People under 40 in Britain will not be given the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine if another shot is available because of a link to extremely rare blood clots, AP reported, citing UK government’s statement on Friday.

Britain’s governing Conservative Party has won a special election in the north of England town of Hartlepool, dealing a big blow to the main opposition Labour Party, which had held the parliamentary seat since its creation in 1974, AP reported.

Europe's Covid-19 death toll surpassed one million on Monday, as the WHO warned that infections are rising exponentially despite widespread efforts aimed at stopping them, news wires reported.  The death toll across Europe's 52 countries, compiled by AFP from official sources, totalled at least 1,000,288 by 1830 GMT.

British medical regulators restricted the roll-out of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine to people aged over 30 on Wednesday, dpa reported. The British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said people aged 18 to 29 who do not have an underlying health condition will now be recommended other vaccines instead.

Britain will on Monday set out plans to restart international travel, using a "traffic-light" system as the country cautiously emerges from lockdown, news wires reported. The announcement comes as the UK has set a tentative date of 17 May to relaunch international travel, which is currently banned except for a handful of permitted reasons.

England starts today to slowly go out of lockdown with people allowed to meet up outside in groups of six for the first time in nearly three months, news wires reported. At the same time PM Boris Johnson urged caution due to rising coronavirus cases in Europe. Britain entered its third national lockdown on 4 January.

British students will return to school on Monday after a two-month closure, backed by a robust coronavirus testing programme, news wires reported. The reopening of schools is the first step in the UK government’s plan to gradually ease Covid-19 restrictions as the country’s vaccination drive gains critical mass, with all restrictions lifted by June.

Britain’s medical regulator announced on Thursday that it would fast-track vaccines for coronavirus variants, pointing out that the makers of already-authorised shots would not need new lengthy clinical trials to prove their adapted vaccines will work, Reuters reported.

UK’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Sunday that lorry drivers returning to France from Britain will not now need to have a coronavirus test if they have spent less than 48 hours in the country, Reuters reported.

Britain is ready to start going out of lockdown but only after the vaccination of the vulnerable people, PM Boris Johnson said cited by news agencies. “We’ve got to be very prudent and what we want to see is progress that is cautious, but irreversible. If we possibly can, we’ll be setting out dates,” he pointed out.