The Vatican has made vaccinations almost compulsory with any Holy See employee who refuses to get a coronavirus shot without valid medical reason risks being fired, AP reported.

Israel’s swift vaccination rollout has made it the largest real-world study of Covid-19 vaccineq and the results so far are promising, Reuters reported. More than half of eligible Israelis, or about 3.5 million people, have now been fully or partially vaccinated. Older and at-risk groups, the first to be inoculated, are seeing a dramatic drop in illnesses.

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.

Britain has given a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine to more than 10 million people so far and if the current rate continues, the country will be on track to give a dose to the 15 million people in the top four priority groups by mid-February, British media reported.

Denmark said on Wednesday it will develop a digital coronavirus passport that would allow foreign travel and restrictions to be eased, news wires reported. The document would show whether citizens have been vaccinated for the coronavirus or not, potentially affording them special travel privileges. It could also allow visits to restaurants, conferences, music festivals and sports events.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the coronavirus crisis as a "huge effort" for families in the face of the weeks-long lockdown and appealed for patience, dpa reported. "We are not yet ready to reopen daycare centres and schools," she said in her weekly video podcast released on Saturday.

The EU’s struggle to secure mush needed Covid-19 vaccine supplies intensified on Thursday as Brussels insisted it would tighten oversight of exports after a row with AstraZeneca over deliveries, news wires reported. The Commission, which has coordinated vaccine orders, said it would on Friday detail a mechanism to require both notification and authorisation of Covid-19 vaccine exports from the Union.

The Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS), that is France’s top health advisory body, recommended doubling the time between people being given the first and second Covid-19 vaccinations to six weeks from three. The aim is to increase the number getting inoculated, Reuters reported.

The French government told its citizens to wear surgical masks in public instead of fabric face coverings because they offer better protection from COVID-19 transmission, news wires reported. "The recommendation that I make to the French people is to no longer use fabric masks," Health Minister Olivier Veran told TF1 on Thursday evening.

Mask up or you won't be allowed to board a plane, train or bus in the US. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday, requiring passengers to wear face coverings during interstate travel, news wires reported. It's one of 10 executive orders signed by the president aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 400,000 Americans.