount of vaccines available, and it can't give what it does not have. Fellow vaccine maker Pfizer has had supply issues too, due to a production upgrade at a plant in Belgium.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – State health officials in Florida say if coronavirus vaccine doses at state vaccination clinics are set to expire and have gone unused, the state will immediately relocate the doses. The Florida Division of Emergency Management press secretary gave the example of doses hours away from spoiling being delivered to long-term care facilities or to another site in the area. Medical workers at the state vaccination clinic at Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville asked bystanders in the parking lot on Jan. 21 if they wanted to be vaccinated. AdFlorida Department of Health in Duval County officials could only speak for the Prime Osborn vaccination site, which is only administering second doses of the Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. UF Health epidemiologist Chad Neilsen says planning for unused doses on the brink of expiration is a dilemma medical institutions across the country are facing.

(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)ATLANTA – Georgia House lawmakers want to shift more money into public health and nursing homes, saying the state needs to spend more in response to the coronavirus pandemic. House lawmakers propose adding nearly $34 million into the state Department of Public Health, after Gov. Brian Kemp had proposed no new spending from state money, instead relying on federal coronavirus relief for now. Of the money for public health, $18 million would go to modernize and replace the computer system that tracks immunizations statewide. Public Health would also get $15.4 million more to increase support for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which provides HIV/AIDS medications to low income people.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Johns County announced it will begin administering second dose COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday at the Solomon Calhoun Community Center, 1300 Duval Street. Second dose vaccines will be administered by appointment only and have been allocated to those who received their first dose vaccination from St. Johns County or the Department of Health-St. Johns. More appointments for the first dose for Florida seniors age 65 and older and frontline health care workers will be made available when St. Johns County receives additional vaccines. For more information on St. Johns County’s COVID-19 vaccination program, please call the St. Johns County COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 904.295.3711 (dial all 10 digits), text SJCVACCINE to 888777, or visit www.sjcfl.us/coronavirusvaccinations. The 14 Publix store pharmacies in St. Johns County are also giving vaccines.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Within about 2 ½ hours Friday, all Publix COVID-19 vaccine appointments were booked up, including at locations in St. Johns and Flagler counties. The Publix vaccine appointments are for health care workers, people age 65 and up and long-term residents and staff. As the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine continues, more retailers are expected to help with the distribution. According to its website, Winn-Dixie plans to offer the vaccine to people, health care workers and long-term residents first. COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Northeast FloridaWalmart said it’s prepared to administer the COVID-19 vaccine at its more than 5,000 stores and Sam’s Club pharmacies nationwide when it’s asked to do so.

People sit and relax after receiving their Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination at Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Salisbury Cathedral opened its doors for the second time as a venue for the Sarum South Primary Care Network COVID-19 Local Vaccination Service. Almost 5.9 million doses of vaccine had been administered by Saturday. It is giving them at doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and vaccination centers set up in conference halls, sports stadiums and other large venues. The U.K. has recorded 97,329 deaths among people who tested positive, including 1,348 new deaths reported Saturday.

LONDON – A major British doctors' group says the U.K. government should “urgently review” its decision to give people a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first, rather than the shorter gap recommended by the manufacturer and the World Health Organization. The U.K., which has Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, adopted the policy in order to give as many people as possible a first dose of vaccine quickly. AstraZeneca has said it believes a first dose of its vaccine offers protection after 12 weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the efficacy of its jab after such a long gap. Britain has recorded 97,329 deaths among people who tested positive, the highest confirmed virus toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world. Pubs, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues and many shops are closed, and people are required to stay largely at home.

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2020 file photo, Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Mich. Pfizer has committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable vaccines to 92 poor and middle-income countries. The deal announced Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 will supply the shots to the program known as COVAX. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)Pfizer on Friday committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable shots to poor and middle-income countries. New York-based Pfizer Inc. had not previously committed to providing its COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries without making a profit during the pandemic, as a couple rivals have. Many public health officials have expressed skepticism that the Pfizer vaccine could be successfully kept so cold across the globe.

But a line of frustrated seniors outside the Mandarin Senior Center on Friday morning said they didn’t get the updated message. Otherwise, both senior center sites are now closed to new patients. Seniors must go to the same senior center where they received the first vaccine to get their second dose. The vaccine given at the Prime Osborn was the Moderna vaccine, which requires patients to wait 28 days before receiving a second dose. The vaccine given at the city’s senior center sites was the Pfizer vaccine, which requires a second dose 21 days after the first.

