AstraZeneca may have included out-of-date drug data in information provided during US trials for its Covid-19 vaccine, a regulator said late Monday, citing concerns from a monitoring board.

Germany said Tuesday it will impose a strict lockdown for five days over Easter as Covid-19 infections spiral "exponentially", while a row over exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine festers in Europe.

Spain on Monday raised the maximum age limit for people to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has faced setbacks in Europe due to safety concerns, from 55 to 65. 

Europe could have herd immunity against Covid-19 by July, a European Union commissioner has said, as incoming jabs are expected to speed up the continent's sluggish vaccine rollout.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday threatened to halt exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if the bloc did not receive its deliveries first, in a worsening row over delayed shipments that has caused international tensions.

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.