The latest COVID-19 vaccines are 54% effective at preventing symptomatic infection in adults.

Israel has started administering doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine tailored to fight the highly infectious omicron variant.

Scientists estimate that nearly 20 million lives were saved worldwide by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year.

Germany’s health ministry says the country may have to discard 3 million doses of expired COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June.

Here is the CDC’s most recent update to COVID-19 booster shot eligibility -- as of Dec. 28, 2021.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to expand eligibility for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shots to children ages 12 to 15 in the coming days, NBC News reports.

We might not be able to claim that 2021 was *the* wildest year in recent history (2020 will likely get that credit for quite some time), but it might be a close second.

Public health authorities in Greece have stepped up a campaign to deliver booster shots to seniors and people with mobility difficulties at home, with some agencies using taxi companies to take healthcare workers to where the vaccinations are needed.

The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters, opening a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine to people as young as age 16.

Pfizer says a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appears to offer important protection against the new omicron variant.

The European Union drugs regulator has authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for use on children aged from 5 to 11 years.

Israel has begun administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

Here are this morning's top stories.

An influential U.S. advisory panel will discuss expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all adults Friday, a move that could make the shots available as early as this weekend.

Western Michigan University has agreed to stop opposing a legal challenge by athletes who declined to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Austrian media are reporting that young children in Vienna can start getting coronavirus vaccinations next week as part of a pilot project.

Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older.

The city of Detroit is getting ready to start administering COVID-19 vaccinations to children ages 5 to 11 years old following federal authorization for that age group.

Michigan Medicine will start administering pediatric COVID-19 vaccines on Monday.

Beaumont Health is planning to begin offering appointments for parents to get their younger children vaccinated for COVID-19 starting next week.

Senegal and Rwanda have signed an agreement with German company BioNTech for the construction of its first start-to-finish factories to make messenger RNA vaccines in Africa.

U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to pre-order doses starting next week.

It’s a move that has been highly anticipated by pediatricians and many parents as coronavirus cases have risen in that age group.

Here’s what you missed on Local 4 News at 5:

Pfizer and BioNTech have officially submitted a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

Pfizer has submitted research to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children but the shots may not be available until November.

Pfizer Inc.and BioNTech announced Tuesday they have submitted data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Phase 2/3 trial of their COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 12 years of age.

Pfizer plans to request Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for this age group to receive the vaccine in the coming weeks.

Pfizer has submitted research to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children as it moves closer to seeking approval for expanded use of the shots.

The Food and Drug Administration released the following statement Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 as COVID-19 makers are racing to submit clinical data seeking regulatory approval for vaccines in children younger than 12.

Pfizer-BioNTech soon will be asking approval for use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 and up, The New York Times reports.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Dr. Frank McGeorge has been keeping viewers up-to-date and informed on all fronts.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is urging countries to ramp up their primary coronavirus vaccine programs and playing down the need for booster shots among the general public.

Taiwan has received its first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China.

Asian shares are gaining, boosted by a near-record rise on Wall Street.

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which will now be marketed as Comirnaty.

Here are this morning's top stories.

Israel’s government on Wednesday advanced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions, including sweeping implementation of a digital vaccine passport and tighter restrictions on mass gatherings, as the country struggles with skyrocketing new infections.

It’s not too late to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan -- there are clinics planned across the state in August.

The Washtenaw County Health Department is still offering free vaccinations to community members at several vaccination pop-up clinics.

Employees of Beaumont Health will soon be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19, if they haven’t already.

Strong sales of its COVID-19 vaccine and other medicines helped Pfizer nearly double its second-quarter revenue and boost its profit an impressive 59%, beating Wall Street expectations.

Washtenaw County residents can rest a bit easier knowing that the county is almost at a 70% vaccination rate against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The husband and wife team who helped develop the first COVID-19 vaccine are contributing to a book.

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age. The FDA amended the EUA originally issued on Dec. 11, 2020 for administration in individuals 16 years of age and older.

The head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said Monday that there is no need to waive patents on coronavirus vaccines because manufacturers will be able to produce enough shots to supply the world over the coming year.

Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted a request to the European drug regulator for the approval of their coronavirus vaccine to be extended to include children aged 12 to 15 years old, in a move that could offer younger and less at-risk populations in Europe access to the shot for the first time.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer received a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday.

The funding reimburses MDHHS for costs dedicated to COVID-19 vaccine scheduling support services through contracts with Google and Michigan 211.

South Korea has begun administering fast-track COVID-19 vaccines to athletes, coaches and others expected to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

Beaumont Health, the state’s largest hospital system, is expanding COVID-19 vaccines to non-patients, and has added three walk-in clinics this week in Southfield.

A U.S. health panel says it’s time to resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite a very rare risk of blood clots.

University of Michigan is running a vaccine clinic for its community, Ann Arbor Public Schools students and families this afternoon.

For the first time in a year, Mexican school children have returned to classrooms — at least in the southern state of Campeche.

European countries are diverging on whether to push ahead with giving residents Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of very rare blood clots in a handful of recipients in the United States.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are requesting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expand emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 12-15.

Pfizer’s vaccine trial in children under the age of 12 is already underway.

Michigan's health director says the state is focusing on getting more people vaccinated, not imposing new restrictions on the economy, despite a wave of COVID-19 cases.

Here are this morning's top stories.

A leading international rights group says Lebanon’s vaccination campaign has been slow and risks leaving behind some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

Michigan has started listing local health departments accepting appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine was once thought to be among the leaders in the immunization fight, but it has ran into problems in recent months.

Pfizer says its vaccine continues to be effective against COVID-19 up to six months later.

DETROIT – New information suggests the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12. Pfizer said the data from a late-stage trial shows the vaccine is highly effective in adolescents. The company said there were 18 COVID cases in the placebo group and zero cases in the vaccine group and no significant side effects -- an efficacy rate of 100%. Infectious disease experts believe vaccinating children will ultimately be necessary to stop the pandemic. “By the fall, I think there’s a good possibility we’ll be vaccinating teenagers 12 and up,” said Dr. Peter Hotez.

(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)German pharmaceutical company BioNTech says that after ramping up its manufacturing and supply systems, it expects to manufacture this year up to 2.5 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine it developed with U.S. partner Pfizer. The two companies had previously spoken of being able to make 2 billion doses in 2021. Mainz-based BioNTech said Tuesday that it had delivered 200 million doses of the vaccine globally as of March 23 and signed orders for 1.4 billion doses for delivery in 2021. Discussions on further orders were ongoing, it said. The company attributed the increased capacity to optimized production processes and the start of production at a new plant in Marburg, Germany; the expansion of its manufacturing and and supply network; and regulatory approval for six doses to be drawn from each vial, rather than five.

— Wyoming’s governor is rejecting a call by President Joe Biden for states to reimpose mask orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus cases nationwide are on the rise, but infections in Wyoming have fallen off sharply since December. Tribal health officials said that the United Kingdom strain was confirmed in a sample obtained in the western part of the reservation. State health officials on Monday announced more than 1 million people in the state, about 17% of Wisconsin’s population, have completed their vaccination cycles. AdThe COVID-related hospitalizations dropped to 549 on Monday, far below the pandemic record of 5,082 on Jan. 11, according to the state’s pandemic dashboard.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)BEIRUT – The government of war-torn Syria said Wednesday it will send emergency oxygen supplies to neighboring Lebanon, which has experienced shortages amid a surge of coronavirus infections in both countries. Lebanon Health Minister Hamad Hassan told Lebanon’s al-Manar TV the oxygen was a “direct gift” from Syrian President Bashar Assad, who responded to Lebanon's humanitarian request for the oxygen. The amount going to Lebanon, reported to be 75 tons by Syrian media, won't impact needs in Syria, he said. A vaccination campaign began in Lebanon last month, with over 970,000 people registered to be vaccinated and some 156,000 doses already administered. Syria said it has received some vaccines but it has yet to launch a national vaccination campaign.