“People are calling my office desperate, yelling, screaming,” State Sen. Lori Berman said. Based on the last reported numbers, there were more than 40,000 Floridians classified as being overdue for their second shot. To the dismay of some lawmakers, the health department decided Wednesday to stop publishing those statistics. “No one is overdue for their second dose, but rather, will be eligible for their second dose,” he said. “So that we can provide clarity and comfort and answers to Floridians that are waiting their turn,” Eskamani said.

People recieve their Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination inside Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)BRUSSELS – Frustration is mounting from Europe to North America over reduced shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine while the U.S. pharmaceutical company increases production capacity at its Belgian plant. Overall, the EU is slated to get up to 600 million doses from Pfizer. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine authorized for use in the U.K. the EU and the United States. “I would not stop until we get these vaccines.”The European Union is likely to pursue Pfizer with a different weapon but equal fervor.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County received an allotment of 1,950 Pfizer vaccines from the State of Florida this week and appointments filled up just over an hour after they were opened Thursday morning. All appointments were filled by 10:11 a.m., according to a text alert from the countyThe limited number of COVID-19 vaccines St. Johns County receives from the State of Florida determines appointment availability. More appointments will be opened when St. Johns County receives additional vaccines. Those who receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine through St. Johns County will leave with an appointment scheduled for the second dose. For updates regarding St. Johns County’s COVID-19 vaccination program, visit www.sjcfl.us/coronavirusvaccinations or text SJCVACCINE to 888777.

A Chinese province grappling with a spike in coronavirus cases is reinstating tight restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family gatherings, threatening violators with criminal charges. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING — China is now dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans. ___WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming White House press secretary says his administration does not intend to lift coronavirus travel restrictions for Europe, the U.K., Ireland and Brazil. ___MADRID — Spain’s Health Ministry has confirmed 84,287 new known coronavirus cases since Friday amid a post-Christmas virus surge. He said 21 people had died from the virus in the past three days, bringing the colony's total virus deaths to 45 since the start of the pandemic.

Israel has struck a deal with Pfizer, promising to share vast troves of medical data with the drugmaker in exchange for the continued flow of its COVID-19 vaccine. Neither Israel nor Pfizer would say how much Israel has paid for the vaccines, though Edelstein called it a “classical win-win” for both sides. Israel had already announced the acquisition of millions of vaccine doses before the Pfizer deal was announced. But the Palestinians and major human rights groups say Israel remains an occupying power and is responsible for providing them vaccines. With tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians working in Israel and its West Bank settlements, experts say Israel should share vaccines on ethical and practical grounds.

Ron DeSantis said stories of the rich flying to Florida, getting vaccinated and returning home are overblown. He said a registration system could help alleviate the strain counties are now under as they deliver vaccinations. Since then, the governor has sought to widen the number of vaccination sites. Although some snowbirds who own homes in Florida say they have gotten vaccines while here in the Sunshine State. At some vaccination sites, seniors have had to be turned away because vaccine allotments had dried up.

When it comes to mental and emotional health, older adults in the United States are showing resilience and persevering despite struggles with loneliness and isolation, the latest self-reported results in an ongoing study suggest. About half as many older adults now report they are very happy or extremely happy, and an increasing number report occasional feelings of depression or isolation. Other interesting findings from the responses:—About one-fifth of older adults in the study said they’d had no in-person contact with family and friends outside their own households during the pandemic. —At the same time, at least half of older adults “have not reduced their frequency of in-person contact with friends and family not living with them" since the pandemic began. “There’s a lot we don’t appreciate about how well people do cope with age,” said Hawkley, who specializes in researching loneliness and social isolation in older adults.

But the decision perplexed some county officials who say they don’t even have enough doses right now to vaccinate those who were already eligible. California has received more than 2.4 million vaccine doses as of Monday, but only a third of them have been used. This is about life and death,” Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said. So can you send us 4 million doses?”About 375 miles (600 kilometers) to the north, Santa Clara County officials made their pitch to Gov. Santa Clara County wants at least 85% of its eligible residents vaccinated by Aug. 1.

"Almost everybody will understand that there was no other choice because numbers are not falling fast enough and we are now also have to face the threat of the British corona variant,” Rutte said, as he said the lockdown will last until Feb. 9. Under the lockdown, all schools and nonessential shops are closed, along with public venues such as cinemas, museums and libraries. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that the variant now makes up 2-5% of Dutch infections. Confirmed new COVID-19 infections over the last week fell 12% to 49,398, the institute said, while hospital admissions for people with the coronavirus fell 18% and new COVID-19 patients in intensive care units declined by 12%. The overall Dutch death toll from COVID-19 now stands at more than 12,500.

