Four out of five people in Mexico who got influenza shots so far this year turned down the government's recommendation they get Russian or Cuban COVID-19 boosters at the same time.

The developer of Russia’s Sputnik V says its vaccine provides the best protection against the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced hope for a quick approval of the country’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine by the World Health Organization, saying the move is essential for expanding its global supplies.

The developer of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine says it will work on adapting it to the new omicron COVID-19 variant.

Russia’s coronavirus death toll continues to hover near all-time highs, but the number of new infections has continued to decline.

Russia has recorded a new daily high number of coronavirus cases as much of the country’s businesses remain closed in an effort to counter a weekslong surge in infections.

The South African drug regulator has rejected the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, citing some safety concerns the manufacturer wasn’t able to answer.

South Korea has reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections for the 100th consecutive day as a delta-driven outbreak continues to spread in the greater capital area.

Russia’s daily coronavirus death toll has hit a new record amid the country’s sluggish vaccination rate and the government’s reluctance to tighten restrictions.

The World Health Organization says it’s still reviewing data about Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine as part of hopes that it can be approved for emergency use against the coronavirus, but no decision is imminent.

A senior Russian official says that the country has seen mortality rise at a faster pace last month amid a surge in coronavirus infections.

Russia’s health officials have given a go-ahead to testing a combination of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot and the single-dose version of the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine.

Russia’s sovereign fund has announced a deal with a top Indian vaccine manufacturer to produce the Russia-designed Sputnik V vaccine.

Russian health authorities have launched booster coronavirus vaccinations for those who had been immunized more than six months ago, amid a surge in new infections and deaths.

An ambitious plan of vaccinating 30 million Russians by mid-June against the coronavirus has fallen short by a third, and the country has started to see a surge in daily new infections, with over 20,000 reported on Thursday.

The Macomb County Health Department is resuming several services available to the public as COVID-19 spread dwindles in the state.

Mexican authorities say Russia has been having so many problems producing second doses of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine that there won't be enough to give people who got the first dose a second shot.

Slovakia’s government is set to discuss the possible use of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine with Russia after it was successfully tested in a Hungarian lab.

Russia boasted last year of being the first country to authorize a coronavirus vaccine.

Russia is turning to multiple Chinese firms to manufacture the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in an effort to speed up production as demand soars.

Brazil’s health regulator has rejected a request from several states to import almost 30 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, citing safety concerns.

Iran has finalized a deal with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

A top official from the World Health Organization says Europe has surpassed 1 million deaths from COVID-19.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has received his second COVID-19 vaccine shot, three weeks after getting the first dose.

Listing Metro Detroit sites changing their plans in order to comply with the J&J vaccine pause recommendation.

Russia has asked Slovakia to return its Sputnik V vaccine shots “due to multiple contract violations.”.

Germany’s health minister says the European Union doesn’t plan to order Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine but his country will hold talks with Russia on whether an individual order makes sense.

Czech Prime Minster Andrej Babis has fired his health minister, the third who has lost the job in the pandemic in one of the hardest-hit European countries.

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

She moved back to San Marino when she was 31. They were having trouble getting vaccine doses. And Sputnik V isn’t authorized outside of San Marino. Thank God we’re in San Marino,” she said. In San Marino, the population is 33,000.

Putin said he will get vaccinated against the coronavirus on Tuesday, months after widespread vaccination has started in Russia. Dmitry Peskov said Putin is feeling fine after getting the shot and is planning a regular workday Wednesday. Kremlin critics have argued that Putin's reluctance to get vaccinated was contributing to the already existing public hesitancy about the vaccine. Russia has been actively marketing Sputnik V abroad, despite the slow rollout at home and limited production capacities. AdThe fund said Tuesday it has submitted a request for Sputnik V to be part of the global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX.

Putin said he will get vaccinated against the coronavirus on Tuesday, months after widespread vaccination has started in Russia. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin said he will get a coronavirus vaccine shot on Tuesday, several months after widespread vaccination started in Russia. Putin, 68, told a meeting with government officials and vaccine developers on Monday that he will get his shot “tomorrow,” without specifying which coronavirus vaccine out of the three authorized for use in Russia he will take. Dozens of countries have approved the use of Sputnik V and signed deals with Russia to get shipments of the shot. Even despite deliberate discrediting of our vaccine, various hoaxes and sometimes outright nonsense, more states all around the world express interest in our vaccine," Putin said.

In this photo released by Mexico's tax agency, SAT, on March 17, 2021, officials show vials of seized, alleged Sputnik V vaccines for COVID-19 in Campeche, Mexico. (Mexican tax agency SAT via AP)MEXICO CITY – Mexican customs officials have seized purported vials of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine en route to Honduras that the Russian entity that bankrolled the vaccine’s development said Thursday were fake. The RDIF also drew geopolitics into the mix, saying, “This is an example of possible provocations against Sputnik V just as Russian officials warned last week. The source said that the alleged plan is to paint Sputnik V as ineffective and dangerous, including by “staging mass deaths, allegedly as a result of using” the vaccine. Mexico started vaccinating people with Sputnik V last month and has received 400,000 doses to date.

FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2021, file photo, people receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada is making all residents ages 16 and older eligible for the coronavirus vaccine starting April 5 as part of its efforts to inoculate the population as quickly as possible. Dr. Marcela Nunez-Smith, the White House COVID-19 equity task force chair, says the administration is spending $150 million to broaden access to monoclonal antibodies. In contrast, Arizona and Montana are achieving equity in vaccine coverage, directing vaccines to counties with more economic and social disadvantages. AdThe CDC analyzed vaccine coverage through March 1 and included data representing 49.2 million people who had at least one dose.

FILE - In this Monday March 1, 2021 file photo, Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, right, and Health Minister Marek Krajci at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, as Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives. Richard Sulik, the head of the Freedom and Solidarity party and a deputy prime minister, said Prime Minister Igor Matovic’s resignation is a “necessary” step for the four-party coalition to survive. Sulik's party was joined on Monday by the For People party, another coalition party, in demands that Matovic resign. The crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light two weeks ago involving Slovakia's agreement to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. Ad“Their conflicts effectively slowed down the government’s work,” said Remisova, who is the deputy prime minister for investments and informatization.

A pharmacist holds a packet of Sputnik V vaccines to be used for the first dose in the pharmacy of the Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen County Medical Center and University Teaching Hospital in Miskolc, Hungary, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. That is the second-highest rate of vaccination in the 27-member EU after the small island nation of Malta and substantially above the EU average of 7%. In February, the country became the first in the EU to begin using China's Sinopharm and Russia's Sputnik V vaccines, even as polling showed that public trust in non-EU approved vaccines was low. “Hungary has more vaccines because it gave emergency approval to the Sputnik and Sinopharm vaccines," he said, adding that he had received a Sputnik V jab. Still, he says, Hungarians won't be safe until all countries in the world have access to vaccines.

Russia signed a deal to produce 10 million doses of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Italy this year. “That is not the goal, it is a wish,’’ Adienne founder and president Antonio Francesco Di Naro told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The first agreement to make the Sputnik V in any EU country was signed Tuesday by Swiss-based Adienne Pharma & Biotech and the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Ad“This procedure requires months, or even more, because this is a biological product,” Di Naro said. But the company could sell the vaccine it produced to non-EU countries as long as it obtains Italian regulatory approval, Di Naro said.

Boxes loaded with the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrive at Tunis airport, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Tunisia is also awaiting the arrival of the first lot of the Chinese vaccine Sinovac as well as the Pfizer and Astrozeneca vaccines (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi)TUNIS – Tunisia received its first batch of coronavirus vaccines on Tuesday — 30,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V — and will start inoculations on Saturday. The Chinese vaccines include 200,000 donated doses, Louzir said, while the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are coming via the global COVAX program aimed at supplying vaccines to developing countries that might otherwise struggle to afford them. Despite the delays, Tunisia is hoping to vaccinate 50% of its population of 12 million by the end of the year. Tunisia has reported more than 238,000 virus cases and 8,225 lives lost, one of the highest official virus death tolls in Africa.

Now, with demand growing for the Sputnik V, experts are raising questions again, this time over whether Moscow can keep up with all the orders from countries that want it. (Saeed Kaari/IKAC via AP, File)MILAN – Russia has signed a deal to produce its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Italy, the first contract in the European Union, the Italian Russian Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday. Russian authorities are working on 20 similar collaborations in Europe and the Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 45 nations worldwide, the chamber said. Hungary became the first EU country to authorize Sputnik V for use last month while Slovakia announced a deal last week to acquire 2 million Sputnik V doses and received the first shipment of 200,000 doses. “We can have Sputnik V on the market here in the future if we have examined the corresponding data.”Wirthumer-Hoche’s remarks elicited outrage in Russia.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker shows Alaska leading states in the percentage of its population to have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Larry Hogan said Tuesday, citing improving COVID-19 health metrics and increasing vaccinations. It was unclear what authority state officials might be able to exert on federal facilities. — County health officials in Wyoming have detected the coronavirus variant that originated in South Africa. Another 16 million doses are expected to be shipped by the end of the month.

A Palestinian medic prepares a shot of the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, in Gaza City, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. LOCAL: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know March 7, 2021Each week, we’ll provide updates on which countries have the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is 116,662,534. Countries with the highest number of COVID-19 casesUnited States - 28,960,271 COVID cases India - 11,210,799 COVID cases Brazil - 10,938,836 COVID cases Russia - 4,274,263 COVID cases United Kingdom - 4,231,083 COVID cases France - 3,942,244 COVID cases Spain - 3,149,012 COVID cases Italy - 3,046,762 COVID cases Turkey - 2,780,417 COVID cases Germany - 2,508,441 COVID cases Colombia - 2,273,245 COVID cases Argentina - 2,146,714 COVID cases Mexico - 2,125,866 COVID cases Poland - 1,794,914 COVID cases Iran - 1,689,692 COVID casesThe total number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths around the world is 2,590,656. Countries with the highest number of COVID-19 deathsUnited States - 524,541 COVID deaths Brazil - 264,325 COVID deaths Mexico - 190,357 COVID deaths India - 157,756 COVID deaths United Kingdom - 124,654 COVID deaths Italy - 99,785 COVID deaths France - 88,727 COVID deaths Russia - 87,614 COVID deaths Germany - 71,956 COVID deaths Spain - 71,138 COVID deaths Iran - 60,687 COVID deaths Colombia - 60,412 COVID deaths Argentina - 52,870 COVID deaths South Africa - 50,647 COVID deaths Peru - 47,681 COVID deathsAll data is sourced from Johns Hopkins University’s global COVID-19 data.

Millions of doses are expected by countries in Latin America, Africa, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East in a wave of Russian vaccine diplomacy. Sputnik V is a viral vector vaccine, which uses a harmless virus that carries genetic material to stimulate the immune system. In India, which has been pledged 125 million doses, the vaccine is undergoing studies to determine if it produces a comparable immune response. Brazil’s health ministry said it is negotiating to purchase 10 million doses, but the nation’s regulatory agency has yet to authorize its use. Mexico signed a deal for 24 million doses and was hoping to receive 400,000 in February but got only 200,000.

Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, on Monday March 1, 2021. In the meantime, dozens of countries have already authorized Sputnik V for use — including EU member Hungary — and many have agreed to purchase millions of doses of the shot. “No talks are ongoing between negotiation teams and the producers, or institutes, or companies or organizations behind the Sputnik vaccine,” said Stefan De Keersmaecker, the Commission’s health policy spokesman. AdThe RDIF has been pushing for the EMA to review Sputnik V for months, with Dmitriev first announcing an application to the European regulator in November. But unlike AstraZeneca’s two-dose vaccine, Sputnik V uses a slightly different adenovirus for the second booster shot, a factor that some scientists say may account for its apparently high efficacy rate.

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, right, and Health Minister Marek Krajci at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, Monday March 1, 2021, as Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives. Hard-hit Slovakia signed a deal to acquire 2 million dozes of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The country's prime minister says Slovakia will get one million shots in next two months while another million will arrive in May and June. The crisis was triggered by a secret deal to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine orchestrated by the country’s prime minister despite disagreement among his coalition partners. Remisova met Sulik and other leaders — including another critic of the Sputnik V deal, President Zuzana Caputova — over the crisis Wednesday.

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, right, and Health Minister Marek Krajci at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, Monday March 1, 2021, as Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives. Hard-hit Slovakia signed a deal to acquire 2 million dozes of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The country's prime minister says Slovakia will get one million shots in next two months while another million will arrive in May and June. (Frantisek Ivan/TASR via AP)PRAGUE – Slovakia was thrown into a political crisis Tuesday over a secret deal to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine orchestrated by the country’s prime minister despite disagreement among his coalition partners. Its leader, deputy Prime Minister Veronika Remisova, repeatedly said that Sputnik V can't be used unless approved by the EU’s drug regulator.

Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, Monday March 1, 2021. Hard-hit Slovakia signed a deal to acquire 2 million dozes of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The country's prime minister says Slovakia will get one million shots in next two months while another million will arrive in May and June. (Frantisek Ivan/TASR via AP)PRAGUE – Slovakia signed a deal to acquire 2 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said Monday. Matovic’s coalition government originally rejected a plan to acquire Sputnik V on Feb 18 after one of his four coalition partners vetoed the move.

LOCAL: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Feb. 28, 2021Each week, we’ll provide updates on which countries have the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is 113,950,840. Countries with the highest number of COVID-19 casesUnited States - 28,567,544 COVID cases India - 11,096,731 COVID cases Brazil - 10,517,232 COVID cases Russia - 4,198,400 COVID cases United Kingdom - 4,188,823 COVID cases France - 3,747,263 COVID cases Spain - 3,188,553 COVID cases Italy - 2,925,265 COVID cases Turkey - 2,701,588 COVID cases Germany - 2,449,506 COVID cases Colombia - 2,248,135 COVID cases Argentina - 2,104,197 COVID cases Mexico - 2,084,128 COVID cases Poland - 1,706,986 COVID cases Iran - 1,631,169 COVID casesThe total number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths around the world is 2,528,117. Countries with the highest number of COVID-19 deathsUnited States - 512,346 COVID deaths Brazil - 254,221 COVID deaths Mexico - 185,257 COVID deaths India - 157,051 COVID deaths United Kingdom - 123,083 COVID deaths Italy - 97,699 COVID deaths France - 85,741 COVID deaths Russia - 84,700 COVID deaths Germany - 70,106 COVID deaths Spain - 69,142 COVID deaths Iran - 60,073 COVID deaths Colombia - 59,660 COVID deaths Argentina - 51,946 COVID deaths South Africa - 49,941 COVID deaths Peru - 46,299 COVID deathsAll data is sourced from Johns Hopkins University’s global COVID-19 data. Compare the data above to our last report (Feb. 14) right hereAdClick here for the latest coronavirus news

More than 18,000 people have gotten their first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine in the region of 600,000 that was hit hard by COVID-19. AdMedia reports indicate about 20 countries ordered a total of over 200 million doses, said Elena Subbotina, consultant with Central & Eastern European Team of CBPartners, a global health care strategy consulting firm. The drive has picked up speed but is still rather slow, said Alexander Dragan, an independent data analyst who monitors regional vaccination rates. Logunov, of the Gamaleya Center, said 7 million doses have been released for domestic use, another 1 million are expected by the end of February, and 10 million are planned to be produced in March. One declined because she believed she had already had COVID-19 and didn’t want the vaccine without getting tested first.

There were an additional 227 COVID-19 deaths, more than 4,900 new cases and 7,535 hospitalizations, a decline of 222 people hospitalized, the department reported. But he said other services would be allowed only for those who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. A nation of some 620,000 people, Montenegro has reported more than 70,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 939 known deaths. ___PHOENIX -- Enrollment at U.S. community colleges dropped 0% from fall 2019 to fall 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Arizona on Saturday reported 2,047 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 59 deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 806,163 cases and 15,480 deaths.

Health officials say the first shipments of the Chinese and Russian vaccines will be used in low-income neighborhoods of Mexico City or its suburbs. — Millions of vulnerable U.S. residents will need COVID-19 vaccines brought to them because they rarely or never leave their homes. Johnson & Johnson in December agreed to provide up to 500 million doses of its vaccine to COVAX through 2022. Ad“If we are to end the global pandemic, life-saving innovations like vaccines must be within reach for all countries,” Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in a statement. The state health department has scheduled vaccination clinics during the weekend to replace those postponed due to a winter storm.

A medical worker administers a shot of COVID-19 vaccine to a man in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)LOZNICA – Hundreds of Bosnian Serb medical workers crossed into Serbia to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Wednesday after Belgrade donated vaccine doses to neighboring nations in a bid to highlight its regional reach and influence. It has started administering the second shot, mainly with China’s Sinopharm vaccines, along with Russia’s Sputnik V and to a lesser extent, jabs from Pfizer-BioNTech. Both the the Chinese and the Russian vaccines have not been approved by the European Union's medical authorities. North Macedonia's health authorities started vaccinating the country's of medical workers on Wednesday using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from Serbia.

Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza from its highly successful vaccination campaign. The dispute highlights the Palestinians' reliance on Israel even as they struggle to combat the pandemic on their own. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since the militant group took control of Gaza. But Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, said they would be administered in two phases, first to vulnerable patients and then to health care workers. Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.

A man receives a shot of Russian vaccine Sputnik V at Central Hospital of the Hungarian Defence Forces (military) in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, as the vaccination with Sputnik V against the new coronavirus begins in the country. “If we compare Hungary's vaccination plan with the European situation, then Hungary can vaccinate 3.5 million more people by the end of May than a European country of the same size and population. AdOrban's government has criticized the pace of the European Union's vaccine rollout and in recent months sought vaccines from countries outside the bloc's common procurement program. Hungarian health authorities last month approved the jab developed by China's state-owned company Sinopharm and also authorized use of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. It was unclear whether Orban's May projection was simply the number of vaccines the country has purchased outside the EU's procurement program.

___AdSACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is expanding the list of people eligible for coronavirus vaccine by another 4 to 6 million people. Ad“What all this means is that we can expect to see more breakthrough cases,” Dean Sidelinger, the health authority’s state health officer, said. Every life that is lost now is all the more tragic as vaccines are beginning to be rolled out.”Globally, there’s been 107 million coronavirus cases and 2.3 million confirmed deaths. Italy has registered a total of 2.6 million cases and more than 93,000 confirmed deaths. Just over 4% of Montana residents have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Parsa Namaki son of Health Minister Saeed Namaki receives a Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in a staged event at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. At a ceremony marking the start of the campaign, Parsa Namaki, son of Health Minister Saeed Namaki, received his first dose. Last Thursday, Iran received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines from Russia. Iranian media have reported that a total of 2 million Russian vaccines will arrive in Iran in February and March. Iran is also planning to import some 17 million doses of vaccine from COVAX and millions from other countries.

Iran on Thursday received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines as the country struggles to stem the worst outbreak of the pandemic in the Middle East. (Saeed Kaari/IKAC via AP)TEHRAN – Iran on Thursday received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines as the country struggles to stem the worst outbreak of the pandemic in the Middle East. Also Iranian state TV quoted Tehran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, as saying that Iran has ordered 5 million doses from Russia. ISNA quoted Mohammadreza Shanehsaz, head of Iran’s food and drug organization, as saying Thursday’s shipment included only 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. It is also planning to import some 17 million doses of vaccine from COVAX and millions from other countries.

A nurse shows to the press a vial of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 during a vaccination campaign inside River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)MANAGUA – Nicaragua’s government said Wednesday that it had approved Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. “Nicaragua is advancing in its negotiations with Russia to supply” the vaccine, said the government outlet El 19 Digital. It was the first vaccine approved in Nicaragua, which still awaits its first doses. Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela are among other left-leaning governments in the hemisphere that have approved the vaccine.

(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY – Mexico approved the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V for use Tuesday, just hours after the publication of early results of an advanced study saying it is about 91% effective. The Russian vaccine would become the third to receive emergency approval in Mexico. Mexico turned to the Russian vaccine following delays in obtaining others it was counting on. A dozen countries have already approved the Russian vaccine for use, including Bolivia and Argentina, where López-Gatell visited in January to learn more about it. Ad“The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is safe, it has 92% efficacy against COVID, it can be used safely and is effective in seniors,” López-Gatell said.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020 file photo, a medical worker prepares a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Moscow, Russia. Russian scientists say the country's Sputnik V vaccine appears safe and effective against COVID-19, according to early results of an advanced study published on Tuesday Feb. 2, 2021, in a British medical journal. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)MOSCOW – Russian scientists say the country's Sputnik V vaccine appears safe and effective against COVID-19, according to early results of an advanced study published Tuesday in a British medical journal. AdAlgeria will begin producing the Sputnik V vaccine “within the coming weeks,” Kamel Mansouri, the head of Algeria's national agency for pharmaceuticals, said Tuesday. Hungary expects to get enough Sputnik V vaccine to treat 1 million people in the next three months.

— New Zealand’s medical regulator has approved its first coronavirus vaccine, and officials hope to begin giving shots to border workers by the end of March. Tate Reeves says he’s skeptical about a new federal effort to reduce racial disparities in coronavirus vaccination rates. ___BEIRUT — Lebanon has broken its single-day record of coronavirus deaths with 81 as the country continued its nationwide lockdown for the third week. ___LAS VEGAS — Nevada has recorded its deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in January after reporting eight additional coronavirus deaths over the weekend. Mike DeWine and his wife received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday in a procedure streamed live.

