New York state announced a reopening schedule for summer camps, indoor family entertainment centres and amusement parks. New York City warned of vaccine shortages stemming from the winter storms that have paralysed large swaths of the nation.

About one-third of US troops who have been offered a Covid-19 vaccine have declined the inoculation, initial Pentagon data show.

The European Commission secured hundreds of millions of additional doses and vowed to speed the clearance of vaccines targeting coronavirus variants. Meantime, fewer than one-tenth of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses delivered to Germany have been administered in the initial days of the roll-out.

Key developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases exceed 109.5 million; deaths pass 2.4 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 181 million shots given worldwide
• US Spotlight: Deaths in nursing homes fall after ravaging residents
• Vaccine roll-outs cloud Covid-19 testing industry outlook
• Biden says he invoked production act for more vaccine doses
• Why delaying the second Covid shot is messy: QuickTake

France extends quarantine in northeast 

France is extending the duration of quarantine to 10 days for those who test positive to Covid in the northeastern section of the nation where virus circulation and the prevalence of new variants is particularly high. The French government also said testing and tracing campaigns will intensify there, and that vaccines will be earmarked for the area.

One-third of US troops decline shots

About one-third of US troops who have been offered a Covid-19 vaccine have declined the inoculation, initial Pentagon data show. The choice still allows personnel to deploy.

Pentagon officials told a House panel on Wednesday that inoculation is still voluntary for service members because the vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna so far are approved by the Food and Drug Administration on an emergency-use basis. That would change with full approval by the FDA as many other vaccinations are mandatory for troops.

Iran approves Astra vaccine

Iran’s health ministry has issued an emergency-use approval for Covid-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca-Oxford and India’s Bharat Biotech, a deputy at the country’s Food and Drug Administration said. Iran aims to buy AstraZeneca-Oxford shots through the World Health Organisation-backed Covax programme “or directly from South Korea and Russia-based producers of the vaccine,” Heidar Mohammadi was cited as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

New York says summer camps can reopen

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a raft of new openings for businesses. He said indoor family-entertainment centres can reopen on March 26. Outdoor amusement parks can resume starting on April 9 at 33% capacity. Overnight summer camps can plan on reopening in June, with regular testing.

Separately, the state has concluded vaccinations for all nursing home residents and staff who chose to receive the inoculation, Cuomo said. The state’s positivity rate has fallen for 40 straight days, the governor said.

UN calls for G-20 vaccine plan

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global vaccination effort, urging the Group of 20 countries to coordinate it.

“The world urgently needs a global vaccination plan to bring together all those with the required power, scientific expertise and production and financial capacities,” Guterres told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the council the US will pay the more than $200-million it owes to the World Health Organisation by the end of the month.

Weather may delay New York City vaccinations

New York City may have to hold back as many as 35,000 vaccine appointments after bad weather across the nation delayed deliveries, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The city has fewer than 30,000 first doses on hand and will run out as soon as today, de Blasio said on Wednesday during a virus press briefing.

De Blasio called for a direct allocation of the vaccine to the city, and a bigger share of what the state gets. The city is giving out 53% of the vaccines administered in the state but is not getting 53% of the state’s allocation, he said.

The city has administered more than 1.3 million total doses so far, according to the mayor.

Dutch to fund pandemic-hit education

The Netherlands set aside €8.5-billion in a multi-year support plan for the country’s education system, to help pupils and schools hit by the pandemic.

To remove study delays caused by the outbreak, primary and secondary schools can use extra funds on targeted measures such as tutoring for pupils in small groups. About 6,600 primary schools will on average get €180,000 per school in the coming year, while the 650 secondary schools will receive more than €1.3-million on average. Tuition fees for university students will be cut in half next year.

UK mutant gains ground in Germany

The fast-spreading virus variant first found in the UK now makes up more than 20% of cases in Germany, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

“We must assume that it could also dominate here soon,” Spahn said in a tweet on Wednesday, citing data from the Robert Koch Institute. The share of variants from South Africa and Brazil is also rising, but is at a much lower level, Spahn said.

