Under mounting pressure to speed up coronavirus vaccinations, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said he would not take "unnecessary risks" and emulate Britain's emergency drug approval.

The sight of French police standing by as 2,500 people broke a national curfew to attend an illegal rave has embarrassed the government and led to questions as to why the partying was allowed to continue for two nights.

Haven, a joint venture of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase formed three years ago to make U.S. health care more affordable, announced on Monday it will disband.

Britain on Monday began rolling out the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, a possible game-changer in fighting the disease worldwide, while China raced to inoculate millions with a homegrown prophylactic. 

The French government on Monday faced growing pressure to accelerate its Covid-19 vaccination drive, with President Emmanuel Macron reportedly also furious over the slow pace of progress.

Thousands of people were lining up in Beijing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine as China races to innoculate millions before the Chinese New Year mass travel season in February.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the reopening of borders and the resumption of international flights after a two-week suspension aimed to stem the spread of a new Covid-19 strain.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday he was "reconciled" to the prospect of tougher restrictions to combat spiraling coronavirus cases, as a row flared over whether schools should reopen. 

Egypt has approved the use of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharma giant Sinopharm with its rollout to start later in January, the health minister said.

Israel said Sunday two million people will have received a two-dose Covid-19 vaccination by the end of January, a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasts is the world's fastest.