Dr. Estefania Zevrnja gets a shot of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 at Dr. Pedro Fiorito Hospital in Avellaneda, Argentina, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. The first batch of Sputnik V arrived in the former Soviet republic of Belarus on Tuesday and the vaccination effort began almost immediately. Vaccination will be entirely voluntary,” Belarus Health Minister Dmitry Pinevich was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his ministry and Russian health authorities. Belarus conducted its own trial of Sputnik V among 100 volunteers and gave the shot regulatory approval on Dec. 21, two days before Argentina did. “I don't doubt that Sputnik V is an effective and safe vaccine,” he said.

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.

MOSCOW – Russia’s Health Ministry agreed Wednesday to cut the size of a study of a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine and to stop the enrollment of volunteers. The decision comes a week after developers said enrollment of study volunteers has slowed since Russia began giving out the Sputnik V vaccine while the late-stage study was still continuing. The study size was cut to about 31,000 from 40,000 participants. Russia has been widely criticized for giving Sputnik V regulatory approval in August after the vaccine only had been tested on a few dozen people. In a statement, the Health Ministry said that interim study data on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness was considered as part of the decision to reduce the study size.

Among those getting help are hard-hit businesses, schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction. ___Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state Gov. ___DENVER — Colorado’s legislature will go into recess soon after convening in January as lawmakers wait for COVID-19 cases to subside. About 7,000 Kentucky residents, the vast majority of them health care workers in hospitals, have been vaccinated since. ___CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia set another weekly record for positive coronavirus cases and deaths as it awaits an influx of vaccines from Moderna.

A Russian medical worker administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Moscow on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Kremlin officials and state-controlled media touted the Sputnik V vaccine as a major achievement after it was approved Aug. 11. Despite those warnings, authorities started offering it to certain high-risk groups, such as front-line medical workers, within weeks of approval. Developers named it “Sputnik V,” a reference to the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of the world's first satellite during the Cold War. Some medical workers and teachers interviewed by The Associated Press expressed skepticism about the vaccine because it hasn’t been fully tested.

Russian medical worker, right, administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that about 5,000 signed up in a few hours after the system began operating on Friday. The two-shot Sputnik V was developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute. An advanced study among 40,000 volunteers was announced two weeks after the vaccine received government approval and that is still ongoing. On Saturday, Russia reported a new record high of daily infections at 28,782, including 7,993 in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced start of large-scale vaccination of medics and teachers against COVID next week. Speaking during an online meeting dedicated to inauguration of new hospitals for coronavirus patients built by Russian Defense Ministry, Putin said Russia has enough capacity to start "large-scale" vaccination of teachers and doctors. Russia touted its domestically developed vaccine, Sputnik V, as the world’s “first registered COVID-19 vaccine” after the government gave it regulatory approval in early August. He tasked Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova to “organize the work in such a way so that large-scale vaccination starts by the end of next week." The two-shot Sputnik V vaccine was developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute.

MOSCOW – Developers of Sputnik V, Russia's experimental COVID-19 vaccine, announced Wednesday that early, interim data from a large trial suggests the shot appears to be 92% effective. Russia touted Sputnik V, a two-shot vaccine, as the world's first to receive a government go-ahead after it was approved in early August without completing advanced testing. On Wednesday, Russia's Direct Investment Fund that bankrolled the effort announced that an analysis of the early data of the study showed that the vaccine "had an efficacy rate of 92%." The announcement comes just two days after Pfizer sparked worldwide optimism by reporting that an early peek at its vaccine data suggests it is 90% effective — though Pfizer also did not provide a detailed look at its data. But neither the international criticism, nor the domestic skepticism stopped Russia from promoting Sputnik V abroad.

A Russian medical worker adminsters a shot of Russia's experimental Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Russian health authorities have launched advanced trials of the vaccine among 40,000 volunteers, a randomized, placebo-controlled study. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)MOSCOW – What do you do when Vladimir Putin offers you Russia’s new coronavirus vaccine, for free? Only results from small early studies on Russian vaccine have been published, raising concerns among some scientists that the vaccine isn’t ready yet for widespread use -- and prompting worldwide memes about potential bizarre side effects. The virus has not spared the staff of the United Nations, its headquarters and regional entities,” Putin said in a prerecorded speech from Moscow.

DETROIT While the world anxiously awaits a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, the announcement that Russia has approved one is being met with skepticism. Experts are concerned Russia has cut corners on safety and is launching the vaccine without sufficient testing. A vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. I now it very well, as one of my daughters has been inoculated with the vaccine, Putin said. So were the first to have registered, Putin said.