People queue up outside a vaccination center for BioNTech in Hong Kong Wednesday, March 24, 2021. Hong Kong suspended vaccinations using Pfizer shots - known as BioNTech shots in the city - on Wednesday after they were informed by its distributor Fosun that one batch had defective bottle lids. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)HONG KONG – Hong Kong suspended use of the Pfizer vaccine Wednesday after its Chinese distributor informed the city that one batch had defective bottle lids. The semi-autonomous territory of Macao also said Wednesday that its residents will not receive the Pfizer shots from the same batch. The two vaccines are the only ones that were offered to residents in Hong Kong.

Ozlem Tureci founder of the BioNTech company speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, March 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)BERLIN – The scientist who won the race to deliver the first widely used coronavirus vaccine says people can rest assured the shots are safe, and the technology behind it will soon be used to fight another global scourge — cancer. “There is a very rigid process in place and the process does not stop after a vaccine has been approved,” she said. “We have several different cancer vaccines based on mRNA," said Tureci, who is BioNTech's chief medical officer. “You began with a drug to treat cancer in a single individual,” Steinmeier told the couple.

(Photo by Frank Augstein - Pool / Getty Images)OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County Health Division will conduct 12 COVID-19 vaccine clinics by appointment only the week of Tuesday, March 9 through Monday, March 15 in Holly, Novi, Rochester, Southfield, Waterford Township and West Bloomfield. In addition, the Health Division will administer the COVID-19 vaccine at eight long-term care centers. Register to get vaccinated in Oakland County by clicking here. Along with the State of Michigan’s COVID-19 vaccination priorities, Oakland County Health Division has applied the Social Vulnerability Index to scheduling appointments to administer COVID-19 vaccines. AdAfter evaluating its first-dose appointments from Dec. 18 to March 4, the Health Division discovered that the SVI is helping the Health Division’s vaccine distribution mirror the county’s demographics.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)Michigan’s COVID-19 data is showing some red flags as the race to vaccinate picks up steam - a look at the data. (This first appeared in the Morning Report Newsletter -- sign up for it here)Looking at the COVID-19 data in Michigan right now, it’s a bit concerning. This is a BIG data point to watch -- if cases swing up again, but hospitalizations don’t follow, it will tell us a lot about the demographic spreading COVID right now. These two age groups far outpace other age groups in hospitalizations, severe COVID-19 cases and deaths. (As always, you can track COVID-19 data with us right here.

(Jerome Favre/Pool Photo via AP)HONG KONG – South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency has allowed health workers to squeeze extra doses from vials of coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Pfizer. However, she said the KDCA isn’t allowing health workers from combining vaccines left in different bottles to create more doses. South Korea, which launched its public vaccination campaign on Friday, is administering the AstraZeneca shots to residents and workers at long-term care facilities and the Pfizer ones to front-line medical workers. Registration details for those wishing to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech shots haven't been announced yet. Sri Lankan began its inoculation drive in January starting with health workers.

ANN ARBOR – In a letter sent to patients on Thursday, Michigan Medicine announced that it resumed a limited number of first-dose appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine this week. The university health system had postponed all first-dose appointments for two weeks in a row due to low vaccine supply. After receiving more vaccines from the state, Michigan Medicine opened approximately 1,000 new first-dose appointments on Tuesday, which were quickly filled by patients age 65 and older as well as some health care workers at Michigan Medicine. Michigan Medicine sends out invitations to those who meet the current eligibility phases using information from patient records. Although first-dose vaccinations have resumed, Michigan Medicine still recommends checking with local health departments and retail pharmacies to see if vaccination opportunities are available elsewhere since supply fluctuates week to week.

(Malaysia Health Ministry via AP)Many nations in the Asia-Pacific region are rolling out the first shots for COVID-19 this week. AUSTRALIATwo elderly people have been administered with higher-than-prescribed doses of the Pfizer vaccine, Australia’s health minister said Wednesday. Thai officials have said they had secured an additional deal with AstraZeneca for a total of 61 million doses. More than half a million health care and front-line workers will be given priority in the first phase. CHINAChinese regulators are looking at two more potential COVID-19 vaccines, one from state-owned company Sinopharm and another from a private company, CanSino.