Albanian prime minister Edi Rama receives the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Rama was among the first to take the COVID-19 vaccine which the country has received from an undisclosed European Union member country. The Prime Minister said he was "not authorized" to say which EU country had provided 975 vaccines. Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was “not authorized” to say which EU country had provided 975 doses to the Balkan nation. The vaccinations Albania gave Monday are sure to spark some envy in other Balkan countries.

The Southeast Georgia Health District that began scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations for those 65-years-old and older and their caregivers on Thursday has been overwhelmed by demand. Emergency first responders, healthcare workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities are also eligible for the vaccine during the current phase. The Coastal Health District, which serves the counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh, said there are about 100,000 people in that age group in the area. We sincerely hope that shortly there will be a community-wide network of providers (pharmacies, private physicians, health clinics, etc.) Your health department is staffed by a dedicated, scrappy bunch, but we are small and the task is large.

(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand will soon require that travelers from most countries show negative coronavirus tests before they leave for New Zealand. Public health officials announced plans Monday to replace the state’s distribution plan and direct providers to concurrently vaccinate high-risk groups. State health officials report more than 13,000 coronavirus patients currently in hospitals statewide, and nearly 30,000 deaths since the pandemic started. ___ATLANTA — Georgia’s plan to expand access to the coronavirus vaccine for people over 65 is off to a rocky start. ___AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan has received its first shipment of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine before its vaccination drive kicks off this week.

An employee of the Municipal Health Service GGD administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a health care worker at a coronavirus vaccination facility in Houten, central Netherlands, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)GENEVA – World Health Organization experts on Friday issued recommendations that the interval between administration of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus can be extended to up to six weeks. It said an interval of 21 to 28 days between the doses is recommended. The agency also said it also does not recommend COVID-19 vaccination of travelers unless they face high risks or qualify as priority cases. It also cited a lack of evidence about whether vaccination reduces the risk of transmission of the virus to other people.

Syringes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sit in a tray in a vaccination room at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)New research suggests Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a mutation found in the two more-contagious variants of the coronavirus that have erupted in Britain and South Africa. Bushman, who wasn't involved with the Pfizer study, cautioned that it tested just one vaccine against one worrisome mutation. Pfizer and researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston conducted laboratory tests to see if that mutation could thwart the vaccine. The Pfizer study found that the vaccine appeared to work against 15 additional possible mutations, but E484K wasn’t among those tested.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A newly formed task force aimed at vaccinating Florida’s Black community for COVID-19 convened for the first time Wednesday morning. The newly formed task force has made vaccinating 60% to 70% of Black Floridians for COVID-19 its mission. The task force is faced with the difficult task of overcoming historical distrust of the medical system among the Black community. Task force members applauded the governor’s use of Black churches as vaccine distribution centers. The task force has reached out to the governor and asked to collaborate with the state’s vaccination efforts.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)Beginning Monday, COVID-19 vaccinations in the Coastal Health District and Southeast Health District of Georgia will be available to adults age 65 and older, their caregivers and emergency first responders. The Coastal Health District includes Camden and Glynn counties, and the Southeast Health District includes Brantley, Charlton, Pierce and Ware counties. Vaccination of health care workers is already underway in those counties and will continue as the program expands. Camden, GlynnAll health departments in the eight-county Coastal Health District will begin scheduling vaccination appointments by phone on Thursday, Jan. 7. “We are very excited to start this next phase, and we expect a lot of phone calls,” said Dr. Lawton Davis, Health Director of the Coastal Health District.

His South Carolina counterpart warned health care workers they have until Jan. 15 to get a shot or move to the back of the line. If health workers aren’t lining up fast enough, he said, it is OK to expand eligibility to lower-priority groups. Across much of the nation, health care workers and nursing home residents are being given priority for the initial, limited supplies of the vaccine at this stage. Henry McMaster of South Carolina warned that health care workers will lose their place in line if they don't move quickly to get their shots. But Cuomo immediately shot down that idea, saying, “We need to get the health care population done first because they are the front line."

The Dutch government has come under fierce criticism for its late start to vaccinations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told lawmakers in a debate Tuesday that authorities had focused preparations on the easy-to-handle vaccine made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which hasn't yet been cleared for use in the EU, and not the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. ”The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage before it's used, is the only shot that has been approved so far by the European Medicines Agency. Andre Rouvoet, chairman of the umbrella organization of local health authorities, welcomed the first vaccinations, which were aired live on Dutch television. “It is symbolic of the hundreds of thousands — millions — of vaccinations that will be administered in the Netherlands in coming months,” he said.

