TOP HEADLINES 

· Pfizer said it expected 2021 sales of the vaccine it developed with German partner BioNTech to reach $36 billion and forecast another $29 billion from the shot in 2022, topping analysts' estimates for both years.

The U.S. drugmaker said it is seeking to sign more vaccine deals with countries, which could drive sales even higher next year. It has the capacity to produce 4 billion doses in 2022 and has based its projections on sales of 1.7 billion doses.

· Several hundred people blocked traffic in the center of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a protest against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory vaccinations, which the government introduced to curb new infections.

Ukraine has registered record high rates of new cases and deaths from the coronavirus in recent weeks, and its total number of infections almost topped 3 million. It has recorded 69,447 deaths so far.

Vaccines have become mandatory for some state workers, and in "red" zone areas including Kyiv, only vaccinated people or those with negative test results are allowed into restaurants, gyms and on public transport.

· Poland reported more than 10,400 cases on Wednesday, a 24 percent rise from the previous week, government spokesman Piotr Muller said. The last time the number of daily infections in Poland was above 10,000 was in late April.

· Slovakia reported 5,361 new cases on Wednesday, its second-highest daily tally since the pandemic started.

The ministry said 69 percent of the new cases were among the unvaccinated. The country has one of the EU's lowest vaccination rates, with just 52.9 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated.

· A leading public health expert has quit the UK independent science advisory group Sage, amid surging cases and COVID-19 linked deaths. Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, the UK's largest medical charity, had been advocating for a tougher strategy, including flexible working and mask-wearing on public transport. 

"The COVID-19 crisis is a long way from over, with the global situation deeply troubling," said Farrar in a statement. "The high levels of transmission seen in the UK remain concerning, but I stepped down as a participant of Sage knowing ministers had been provided with most of the key science advice needed over the winter months."

· UK lawmakers have been told to wear face masks. The House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle urged MPs to follow guidance, adding they should "pull together" to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Most opposition MPs have opted to wear a mask, but many in the governing Conservative Party have not.

The UK reported 293 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and 33,865 more coronavirus cases on Tuesday, according to official data.

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