 | | | | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has exported a cargo of 110 pounds (49.8 kilos) of medical cannabis after receiving a license for export to Germany, according to official announcements and a local official familiar with the matter. | | | | | | Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Thursday approved the emergency use of Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Coronavac on those without underlying health risks aged 6 to 17, extending the country's efforts to inoculate children and teenagers. | | | | | | Austria's lower house of parliament passed a bill on Thursday making COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for adults as of Feb. 1, bringing Austria closer to introducing the first such sweeping coronavirus vaccine mandate in the European Union. | | | | | | France's COVID-19 restrictions could be loosened from February onwards, said French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday, who added that the general COVID situation in the country was starting to change in a more favourable manner. | | | | | | Israel will ditch mandatory quarantine for children exposed to COVID-19 carriers, the government said on Thursday, citing a need to relieve parents and schools as case numbers spiral due to the fast-spreading but low-morbidity Omicron variant. | | | | | | The French farming ministry on Thursday said that a total of 2.5 million birds needed to be killed as the southwest of the country faces several outbreaks of bird flu. | | | | | | The French government's main science advisory body said on Thursday that the current fifth wave of coronavirus will continue to weigh on hospitals until mid-March. | | | | | | Canada's most populous province of Ontario has blunted transmission of the Omicron coronavirus variant and will gradually ease restrictions on businesses from end-January, Premier Doug Ford said on Thursday. | | | | | | Warsaw restaurateur Marcin Wojtasik says he is willing to face bad reviews from anti-vaxxers to help protect his staff from COVID-19 by admitting only vaccinated customers. | | | | | | A small preliminary laboratory study has shown that levels of Omicron-neutralising antibodies of people vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine did not decline as much as of those who had Pfizer shots. | | | | | |
