France French govt to give itself power to extend COVID pass to summer 2022 French lawmakers backed its use in late July but worked in the bill then that any extension past November 15 would need their approval. 29/09/2021
World News COVID-19: Sweden removes most restrictions, Russia hits another record Sweden removes most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday, despite rising case numbers. Portugal winds up its military-led vaccine task force as the target of fully inoculating 85% of the population has been reached, and Russia hits another coronavirus-confirmed deaths record. 29/09/2021
Slovenia Slovenia temporarily suspends use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine Just 47% of Slovenian adults have been inoculated, a much lower protection rate than the EU average of 64%. 29/09/2021
Romania Record high for COVID-19 cases in Romania amid slow vaccination rates Just 33% of adults in Romania have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 amid a surge of new infections. 28/09/2021
France French drugmaker Sanofi halts development of its mRNA COVID vaccine The pharmaceutical giant is worried its vaccine will be too late in reaching the market. 28/09/2021
Health news What are the potential side effects of having a COVID vaccine? Misinformation about COVID vaccines is slowing down their roll-out. This is what you can realistically expect to happen after a dose. 25/09/2021
Russia Russia record as daily deaths from COVID-19 hit new high Russia has the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe. 24/09/2021
Portugal Portugal has the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the world "We've won a battle. I don't know if we've won the war against the virus. This is a world war," said Henrique Gouveia e Melo, the navy officer in charge of Portugal's vaccine rollout. 23/09/2021
Health news Pfizer says its COVID vaccine works in children aged 5-11 The laboratory said it will be seeking FDA approval in the US to administer its vaccine to children under 12. 20/09/2021
The Cube French hospital denies politician's unvaccinated workers claim A post on social media had claimed that 30% of the hospital's medical workers have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine and were facing suspension. 17/09/2021
Health news WHO suspends Sputnik V approval process over 'manufacturing' concerns A regional WHO official said one manufacturing plant for the vaccine had failed to meet the necessary standards. 16/09/2021
France France suspends 3,000 health workers for failing to get a COVID jab French healthcare workers had until Wednesday to get at least one dose of the vaccine after vaccination was made compulsory for them in mid-July. 16/09/2021
France French health workers not jabbed face suspension as deadline passes Some 2.7 healthcare and emergency workers had until September 15 to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or face being suspended from their jobs. 15/09/2021
Health news False 'swollen testicles' tweet stays up despite misinformation rules We're almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and disinformation remains rife on social media. 15/09/2021
Czech Republic Vaccination rate slowing in Czech Republic as infections rise The Czech Republic has 54.6% of its population fully vaccinated, below the EU average of 60.3%. 15/09/2021
United Kingdom UK: COVID-19 booster jabs for over 50s as Johnson unveils winter plan The booster shots, which will be rolled out beginning next week, were approved a day after the government also backed plans to offer one vaccine dose to 12-15 year olds. 14/09/2021
Switzerland WHO chief will 'continue to call for vaccine equity until we get it' Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed again for drug companies to prioritise the UN-backed COVAX initiative designed to share vaccines globally. 14/09/2021
Travel News Which EU country is leading the COVID-19 vaccination race? Four of the countries in the top five are Iceland, Portugal, Denmark, and Spain. 14/09/2021
United Kingdom UK approves single COVID vaccine dose for children aged 12 to 15 Johnson is expected to say that mask-wearing, work-from-home advice and social distancing rules that were lifted in July could return if cases climb further. 14/09/2021
Greece Greece begins mandatory testing for unvaccinated workers Some 56% of Greece’s residents have been fully vaccinated, while the average rate in the EU is just over 60%. 13/09/2021