TOP STORIES

• Protection from the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab lasts longer than that from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a study by academics from Oxford University. The Pfizer vaccine has "greater initial effectiveness" but then "declines faster compared with two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca," according to the researchers. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed and used Office for National Statistics data.  

• A British man has been jailed in Singapore for refusing to wear a face covering in public and harassing police. He was given a six-week sentence after an outburst in court during which he described the trial as "preposterous" and "disgusting," which prompted the judge to ask for a psychological assessment. Benjamin Glynn was deemed fit to serve his sentence. 

• The pandemic has led to a boom in the UK's legal cannabis market. CBD, which is the non-psychoactive part of the plant, was classed as a food by the EU in 2019 (when the UK was still a member) and has become popular for its apparently relaxing and anti-inflammatory properties. The National Health Service said there is "no guarantee [products] provide any health benefits."

• Poland's vaccine minister said the country will send 650,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab to Ukraine, according to the PAP news agency. Ukraine has lagged other nations on the continent in its vaccination program, and has made public appeals for help. At the other end of the spectrum, Polish media have reported the country has a surplus of vaccines, with 57 percent of Poles vaccinated. 

• New Zealand's government claimed to have "solved" the mystery of its outbreak, which ended a six-month run of no community infections. Tests found the man who had the Delta variant arrived from Sydney on August 7. "We believe we have uncovered the piece of the puzzle we were looking for," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. New Zealand's policy is to eradicate the virus completely.

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AROUND EUROPE

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt

With a vaccine passport coming, many Germans are taking up COVID-19 vaccinations. According to the Federal Ministry of Health in Berlin, 48.4 million people, or 58.2 percent of the total population, have been completely vaccinated. 

Health Minister Jens Spahn has applauded the progress in the vaccination campaign over the past week, after expressing frustration at a sluggish take-up in July. 

Nawied Jabarkhyl in London

People infected with the Delta variant may still pass on COVID-19, even if they've been double-vaccinated.

That's according to a study by the University of Oxford. Researchers said the results could throw the idea of herd immunity into doubt as vaccines appeared less effective against stopping transmission of the virus.

And data from the High Pay Centre show the CEO of AstraZeneca was the highest paid executive in the UK last year, earning  around $21.2 million.

Pascal Soriot led the company as it developed and delivered a COVID-19 vaccine used millions of times around the world.

Ross Cullen in Paris

France's Prime Minister Jean Castex says 40 million people in the country are now fully vaccinated, meaning 46.9m people have had at least one dose. The government is hoping to get to the mark of 50m first doses by the end of this month.

Another barrier has been passed in hospitals, as more than 2,000 people are now being treated in intensive care. France will today receive the first tranche of the $6bn allocated by the EU to help the country recover from the pandemic. 

New reinforcements of health workers are going to be sent on Friday to Guadeloupe and Martinique, from where a dozen patients should be evacuated to the French mainland in the coming days.

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