Jim Thurman counts himself among the converts who recognize the importance of taking a COVID-19 vaccine. AdHealth authorities say first-generation COVID-19 vaccines still protect against variants of the virus that are emerging in different parts of the world. AdIn a separate announcement, Moderna also said it plans to manufacture 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine globally this year, up from 600 million. Bosnia, a country of 3.3 million, expects 1.2 million vaccines through COVAX. On Wednesday, Ghana has become the first country to receive COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX.

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, file photo, empty vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are seen at a vaccination center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. COVID-19 vaccine makers tell Congress to expect a big jump in the delivery of doses over the coming month. The companies insisted Tuesday, Feb. 23, at a hearing that they will be able to provide enough vaccine for most Americans by summer. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)BEIRUT – The World Bank threatened Tuesday to suspend financing for coronavirus vaccines in Lebanon as it investigated suspected favoritism amid accusations that lawmakers were inoculated in parliament without prior approval. The World Bank is a major financier of Lebanon’s coronavirus campaign and has approved $34 million to pay for vaccines for 2 million people. The vaccination campaign began Feb. 14 and Lebanon has so far received nearly 60,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The World Bank and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have signed an agreement for independent monitoring of the coronavirus vaccination campaign in Lebanon. The World Bank “may suspend financing for vaccines and support for COVID19 response across Lebanon!

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to clobber the aviation industry, Emirates Airlines, the Middle Easts biggest airline is seeking to play a vital role in the global vaccine delivery effort. The arrival was part of an effort by the Middle East's biggest airline to pivot from shuttling people to shipping cargo — and grabbing a central role in the global vaccine delivery race. The key transit hub, previously used for the global shipment of pharmaceuticals, is now at the center of a growing vaccine supply network based in the United Arab Emirates. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, reported as being 95% effective, must be preserved at the frigid temperature of negative 70 Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit). On the one hand, the federation of seven emirates is accelerating efforts to import vaccines despite supply lags.

The news came only hours after Pfizer and BioNTech said they had signed a deal to deliver an additional 200 million vaccine doses to the bloc. Von der Leyen also unveiled EU plans to better detect virus variants and to speed up the approval of adapted vaccines capable of countering them. Authorities in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, expressed concerns that some people appeared less willing to take the AstraZeneca vaccine than those made by Moderna or Pfizer. Ad“The authorized AstraZeneca vaccine isn't a second-class vaccine,” the state's health ministry said. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech confirmed that they, too, have finalized an agreement to supply the EU with another 200 million vaccine doses.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)The Macomb County Health Department is expanding a program to help seniors who rely on bus services get to COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Interested seniors should call the SMART Macomb Vaccine Hotline at 586-421-6579 to register for the county wait list. Seniors or someone they know can avoid the call altogether by emailing the SMART Macomb Vaccine Hotline 24/7 at macombvaccine@smartbus.org, and including their name, address, phone number and date of birth. SMART will maintain a wait list, and the county will contact individuals from the list as appointments at Richmond/Lenox EMS or other community sites become available. Richmond/Lenox is being overwhelmed by calls and is not able to make appointments or add names to the wait list.

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2020, file photo, a nurse administers the first of the two Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccinations in Chicago. Governors and health officials have been reluctant to sign on to a Biden administration plan to open 100 federally supported vaccination sites by the end of February. With vaccine supplies running tight, they want assurances that the doses will come from a separate federal supply and not their own. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Fauci won a $1 million award from the Israeli Dan David Foundation for courageously defending science during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)TEL AVIV, Israel — Dr. Anthony Fauci has won the $1 million Dan David Prize for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The shots were supplied by Pfizer, which has a contract to sell 10 million vaccines to Colombia. The U.K.’s rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines to the most at-risk groups has also helped. The good news: Many of the new COVID-19 vaccines are made with new, flexible technology that’s easy to upgrade.

Coronavirus cases are continuing to decline in the U.S. after a winter surge. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in the country dropped below 100,000 on Friday, Feb. 12 for the first time since November 4. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)ATLANTA – Average daily new coronavirus cases in the United States dipped below 100,000 in recent days for the first time in months, but experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the pandemic must remain in place. That average dropped below 100,000 on Friday for the first time since Nov. 4. “We are still at about 100,000 cases a day.

