The European Union on Monday removed six territories including Lebanon and the United States from its list of countries exempted from restrictions on non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and the United States of America were removed from the list," a statement from the European Council said.

France will be providing 10 million doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines for Africa over the next three months, President Emmanuel Macron's office announced on Monday.

Amid slowing demand for the shot, authorities in Berlin offered a special train service Monday for anyone interested in getting vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The service operated on a circular commuter line that runs around the center of the German capital for two hours.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday it feared another 236,000 Covid-19 deaths in Europe by December 1, expressing concern about stagnating vaccination rates and low uptake in poorer countries.

Some 2 million French workers in restaurants and other service jobs must now show a health pass to go to work, as part of government virus-fighting efforts.

The public is already required to show the pass to go to French restaurants, tourist sites and many other public venues.

New Zealand has reported its first coronavirus vaccine death.

A health board that monitors vaccine safety said Monday a woman died from myocarditis after taking the Pfizer vaccine. The board said the woman likely developed the condition because of the vaccine, although she had other medical issues which may have contributed.

The press office of caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced Friday that “things are getting better” after the raids carried out by the minister on medicine warehouses.

As the Delta variant continues its global surge, experts are questioning whether the long-held goal of achieving herd immunity from Covid-19 through vaccination is still viable.

Herd immunity is achieved when a certain threshold of the global population has either been inoculated against a pathogen or has recovered from infection.

As if her cancer treatment was not already agonizing enough, Rita is now wracked with worry about the medication she needs as Lebanon's crippling economic crisis sparks drug shortages.

"The treatment is like fire shooting through your body," the 53-year-old patient told AFP, asking that her real name not be given. "But now on top of that, we have to go hunting for the drugs."

Fatigue and shortness of breath still afflict many patients a year after their hospitalization for Covid-19, according to a new Chinese study calling for a better understanding of the pandemic's long-term health effects.

Around half of patients discharged from hospital for Covid still suffer from at least one persistent symptom -- most often fatigue or muscle weakness -- after 12 months, said the study published in British medical journal The Lancet Friday.