Israeli barbershops and some other businesses reopened Sunday as Israel began easing its third coronavirus lockdown Sunday amid an aggressive vaccination campaign.

Early Friday, the government announced it was lifting some restrictions imposed since December, when the country saw a rise in Covid-19 infections.

Iran will kick off its coronavirus vaccination campaign within a week, President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday, after the country received its first batch of Russia's Sputnik V jab.

The Islamic republic is fighting the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the coronavirus, with over 58,000 lives lost out of more than 1.4 million cases of infection.

China's drug authorities have given "conditional" market approval for a second Covid-19 vaccine, Sinovac's CoronaVac jab, the pharmaceutical company said Saturday.

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell on Friday hailed the success of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, adding that he hoped it could be certified for use in the bloc.

North Korea has requested Covid-19 vaccines and is expected to receive nearly two million doses, according to the Gavi vaccine alliance, part of the WHO-backed Covax programme, although the isolated country has insisted it is virus-free.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday shut down entertainment centres including cinemas and suspended dine-in services at restaurants, tightening coronavirus restrictions amid a spike in infections.

Economic recovery in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to accelerate this year following a double whammy shock, but growth will be uneven due to unbalanced access to the coronavirus vaccine, the IMF said. 

Initial data from Israel's coronavirus vaccination campaign shows the Pfizer/BioNTech jab protects against serious illness, but it is not yet clear whether it slows transmissions or spells progress toward achieving herd immunity, experts say.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia is working to increase production of its homemade Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in foreign countries.

A French lab will start producing Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in March, while another  will begin making the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech in April, Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said Wednesday.