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2021, file photo, a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 is prepared at a vaccination center of the 3rd district, in Paris. Japan on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and said it would start nationwide inoculations within days, but months behind the U.S. and many other countries. Japans health ministry said it had approved the vaccine co-developed and supplied by Pfizer Inc. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)TOKYO – Japan on Sunday formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and said it would start nationwide inoculations within days, but months behind the U.S. and many other countries. Japan’s health ministry said it had approved the vaccine co-developed and supplied by Pfizer Inc. Under the current plan, about 20,000 front-line medical workers at hospitals in Japan will get their first shots beginning around Wednesday.

A nurse holds vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine above a deep freeze cooler at Michigan Stadium on Dec. 31, 2020. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Pfizer’s vaccine manufacturing site in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Thursday, Feb. 18. Update: Biden postpones trip to visit Michigan Pfizer facility due to weatherA statement from the White House on Friday says Biden will visit with Pfizer workers who are producing the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer said it takes about 110 days to produce a batch of the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer expects to make a batch of the vaccine in about 60 days, meaning more doses are on the way.

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)Michigan has been distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines for nearly two months -- and the pace is picking up. Since Dec. 14, when Michigan administered its first COVID-19 doses to frontline workers at the University of Michigan, the state has reported more than 1.4 million doses in arms, as of Feb. 11. Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesAdResidents 50 and older account for the majority of doses administered so far, with the biggest group being between 65 and 74. Michigan COVID-19 vaccination age data as of Feb. 11, 2021. Michigan also ranks 11th among U.S. states for doses used, at 74%, as of Feb. 11.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 504 new coronavirus cases for the latest 24-hour period. Although coronavirus cases stayed relatively low in Japan last year compared to the United States and Europe, infections have been climbing recently. Kate Brown says outdoor contact sports, including high school football, can resume this week amid a decline in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. On Wednesday, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute reported 8,072 new virus cases and 813 deaths in 24 hours. ___MADRID — Spain’s official 14-day rate of coronavirus cases has fallen to 584, from a peak of 900 two weeks ago.

(Pfizer Media Relations via AP)NEW YORK – Pfizer, the first company to get U.S. emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine, swung to a small profit in the fourth quarter as it started shipping vaccines globally. Excluding one-time items, adjusted earnings came to 42 cents per share, or 4 cents shy of Wall Street projections. Initial COVID-19 vaccine sales late in the year came to $154 million. AdPfizer also posted revenue of $1.5 billion from its business making sterile injectable drugs, and $1.4 billion in revenue from partnerships. For all of 2020, Pfizer reported net income of $9.6 billion, or $1.71 per share, on revenue of $41.9 billion.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Michigan’s largest health care provider canceled COVID-19 vaccine appointments for about 2,700 people after learning they jumped the line while registering online. “This allowed 2,700 people to ‘cut in line,’” the eight-hospital health system said Sunday. AdThe issue will not affect properly scheduled vaccine appointments, it added. Epic’s corporate office also was notified so it could communicate with other health systems to prevent this from occurring elsewhere. “We are also notifying the Michigan Hospital Association and other Michigan health systems about the issue.”

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)BRUSSELS – The European Union on Monday defended its flagging coronavirus vaccine program, which has come under criticism from the World Health Organization, EU states and recently departed member Britain. Britain’s media had a feast, depicting the EU as untrustworthy, though the U.K. government kept a low profile on the issue. Ad“These are things which happen when you are working at full speed to deal with a developing situation,” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said. Gallina said the bloc expects to have received 400 million doses by the end of June. Still, critics have said that the European Commission should have started clinching contracts much earlier.

Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantzs office said Sundya, Jan. 31, 2021, that Israel has agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinians to immunize front-line medical workers. It is the first time that Israel has confirmed the transfer of vaccines to the Palestinians. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)JERUSALEM – Israel has agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinians to immunize front-line medical workers, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz's office announced Sunday. It was the first time that Israel has confirmed the transfer of vaccines to the Palestinians, who lag far behind Israel's aggressive vaccination campaign and have not yet received any vaccines. The campaign includes Israel's Arab citizens and Palestinians living in annexed east Jerusalem.

