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 COVAX dispatches first vaccine doses
The World Health Organization's global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX
delivered its first shots on Wednesday, as the race to get doses to
the world's poorest people and tame the pandemic accelerates.
A flight carrying 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine
produced by the Serum Institute of India landed in Ghana's capital
Accra.
The delivery takes place almost a year after the WHO first described
the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic and eight months after
the launch of the COVAX initiative, aimed at pooling funds from
wealthier countries and non-profits to develop a vaccine and
distribute it equitably around the world.
AstraZeneca to miss EU vaccine target by half
AstraZeneca has told the European Union it expects to deliver less
than half the COVID-19 vaccines it was contracted to supply in the
second quarter, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Contacted by Reuters, AstraZeneca did not deny what the official
said, but a statement late in the day said the company was striving
to increase productivity to deliver the promised 180 million doses.
The expected shortfall, which has not previously been reported,
follows a big reduction in supplies in the first quarter and could
hit the EU's ability to meet its target of vaccinating 70% of adults
by summer.
Malaysia launches vaccination drive
Malaysia on Wednesday launched its COVID-19 inoculation programme,
with an ambitious target of vaccinating at least 80% of its 32
million people by February next year.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was the first to be given the
vaccine, developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German partner
BioNTech, as part of government efforts to reassure people of the
vaccine's safety.
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 The Southeast Asian nation had
largely contained the virus for most of last
year, but a spike in infections that started in
September has placed Malaysia third in the
region in total cases, behind Indonesia and the
Philippines. World Bank
threatens to cut Lebanon's vaccine aid
The World Bank threatened on Tuesday to suspend its multi-million
dollar financing for Lebanon's COVID-19 vaccinations over
politicians jumping the line.
Local media and officials said some lawmakers got shots in
parliament on Tuesday while other Lebanese in the priority groups
were still waiting their turn, drawing a rebuke from the doctor
leading the campaign and outrage on social media.
The World Bank's reallocation of $34 million enabled Lebanon to
receive its first two batches of about 60,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses
this month.
Australian states ease curbs on dancing
Two Australian states will loosen restrictions on dancing at indoor
venues and ease other curbs from Friday after several weeks of no
COVID-19 cases.
In New South Wales, 30 people will be allowed to dance at weddings
and as many as 30 people will be able to sing indoors together, up
from five currently.
 Restrictions are also being eased in South Australia. Dancing will
be now allowed at smaller venues with capacity of less than 200
people, while at bigger venues, 50 can dance at a time at a
designated area.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes, Editing by William Maclean)
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