TOP STORIES

• Pfizer has started a middle-stage clinical trial of a pill to stop COVID-19 infections from progressing. The firm is one of several reportedly working on oral "antivirals," which seek to mimic the way existing drugs stop mild influenza infections from becoming more serious. 

• Russia reported its highest daily COVID-19 death toll, with 852 fatalities recorded over the past 24 hours. The new figures bring Russia's total deaths from the pandemic to 205,531 – the highest toll in Europe.

• More than half the women asked by UK polling firm YouGov said working from home would help them progress in their careers. Many said working remotely reduced the conflict between work and childcare, for example. 

• Lawmakers in Northern Ireland have agreed to end social distancing requirements in shops and theaters but not in hospitality businesses as of Thursday. Ministers in Belfast said face coverings would remain a requirement in shops – which is a departure from other UK nations' laws.

• French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi said it will abandon its plans for an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine because the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have proved effective and safe. The company said it would continue its work with GlaxoSmithKline on an alternative jab. 

• French consumer confidence is back up to pre-pandemic levels faster than expected, according to the INSEE official statistics agency. The economy is rebounding strongly as the COVID-19 crisis subsides, and so households' concerns about unemployment fell to their lowest level since February 2020, just before the outbreak began in France.

• U.S. President Joe Biden has received a third "booster" injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the White House. He said he publicized the jab to encourage others to take it – despite the WHO warning that booster jabs should be delayed until more of the world's population has been offered at least one vaccine dose. 

READ MORE

Full coverage of German elections

Auf Wiedersehen Mutti

China and Germany's car connection

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: Petrol supplies dry up as crises converge

CGTN China: China calls for unity, making vaccines global public good

CGTN America: NBA to Andrew Wiggins: No COVID-19 vaccine, no game

CGTN Africa: Africa's COVID-19 cases surpass 8.27 million: Africa CDC

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.