A nurse administers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a resident at DomusVi nursing home in Alcala Henares, Spain, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)GENEVA – National tensions are erupting over slow coronavirus vaccine rollouts and production delay issues are real, but “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” the European chief for the World Health Organization said Thursday. The cautionary note comes as the EU has accused pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca of failing to deliver the coronavirus vaccine doses that it promised to the 27-nation bloc despite getting EU funding to ramp up vaccine production. The company says the production issues at EU plants are slowing the amount of vaccines available, and it can't give what it does not have. Fellow vaccine maker Pfizer has had supply issues too, due to a production upgrade at a plant in Belgium.

People sit and relax after receiving their Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination at Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Salisbury Cathedral opened its doors for the second time as a venue for the Sarum South Primary Care Network COVID-19 Local Vaccination Service. Almost 5.9 million doses of vaccine had been administered by Saturday. It is giving them at doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and vaccination centers set up in conference halls, sports stadiums and other large venues. The U.K. has recorded 97,329 deaths among people who tested positive, including 1,348 new deaths reported Saturday.

LONDON – A major British doctors' group is says the U.K. government should “urgently review” it's decision to give people a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first, rather than the shorter gap recommended by the manufacturer and the World Health Organization. The U.K., which has Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, adopted the policy in order to give as many people as possible a first dose of vaccine quickly. AstraZeneca has said it believes a first dose of its vaccine offers protection after 12 weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the efficacy of its jab after such a long gap. Britain has recorded 95,981 deaths among people who tested positive, the highest confirmed virus toll in Europe. Pubs, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues and many shops are closed, and people are required to stay largely at home.

Dr. Frank McGeorge is answering questions about the vaccine.

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2020 file photo, Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Mich. Pfizer has committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable vaccines to 92 poor and middle-income countries. The deal announced Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 will supply the shots to the program known as COVAX. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)Pfizer on Friday committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable shots to poor and middle-income countries. New York-based Pfizer Inc. had not previously committed to providing its COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries without making a profit during the pandemic, as a couple rivals have. Many public health officials have expressed skepticism that the Pfizer vaccine could be successfully kept so cold across the globe.

People recieve their Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination inside Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)BRUSSELS – Frustration is mounting from Europe to North America over reduced shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine while the U.S. pharmaceutical company increases production capacity at its Belgian plant. Overall, the EU is slated to get up to 600 million doses from Pfizer. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine authorized for use in the U.K. the EU and the United States. “I would not stop until we get these vaccines.”The European Union is likely to pursue Pfizer with a different weapon but equal fervor.

(AP Photo/David Goldman, File)YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Health Department announced Tuesday that it is postponing COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week due to low supply. Individuals who had appointments to be vaccinated during these days will be contacted by the Health Department directly. “This is incredibly difficult for everyone involved,” Jimena Loveluck, health officer with Washtenaw County Health Department said in a news release. Instead, the Health Department is working closely with local providers to administer the Moderna vaccine to residents 65 years and older immediately. Individuals are randomly selected to be vaccinated and information about underlying health conditions is not used by the Health Department at this time.

A Chinese province grappling with a spike in coronavirus cases is reinstating tight restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family gatherings, threatening violators with criminal charges. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING — China is now dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans. ___WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming White House press secretary says his administration does not intend to lift coronavirus travel restrictions for Europe, the U.K., Ireland and Brazil. ___MADRID — Spain’s Health Ministry has confirmed 84,287 new known coronavirus cases since Friday amid a post-Christmas virus surge. He said 21 people had died from the virus in the past three days, bringing the colony's total virus deaths to 45 since the start of the pandemic.

Israel has struck a deal with Pfizer, promising to share vast troves of medical data with the drugmaker in exchange for the continued flow of its COVID-19 vaccine. Neither Israel nor Pfizer would say how much Israel has paid for the vaccines, though Edelstein called it a “classical win-win” for both sides. Israel had already announced the acquisition of millions of vaccine doses before the Pfizer deal was announced. But the Palestinians and major human rights groups say Israel remains an occupying power and is responsible for providing them vaccines. With tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians working in Israel and its West Bank settlements, experts say Israel should share vaccines on ethical and practical grounds.