EU kicks off mass COVID vaccination marketing campaign: Stay information | Coronavirus pandemic Information

Latest updates as EU states launch coordinated vaccination campaign as fears of a new coronavirus strain mount.

The states of the European Union have made coordinated efforts to give adults among their 450 million citizens COVID-19 vaccinations, which represents a moment of hope on the continent.

Meanwhile, fears are growing about a new variant of the coronavirus spreading across the UK. Japan bans entry of all non-resident foreigners on Sunday as a precaution against the tribe.

Meanwhile, Thailand is scrambling to contain a COVID outbreak related to a fish market in a southern province, and residents of Sydney – Australia’s largest city – await news of whether public New Year’s Eve celebrations are allowed.

Here are the latest updates:

17 minutes ago (07:22 GMT)

EU starts introducing vaccines

Several EU countries have begun vaccinating their most vulnerable groups as a new variant of the coronavirus has spread internationally, and the WHO warned that the current pandemic will not be the last.

The first doses of the Pfizer BioNTech batch arrived in Italy, Spain and France on Saturday and were ready to be distributed to retirement homes and nursing staff.

The approval and launch of vaccines has raised hopes that 2021 could take a break from the pandemic that has killed more than 1.7 million people since it hit China late last year.

51 minutes ago (06:48 GMT)

Thailand’s COVID-19 outbreak is increasing

Thailand confirmed 121 new infections of the novel coronavirus, a senior official said, up from the 103 cases reported earlier in the day.

Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the country’s COVID-19 pandemic task force, told a news conference that the new cases include 94 domestic transfers and 18 migrant workers involved in an outbreak at a fish market in Samut Sakhon, a province southwest of Bangkok , stay in contact.

Infections associated with this cluster have spread to 38 provinces.

1 hour ago (06:37 GMT)

Japan stops all foreign arrivals versus the British variant

Japan is banning all non-resident foreigners from entering the country as a precaution against a new and potentially more contagious variant of coronavirus that is spreading across the UK.

The State Department says the entry ban will start on Monday and last through January 31.

1 hour ago (06:30 GMT)

Sydney awaits judgment on the New Year celebrations

Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak continued with more than a quarter of a million people on Sunday as Australia’s largest city waited to see if public New Years Eve celebrations would be allowed.

Seven COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state of New South Wales, six related to the outbreak in Sydney’s northern beachfront suburbs, which will remain at home through Wednesday. Infections stand at 122.

“We hope to have clear information for everyone tomorrow or at the latest the next day about what New Year’s Eve and the next few weeks will look like,” said Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian at a press conference.