A third of France's population was under a new partial lockdown Saturday to stop the spread of Covid-19, as some European countries resumed AstraZeneca vaccinations following an all-clear from EU regulators and the WHO.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Friday that he will have the AstraZeneca vaccine, after the jab was suspended earlier this week over safety concerns.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday received a first dose of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine, at the London hospital where he fought for his life almost a year ago, assuring the public the jab is safe.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday  she was ready to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca's coronavirus jab if she is offered it, in a bid to shore up confidence in the jab.

Sardinia on Friday lost its status as the only Italian region with minimal coronavirus restrictions, as its pandemic situation took a turn for the worse. 

Since March 1, the Mediterranean island had been Italy's sole low-risk "white" region, where bars and restaurants could open at night and life had almost returned to normal. 

There is no causal link between the death of a 43-year-old woman and the AstraZeneca virus vaccine she was given, Spanish health authorities said on Friday.

The World Health Organization's vaccine safety experts gave renewed backing to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab on Friday, having reviewed safety data related to potential blood clotting.

Lebanon will on Monday begin the fourth phase of its reopening plan following a strict coronavirus lockdown aimed at curbing soaring cases.

Leading EU countries said Thursday they would resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after the European medical regulator said the jab is "safe and effective" and not associated with a higher blood clot risk after days of commotion around the shot. 

Intensive care beds for coronavirus patients in Syria's capital Damascus were full Thursday, a health ministry official said, in the first such announcement since the start of the pandemic.