AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is not perfect, but will have a big impact on the pandemic, its chief executive predicted, as the drugmaker pledged to double output by April and the African Union gave its backing for the shot.
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EUROPE
* The variant first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it could undermine the protection given by vaccines against developing COVID-19, the head of the UK's genetic surveillance programme said.
* More than 40% of Britons are struggling financially or suffering poor health, a sharp increase from last year driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said.
* Croatia will from next week ease restrictive measures as the number of infections has been steadily falling in recent weeks.
* Germany will extend restrictions until March 7, though schools and hair salons may open sooner, Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the 16 federal states agreed.
AMERICAS
* The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue new guidelines for U.S. schools reopening on Friday, White House coronavirus adviser said.
* People who have received the full course of COVID-19 vaccines can skip the standard 14-day quarantine after exposure to someone with the infection, as long as they remain asymptomatic, U.S. public health officials advised.
* A Mexican deputy foreign minister said that 2 million doses of China's CanSino vaccine had arrived in Mexico.
* Bolivia said it had inked an agreement with China's Sinopharm locking in an initial supply of half a million doses of the company's vaccine by the end of February.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Thailand announced plans to inoculate 1 million of its most vulnerable people by May and start mass vaccinations in June, with the aim of administering 10 million doses a month.
* The Philippines is set to receive 600,000 doses this month of Sinovac Biotech's vaccine donated by China, a portion of which will be used to inoculate military personnel.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The African Union's disease control body said it was in discussions with Johnson & Johnson for the supply of more vaccine doses, while it also said it was not "walking away" from AstraZeneca's vaccine, after trial data showed it had greatly reduced efficacy against the variant dominant in South Africa.
* Kenya is going ahead with its plan to inoculate its citizens using AstraZeneca's vaccine, while Zimbabwe has bought 600,000 shots from China's Sinopharm, in addition to 200,000 China has donated.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Roche's arthritis drug tocilizumab cuts the risk of death among patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19, also shortening the time to recovery and reducing the need for mechanical ventilation, results of a large trial showed.
* Merck & Co said it was in talks with governments and companies to potentially help with manufacturing of vaccines that have been already authorized.
* German speciality chemicals maker Evonik said it is investing in the expansion of production of lipids to be used in BioNTech and Pfizer's vaccine.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Global shares rose for a ninth day running, just off record highs, as investors digested recent gains, while bulls were sustained by the promise of more free money after a benign U.S. inflation report and a dovish Federal Reserve outlook. [MKTS/GLOB]
* The European Union is facing a surge in bankruptcies and bad loans once the post-pandemic economic recovery starts to take hold and governments begin withdrawing state schemes, an EU document indicates.
* Ireland's central bank governor told insurers to urgently honour and pay valid claims related to COVID-19 disruption, following a successful test case in court last week, or risk facing legal action by the regulator.
(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Veronica Snoj; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Alex Richardson)
