Now playing Next World Portugal urged to extend its national COVID-19 lockdown until Easter A study suggested that sticking with the lockdown, and keeping schools closed, through the end of March would bring down the number of COVID-19 intensive care unit patients to around 300. 11/02/2021
Now playing Next World News Six ex-Soviet states get €40m to help their COVID-19 vaccine rollout The joint €40 million programme will involve Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. 11/02/2021
Now playing Next World Holidays in UK and Europe: is it worth making plans? Sean Tipton, a spokesman for travel association ABTA, says he thinks things are slowly improving. 11/02/2021
Now playing Next Europe News Von der Leyen defends EU vaccine plan but admits mistakes over Ireland Speaking before the European Parliament, the President of the European Commission said the EU's common vaccine strategy was the right thing to do in the name of European solidarity. 10/02/2021
Now playing Next United Kingdom COVID-19: England & Wales saw second-highest weekly deaths in January The Office for National Statistics revealed that 8,433 deaths registered in the week ending January 29 mentioned "novel coronavirus (COVID-19)" — the second-highest weekly figure since the beginning of the pandemic. 09/02/2021
Now playing Next World Cloth masks factories pushed to make safer surgical masks in Portugal Companies in Portugal were quick to start making cloth masks when the pandemic began last year. Now new regulations have come into place in some of their biggest markets, driving business towards safer surgical masks. 09/02/2021
Now playing Next World News COVID-19: Ukraine set to launch coronavirus vaccination programme The EU called on member states to help Ukraine as it plans its vaccinations programme. 08/02/2021
Now playing Next World News WHO: Vaccine manufacturers will have to adjust vaccines to variants The emergence of new coronavirus variants means vaccine manufacturers need to be ready to adjust vaccines to the "evolution of the virus", the WHO chief said. 08/02/2021
Now playing Next Uncovering Europe What is COVAX and is it helping poor countries get access to vaccines? Experts have criticised rich countries for buying up COVID-19 vaccine doses as poor countries are left without vaccines in a trend that has continued months after first doses became available. 08/02/2021
Now playing Next World COVID round-up: UK hits 12 million jabs; Hungary approves Sputnik V As the EU starts to rollout the AstraZeneca vaccine, there's concern over its effectiveness on new coronavirus variants. 08/02/2021
Now playing Next South Africa South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccine push over effectiveness fears A study has suggested that the vaccine is only 22% effective against moderate forms of the virus. 07/02/2021
Now playing Next United Kingdom UK churches combat covid vaccine mistrust Church groups in the UK launch a campaign to combat mistrust and increase covid vaccine take-up in black and minority ethnic communities 07/02/2021
Now playing Next World News COVID vaccinations: UK races ahead as much of EU awaits first doses While the UK ponders a possible vaccine surplus, many people in Europe are wondering when they are going to receive their first doses. 07/02/2021
Now playing Next United Kingdom How worried should you be about new COVID-19 variants? Professor Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London, explains why new coronavirus variants have emerged. 05/02/2021
Now playing Next United Kingdom UK regulator says COVID vaccines meet strict safety standards Most of the reported side effects from COVID vaccines are "mild and short lasting", the UK medicines regulator said. 05/02/2021
Now playing Next World Merkel asks Germans to 'hold out a little longer' Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Germany is past the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus cases. But the German leader wants to wait for more data on the spread of new variants before deciding whether to ease lockdown restrictions. 05/02/2021
Now playing Next Germany Merkel says Germany past peak of second COVID wave “I can see a light shining at the end of the tunnel,” Merkel said, but she also urged Germans to be patient and warned against "false hopes." 04/02/2021
Now playing Next France Lockdown will be 'last resort' in France even as COVID variants spread A lockdown "is not justified" yet and should only be used as a "very last resort", Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. 04/02/2021
Now playing Next World COVID in Europe: Denmark announces plans for digital vaccine passport Spain registered one of its worst months of the pandemic in January with 900,000 new coronavirus infections while Denmark launched plans to reopen society with a new COVID-19 vaccine passport. 04/02/2021
Now playing Next World Could more have been done to stop the new B117 UK COVID variant? Peter Openshaw, an Immunologist at Imperial University, says hospital admissions were the first clue. 04/02/2021