Iran has received a shipment of 150,000 doses of an Indian Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, local media reported Thursday, as the Islamic republic combats the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the illness.

The world on Thursday marked one year since the coronavirus threat was declared a pandemic, with vaccinations offering hope but much of humanity still enduring highly restricted lives and no clear path back to normality.

Pfizer-Biontech's coronavirus vaccine offers more protection than earlier thought with effectiveness in preventing symptomatic disease reaching 97 percent, according to real world evidence published Thursday by pharma companies.

At least 3,000 nurses have been killed by Covid-19, the global nurses' federation said Thursday as it warned of a looming exodus of health workers traumatised by the pandemic.

Israel on Monday launched a campaign to vaccinate some 100,000 Palestinians in the West Bank who hold permits to work in Jewish settlements in the occupied territory and inside the Jewish state.

New Zealand will lift a Covid-19 lockdown on nearly two million people on Sunday, as authorities say they are confident that a virus cluster in the country's largest city has been contained.

Leaders from Israel, Austria and Denmark announced Thursday in Jerusalem an alliance for the development and production of future generation coronavirus vaccines, a deal that has already sparked criticism in Europe.

Russia said Thursday it will be able to provide its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for 50 million Europeans from June if it is approved by the European Medicines Agency. 

Germany will soon authorise the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday, the same day Belgium authorised its rollout to seniors.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday unveiled plans to gradually ease coronavirus curbs in Europe's top economy, while President Joe Biden slammed "Neanderthal" decisions to drop mask-wearing mandates in some US states.