Germany started today a shy return to normality with hairdressers reopening for business, along with hardware stores and flower shops in certain states, news wires reported. However, lack of decline in infections means most coronavirus rules will remain in place so far.

Switzerland's Health Minister Alain Berset was accused that he had concealed from his colleagues an alarming report issued last August about the spread of Covid-19 in Switzerland, news wires reported.

Western governments rushed to offer support for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination after South Africa halted its roll-out when research showed it offered minimal protection against the virus variant spreading there, news wires reported. The research is not yet peer reviewed.

Hungary will accelerate vaccinations in order to be able to ease coronavirus restrictions in April after Easter, PM Viktor Orban said on Thursday. Facing parliamentary elections in early 2022, he is under pressure to reopen the economy.

More people are now vaccinated against Covid-19 than have been infected by the virus, but despite the landmark data, it remains unclear how long it will take to vaccinate the world, Reuters reported citing latest data. Many of those vaccinated have received only one of two doses required.

Merck announced on Monday it would stop development of its two Covid-19 vaccines and focus pandemic research on treatments, with initial data on an experimental oral antiviral expected by the end of March, news wires reported. Merck was late to join the race to develop a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus. Reuters commented.

Germany’s coronavirus fatalities passed 50,000, underscoring the urgency facing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to tackle the spread of the disease and the new mutations, news wires reported. 1,013 people died from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to 50,010. Pandemic-related fatalities have doubled in the past month.

French students have planned a series of protests on Wednesday to draw attention to the rising mental health problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, news wires reported. A combination of isolation, inactivity and a broader loss of purpose has left many students close to breakdown, according to university psychologists.

The UK is vaccinating up to 140 people per minute against Covid-19 on average, Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday cited by Reuters. Latest figures show the UK has vaccinated so far 3,857,266 people with a first dose and 449,736 with a second dose.

Countries across Europe have imposed a patchwork of curfews and lockdowns of varying strictness to combat the spread of the coronavirus, AP reported. Here, at a glance, are the measures in place in the EU Member States and some neighbouring nations.