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. Mexico’s vaccination effort continues at a glacial rate, with about 7,500 shots administered Wednesday, a rate similar to previous days. John Bel Edwards and public health officials said Wednesday that efforts are being made to speed up vaccinations for the coronavirus. So far, state officials have administered 126,602 of the 522,550 doses the state has received. More than 329,000 people have been vaccinated in Florida — or about 1.5% of the population — almost all of them either health care workers, residents in care homes, or people over the age of 65.

A health worker carries doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a box at the Rene-Muret hospital in Servan near Paris, Sunday Dec. 27, 2020. (Thomas Samson/Pool Photo via AP)The Coastal Health District announced Thursday is still working out plans to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to first responders and seniors in Southeast Georgia. The Coastal Health District is actively vaccinating healthcare workers in phase 1a of the state vaccination plan. The Coastal Health District includes Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh counties. The state also has a COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline you can call to ask about eligibility.

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)LAS VEGAS — Tens of thousands of people were walking on the casino-lined Las Vegas Strip on New Year’s Eve by early evening despite a plea from Nevada Gov. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country. ___LONDON — The coronavirus pandemic canceled London’s annual New Years’ Eve fireworks display, which usually draws tens of thousands of spectators. The nation’s most populated county has about 40% of California’s virus deaths. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee ends the year ranked first in coronavirus cases per capita.

State health officials said Tuesday that the variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history. Health officials have said the vaccines being given now are thought to be effective against the variant. — A former Louisiana state lawmaker and his wife died from COVID-19 on the same day. ___OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City fire department says a firefighter, whose nephew became the first department employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, died of the virus after being infected while responding to a call. In the Upstate area of the state, COVID-19 infection rates continue to outpace every other part of South Carolina.

All rights reserved)FILE - A health worker carries doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a box. (Thomas Samson/Pool Photo via AP)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – More than 122,000 Floridians received COVID-19 vaccinations during the first two weeks that the long-awaited shots were available, according to numbers posted Monday on the Florida Department of Health website. Through Sunday, 122,881 people had been vaccinated, as the state initially focused efforts on front-line health care workers and nursing-home residents. A Pfizer vaccine became available Dec. 14, with a Moderna vaccine becoming available last week. About 76,000 vaccinations had been administered to people from ages 35 to 64.

The first batches of vaccines produced by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech arrived to Mexico the previous day. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday he is not opposed to private companies buying coronavirus vaccines to distribute to patients who want to pay for the shots. But he noted there isn’t much existing supply and warned companies not to try to buy vaccines already promised to the Mexican government. López Obrador said no company has yet applied to import vaccines privately. The government is placing hopes on three vaccines now in or entering Phase 3 trials in Mexico.

But it was also a public chance for them to urge Europe's 450 million people to get the shots amid continued vaccine and virus skepticism. The Los Olmos home suffered two confirmed COVID-19 deaths and another 11 deaths among residents with symptoms who were never tested. After he got his shot, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared Sunday “a great day for science and the European Union." Germany’s BioNTech has said it’s confident that its vaccine works against the new U.K. variant, but added that further studies are needed. The European Medicines Agency on Jan. 6 will consider approving another vaccine made by Moderna, which is already being used in the United States.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen released a video celebrating the vaccine rollout for the bloc of nearly 450 million people, calling it “a touching moment of unity.”“Today, we start turning the page on a difficult year. Still, the vaccine rollout helps the bloc project a sense of unity in a complex lifesaving mission after it faced a year of difficulties in negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain. “It’s here, the good news at Christmas," German Health Minister Jens Spahn told a news conference Saturday. French authorities said they will prioritize the elderly and the French medical safety agency will monitor the vaccine rollout for any potential problems. Spanish authorities said the first batch of the vaccine arrived in the central city of Guadalajara, where the first shots will be administered Sunday morning at a nursing home.

The country's 1.4 million health workers will be the first to get the shots, followed by the elderly, those with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the disease, and teachers. Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico was the first country in Latin America to get the vaccine, though others were close behind. In Costa Rica, which is the third country in the region to begin using the Pfizer vaccine, the first shot was given Thursday to Elizabeth Castillo, 91. Argentina, which has run into problems obtaining the Pfizer vaccine, received a flight carrying 300,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Argentina plans to become the first country in Latin America to administer the Russian vaccine starting next week.