TOP STORIES

- A study published by the leading UK medical journal The Lancet found mixing COVID-19 vaccine doses – taking a single AstraZeneca jab, then a Pfizer booster jab for example – leads to worse side effects, and confirmed the recommendation to stick to manufacturers' guidelines.

- The same study found that reports of worse side effects experienced by patients after taking the first AstraZeneca injection, and the second Pfizer jab, are well-founded. 

- In a separate study, University of Birmingham researchers found a delayed second injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can actually elicit a better antibody response in some patients. The pharmaceutical firms recommend a second dose administered within three weeks of the first, but in the UK, the timescale has been delayed to 12 weeks in some cases. 

- The Irish health service IT system was targeted by a "very sophisticated" cyber-attack on Friday. The Health Service Executive said it shut down its computer system as a precaution and the country's vaccination program was not affected. "The vaccination program continues, thankfully it's a separate system," said CEO Paul Reid. 

- Some 27 percent of European adults are unlikely to take a COVID-19 vaccine, according to an EU study. The Eurofound survey collected nearly 50,000 responses – and showed more vaccine hesitancy in Eastern Europe. 

- "We are opening our tourist industry to the world," announced Greece's Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis, marking the launch of a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to persuade holidaymakers to choose the Mediterranean nation as a post-lockdown destination. 

- COVID-19 vaccines have already saved 12,000 lives and prevented more than 30,000 hospitalizations in older people in England, according to the UK government public health agency. It said the estimate was based on vaccines given to over-65s and did not calculate the effect of other policies such as lockdowns.

- Two Spanish regions – Valencia and Galicia – are now classed as "low-risk" and will be allowed to host fans at soccer and basketball games this weekend. Some 5,000 home team fans will be allowed into two soccer matches – Valencia vs Eibar and Villarreal vs Sevilla – according to Spain's sports minister. 

- The tiny city-state San Marino, on the Italian Adriatic coast, will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to paying tourists from Monday. It will offer the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for 50 euros ($60.60) – but on the proviso that visitors book three-night stays in the republic after both doses, which are given three weeks apart.

READ MORE:

Meet Italy's Robinson Crusoe

The top stories from China

The $1m bottle of wine aged in space

AROUND EUROPE 

Ross Cullen in Paris

The number of people in intensive care in France continues to fall. The government had aimed to vaccinate (first jab) 20 million people by tomorrow, May 15, but the prime minister says that goal will be missed by a few days. 

As the overall picture in mainland France improves, however, French Guiana is going back into lockdown. The 17-day shutdown has been imposed due to the "deterioration" of the situation in the French overseas region in northern South America. Only 5 percent of French Guiana residents have been vaccinated due to "fake news," says the regional health agency and another lockdown was "inevitable," according to the top administrative official.

Penelope Liersch in Budapest 

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in his weekly radio interview has confirmed another announcement on the next major stage of reopening will come when the country records 5 million first-dose vaccinations. More than 4.48 million people have had their first dose so far. This is well behind the Orban's previous prediction that 5 million would be reached around May 10, a point now expected to be reached by the end of May.  

Weddings will be allowed to go ahead from May 28, regardless of the number of vaccines. The next stage of reopening is likely to include major events and curfews. It's expected people will need to show proof of vaccination until at least August. 

Poland will reopen outdoor dining and bars from Saturday, with restaurants in Warsaw planning outdoor "New Year's Eve in May" parties to mark the occasion. The country will also allow people not to wear masks outdoors if they can keep a safe distance from others. In Czechia, those who are fully vaccinated have the freedom to travel to six countries without quarantining from Saturday. Czechs can enter Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.
 

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt

The intensity of Germany's COVID-19 situation is finally easing and the number of new infections is now on par with mid-March.

Health authorities reported 11,336 new cases and 190 new deaths to the Robert Koch Institute on Friday morning. A week ago, the infection figure was over 18,000.

Despite the good news, restrictions shutting shops, restaurants and leisure facilities will remain in place for a while longer. German cities must obtain a seven-day incidence rate under 100 new infections for five consecutive days before they're able to reopen. 

Toni Waterman in Brussels 

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital has dropped below 2,000 for the first time in two months. There are now 1,921 beds taken, a 20 percent drop. 

New infections are also trending lower as more people are vaccinated. According to government data, 3.8 million people have now received a least one dose of a vaccine. That's just over 40 percent of adults. 

But there is concern about vaccine hesitancy, especially among French speakers in Belgium. A motivation barometer put out by the University of Ghent, UCLouvain and University of Brussels, found around 38 percent of French speakers in the Walloon part of Belgium said they would refuse a vaccine, compared with 20 percent of Flemish people.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: Vaccines for teens in Hungary

CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 7 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

CGTN America: How are Sioux and Lakota tribes fighting COVID-19?

CGTN Africa: 38.03 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa

Sign up here to get the COVID-19 Europe bulletin sent directly to your inbox.

CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded.