Herald section
The latest health reporting from The Belfast Herald.
Rwanda began a countrywide vaccination campaign on 5 March 2021 using 392,000 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca and Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines, prioritising high-risk groups including frontline workers, the elderly, and people with underlying conditions.
Ukraine reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom in two people from Ivano-Frankivsk.
Nine great apes in San Diego Zoo becomes the first non-human primates to receive an experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
Slovakia implemented an overnight curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time, effective 3 March 2021, to reduce transmission of COVID-19. The measure was introduced amid the country's high mortality rate and ongoing pandemic challenges.
Mongolia surpasses 3,000 cases of COVID-19.
Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah confirms mandatory vaccination for Hajj healthcare personnel in 2021, citing operational and public health needs.
The Biden administration announced Merck & Co. would produce the Johnson & Johnson single-shot coronavirus vaccine to support its goal of vaccinating all U.S. adults by end of May.
Finland declares a state of emergency amidst an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Sanna Marin says that the emergency controls will allow the government to close schools and restaurants and limit movement between regions.