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 EU audits Indian vaccine maker
Europe's drug regulator is auditing the manufacturing site of the
Serum Institute of India (SII), a source with knowledge of the
matter said, a necessary step before AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine
made there can be exported to the bloc.
SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, is producing the
AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, for dozens of
poor and middle-income countries.
The precise reason for the audit of SII's manufacturing processes
and facilities was not clear, but a green light would mean the drug
could be exported to the European Union, the source said.
Philippines starts vaccinations
The Philippines kicked off its vaccination programme on Monday, with
health workers the first to be inoculated in a delayed campaign as
the country tries to secure supplies to address one of Asia's most
stubborn coronavirus epidemics.
Healthcare workers in six government hospitals in the capital region
received Sinovac Biotech vaccines donated by China on Sunday, the
only doses the Philippines has received so far.
The Philippines has reported 576,352 COVID-19 cases overall,
including some with the more infectious British coronavirus variant.
It has recorded 12,318 deaths.
Modi takes home-grown shot
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inoculated with the first
dose of a home-grown coronavirus vaccine on Monday, kicking off an
expansion of the country's immunisation campaign that began in
mid-January with healthcare workers.
People above 60, and those who are 45 or more and suffering from
certain medical conditions, are now eligible for the vaccinations.
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 India, which has reported the
highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world
after the United States, has so far vaccinated
more than 12 million health and front-line
workers.
U.S. eyes Tuesday deliveries of J&J vaccine
Initial deliveries of the newly approved Johnson
& Johnson vaccine should start on Tuesday,
senior Biden administration officials said on
Sunday, saying they hoped to boost lagging
vaccination rates among minorities.
The officials acknowledged that vaccination
rates among Black and brown Americans were "not
where we ultimately want them to be", but said
measures had been put in place to boost those
numbers, and sought to assure minorities that
the vaccines were safe.
"Even though we know the data are not complete,
we do see these early patterns that suggest
Black and brown Americans largely are getting
vaccinated at rates lower than the
representation in the general population," said
one of the officials.
Lockdown tests New Zealanders' patience
The mayor of Auckland called for residents to be
prioritised for vaccines after New Zealand's
biggest city was thrown into its fourth lockdown
over the weekend.
The seven-day lockdown imposed by Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern on a city of 2 million was
prompted by just a single new case, reinforcing
the New Zealand leader's strict "go hard, go
early" response throughout the crisis.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said the city would
lose an estimated 200 jobs and more than NZ$30
million ($21.7 million) per day under the level
3 restrictions.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Giles
Elgood)
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