Reuters

Coronavirus cases in Europe surpassed 25 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, with several countries reinstating or extending lockdowns as a resurgence in the pandemic threatens to overwhelm health services.

Britain's decision to delay the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to make sure more people can get a first dose more quickly will help save lives, Britain's health minister Matt Hancock said on Thursday.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -A COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech was 78% effective in a late-stage Brazilian trial, a person familiar with the study said on Thursday, moving the shot closer to regulatory approval in South America's biggest country.

Less than a third of Filipinos are willing to get inoculated against the coronavirus, an opinion poll showed on Thursday, as the government races to secure vaccines to give to as many as 70 million people this year.

Nearly 20,000 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech were given to people in England before guidelines were changed to prioritise giving out first doses, the National Health Service said on Thursday.

Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine is unlikely to win approval in Japan until May due to requirements for local clinical trials, the distributor said, casting doubt over a nationwide vaccination rollout before the summer Tokyo Olympics.

South Africa will vaccinate 40 million people or two-thirds of its population against COVID-19 in order to achieve herd immunity, its health minister said on Thursday, as a mutant variant drove daily new cases above 21,000 for the first time.

Moderna's COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is likely to offer protection of up to a couple of years, its chief executive said on Thursday, even though more data is still needed to make a definitive assessment.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three adjacent prefectures to combat a rise in coronavirus infections.