France says it’s too soon to reopen restaurants

With virus cases and deaths on a “high plateau,” it’s too soon to reopen restaurants, bars, culture and sports venues, according to French government spokesman Gabriel Attal.

“The pressure remains high,” Attal told reporters in Paris. The government can’t rule out a third lockdown, especially as new variants of the virus progress, he said.

AstraZeneca doses go unused in Germany

After a clash last month over whether EU countries would get their fair share of AstraZeneca’s vaccine shipments, fewer than one-tenth of the doses delivered to Germany have been administered in the initial days of the roll-out. Some healthcare workers also say they’re concerned about side effects amid reports about unexpectedly strong reactions.

Germany isn’t alone: Some French health workers are also pushing to get shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech instead.

UK clears study to expose volunteers

The UK is set to carry out the world’s first study to deliberately expose volunteers to the new coronavirus to speed research. The human challenge study was approved by a research ethics committee and may eventually help accelerate development of vaccines and treatments and take on variants, the partners, including Open Orphan, said.

The trial involving as many as 90 people – due to begin within a month – is aimed initially at determining the smallest amount of the virus needed to cause infection.

Europe clinches more vaccine deals

The European Commission finalised an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech for 200 million more doses of their vaccine and announced a major new order with Moderna for 150 million more doses, also for this year.

The moves lock in a second-quarter supply boost as countries struggle to speed up their immunisation drives.

Sweden readies tougher measures

The Swedish government’s planned curbs include five new measures that will make it easier to “shut down parts of Swedish society,” said Lena Hallengren, the country’s minister for health and social affairs. “There is a significant risk of a third wave of infection.”

The proposals would let the government close shopping centres, gyms and restaurants, as well as allowing it to impose new restrictions on theme parks, zoos and museums. There will be a new system to control social gatherings and public events, according to Hallengren.

Taiwan: China may have hit vaccine deal

Taiwan’s attempts to purchase five million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine fell apart at the last minute, Taiwan’s health minister said, voicing concern that political pressure from Beijing may have scuppered the deal.

The government was making final preparations to sign a deal with Germany-based BioNTech in January but then “things changed,” Minister Chen Shih-chung said in an interview on radio station Hit FM. Interference by “external forces” upset arrangements, Chen said. “There are some people that don’t want Taiwan to be too happy.”

South Africa begins  J&J vaccinations

South Africa was to begin administering Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine to health workers following the arrival of a first consignment of the shots on Tuesday night.

“Health teams worked overnight to distribute the vaccines to most parts throughout the country,” South African Medical Research Council Chief Executive Officer Glenda Gray said in an interview with broadcaster SAfm. “In Cape Town, vaccination will start at 12pm”

The country has recorded more than 1.49 million coronavirus cases, the most in Africa.

South Korea sees rise after New Year

South Korea reported 621 new coronavirus cases, the most in six weeks. Coming after the Lunar New Year holidays, officials said it was hard to judge whether it was a temporary phenomenon or a resurgence.

Just two days ago the country scaled back social distancing restrictions in response to a trend of declining infections.

New Zealand lifts Auckland lockdown

Auckland’s three-day lockdown will end after authorities expressed confidence that the latest community outbreak is contained.

Auckland will move to Alert Level 2 at midnight on Wednesday, allowing schools and businesses to reopen, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said after a cabinet meeting. The remainder of New Zealand will move to Level 1, meaning people no longer have to observe social distancing or limit the size of gatherings.

The easing of restrictions comes even as health officials reported that three further people have tested positive for the virus. They are all connected to the initial three positive cases that prompted the lockdown and are in isolation. DM

— With assistance by Mark Schoifet, Lisa Du, Jason Gale, Shinhye Kang, Seyoon Kim, Love Liman, Chris Horton, Jasmina Kuzmanovic, Naomi Kresge, Ania Nussbaum, Joost Akkermans, Henry Goldman, David Wainer, Shelly Banjo, and Arsalan Shahla.

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