TOP HEADLINES

- France's government has decided that over-65s in France with existing health problems can now be given the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, a U-turn on its previous stance that the jab should only be used on younger people.

- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been vaccinated during a visit to the eastern region of Donbass, in the hope it will reassure people about getting the jab. "Vaccines will let us live without restrictions again," Zelenskiy said.

- CEO of vaccine alliance Gavi, Seth Berkley, has said our "best chance out of the pandemic is to continue use of non-pharmaceutical interventions" but also to roll out vaccines as soon as possible amid the constant emergence of new variants of the virus.

- Spain is to buy 17 million more doses of the Moderna vaccine as part of a deal negotiated by the EU, government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said.

- Norway is considering tightening restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, health minister Bent Hoie said. "We could be seeing the beginning of a third wave. We need to be prepared that the next two months can be quite tough," he said.

- Germany will start easing its restrictions from next week, according to draft plans seen by news agency Reuters. The plans say that a maximum of five people from two households will be allowed to meet from March 8, up from a maximum of two people under current rules.

- The World Health Organization's emergencies director Michael Ryan has said: "It will be very premature, and I think unrealistic, to think that we're going to finish with this virus by the end of the year." But added it could be possible to reduce the tragedy associated with the virus by cutting deaths and hospitalizations.

- Austria and Denmark have broken ranks with the European Union to form an alliance with Israel to produce vaccines against mutations of the virus, amid a slow roll-out of jabs in the bloc. The European Commission, which had previously urged countries to order jabs via the bloc, has said member states are free to strike separate deals should they wish to. 

- Czechia has deployed police and military forces to 500 checkpoints across the country after it tightened restrictions on movement on Monday amid a surge in cases.

- Slovakia has signed a deal to acquire 2 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, Prime Minister Igor Matovic has said.

- Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia on Tuesday with a donation of 5,000 doses of the Oxford University- AstraZeneca vaccine to help its inoculation program. "My message is that we have to turn to each other, without regarding everyone else as more important," Vucic said.

- Croatia's drugs wholesalers have reduced medicine deliveries to 15 hospitals that have fallen behind in their payments and have blamed the government for not funding the country's health system enough.

ACROSS EUROPE

Andrew Wilson in the UK

A nationwide search continues for the last of the six cases of the variant first discovered in Brazil that have been picked up by testing in the UK. 

The other five have been isolated amid concerns that this new variant might be problematic for the current vaccine program. The variant has been identified in 15 countries not on the UK's red list.

The government is hoping to ramp up the vaccination roll-out to 5 million doses a week, with a large boost in supply expected this week.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday announced plans for a vaccine passport scheme that could allow Britons to go on holiday in Europe this summer. The digital green pass may cause concern among ministers set against the potential discrimination of such ID cards.

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Toni Waterman in Brussels

Belgium

Belgium's COVID-19 indicators continue to rise, as mutant variants dominate infections. Hospital admissions averaged 148.6 in the past week, a 20 percent jump from the week before. Average daily infections were also up 12 percent over the same time frame. 

The government has delayed making a decision on easing measures. The country's health minister has also asked the Superior Health Council to review its decision to limit the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine to under-55s and to consider extending the gap between the two Pfizer-BioNTech doses from 21 days to 42 days. 

Belgium has faced a shortage of vaccine deliveries, which has significantly limited the number of people vaccinated. Only two of Brussels' 10 vaccination centers have been opened due to the shortfall. 

The EU

Brussels will table a legislative proposal for a "digital passport" later this month, which will provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 or has tested negative for the virus. It's hoped the certificate can help kick-start economies over the summer months, by allowing people to travel within the EU or abroad. 

But the idea is facing stiff criticism from the likes of Belgium and France, which have raised concerns about discrimination. Belgium's Foreign Affairs Minister Sophie Wilmes said that the country would not link vaccination with free movement across Europe. "Respect for the principle of non-discrimination is more fundamental than ever since vaccination is not compulsory and access to the vaccine is not yet generalized," she tweeted. 

The pushback sets the stage for months of bickering between member states over how the passes should be used, meaning that summer break could be even further out of reach. 

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt

Small parts of the economy have reopened in Germany, after more than two months at a standstill. Residents can now seek out personal care services or visit a garden shop, however most non-essential retail shops are still shut. 

National health authorities reported 3,943 new infections on Tuesday morning, which is not a sharp decrease from the figure given at the same time last week. The virus incidence rate, which is the key metric being monitored by officials for a reopening, has also only dropped slightly to 65.4. Chancellor Angela Merkel said it must reach 35 for most restrictions to be lifted.

Ross Cullen in Paris

From Tuesday March 2, a negative PCR test taken no earlier than 48 hours before travel applies to all cross-border traffic to Germany through the eastern border region of Moselle. Around 16,000 people live in Moselle and work over the border in Germany. 

The over-65s have now been approved to have the AstraZeneca vaccine (but nobody older than 74). Until now, only health workers and the 2 million people in France aged between 50 and 64 who have a serious underlying condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, have been approved to receive the AstraZeneca shot. 

A weekend lockdown is the key measure being considered by the government for the 20 regions across the country under increased surveillance. A Saturday to Sunday confinement is being "seriously considered" for the Paris capital region. Nice and Dunkirk are already under weekend lockdowns and have at least one more weekend of shutdown. The whole country remains under a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly curfew.

Julia Chapman in Budapest

Hungary will stretch the period between vaccine doses in an effort to inoculate a greater number of people more quickly. A 12-week gap will be implemented between AstraZeneca shots and 35 days between Pfizer ones. Hungary is also using vaccines from Moderna, Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm. 

The decision comes as COVID-19 cases rise rapidly in the country. Hungary's Chief Medical Officer, Cecilia Muller, warned: "The coming weeks will be very difficult." She said if cases continue to rise, further restrictions would be necessary. 

Existing restrictions have been extended to mid-March. Hungary surpassed 15,000 deaths from the coronavirus over the weekend, a per capita rate comparable with that in the U.S..

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