Europe was trying to forge a coordinated response on Tuesday to the threat of a coronavirus variant that has swept the UK and spurred global panic about an unpredictable turn in the pandemic just as vaccines are being rolled out worldwide.
The new variant of the virus, which has also been detected in small numbers elsewhere, appears to spread more easily than other types but there is no evidence it is more lethal or resistant to vaccines, according to experts.
Its discovery has nevertheless heightened fears that led more than two dozen countries around the world suspend flights from the UK out of precaution.
With the bans unleashing travel chaos during the holiday season, EU ambassadors were to meet on Tuesday to try to nail down a unified approach and work out how to eventually lift the border restrictions with Britain - possibly by imposing a requirement for tests on all arrivals.
The World Health Organization in Europe said it would also convene its members to discuss how to handle the outbreak and cautioned that "limiting travel to contain spread is prudent until we have better info."
WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a post to Twitter that the organization would "discuss strategies for testing, reducing transmission & communicating risks."
Vaccine can adapt
Drug makers including BioNTech and Moderna are scrambling to test their Covid-19 vaccines against the new fast-spreading variant of the virus, the latest challenge in the breakneck race to curb the pandemic.
Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Germany's BioNTech , which with partner Pfizer took less than a year to get a vaccine approved, said on Tuesday he needs another two weeks to know if his shot can stop the mutant variant of the virus.
Moderna expects immunity from its vaccine to protect against the variant and is performing more tests in coming weeks to confirm, the company said in a statement to CNN.
The mutation known as the B.1.1.7 lineage may be up to 70% more infectious and more of a concern for children.
South African variant
South Africa is also facing increasing isolation as more countries ban travel over the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus.
According to health officials and scientists leading the country’s virus strategy, the new variant, known as 501.V2, is dominant among recent confirmed infections in South Africa’s current wave.
The new variant, different from the one in the United Kingdom, appears to be more infectious than the original virus.
South African scientists are studying if the vaccines against Covid-19 will also offer protection against the new variant.
Germany extends UK ban
Germany extends a ban on arrivals from the UK and South Africa until January 6 following the appearance of a new more infectious virus variant in those countries.
Tests for truckers
Britain says it is considering tests for truckers as part of talks with France to allow the resumption of freight traffic suspended due to the new variant.
Vatican cases
Two cardinals close to Pope Francis have contracted the virus, Vatican sources say - Konrad Krajewski, 57, who is in charge of the pope's charities and Giuseppe Bertello, 78, the president of the governorate of the Vatican City.
Curfew in Mumbai
The Indian state of Maharashtra imposes a night curfew on cities including financial hub Mumbai because of fears about the new variant.
Mumbai airport says all air passengers from anywhere in Europe or the Middle East will have to go into quarantine upon arrival.
Thai market cluster
An outbreak linked to a seafood market in Thailand passes 1,000 cases - a major flare-up in a country which previously had only 4,300 infections.
Taiwan case
Taiwan reports its first local transmission, ending 253 days of being virus-free and dealing a major blow to the island that has been lauded for its pandemic response.
Health authorities say a woman in her thirties tested positive after coming into contact with a "foreign pilot" working for a Taiwanese airline.
Ireland's hard Christmas
Dublin, which had one of Europe's lowest infection rates, imposes a hard lockdown until January 12 as a new virus variant appears in neighbouring Britain.
Fast-track citizenship
Hundreds of foreigners in France whose jobs expose them to high Covid-19 risks will be naturalised quickly to reward their work during the crisis, the interior ministry says.
"Health professionals, cleaning ladies, childcare workers, checkout staff - they all proved their commitment to the nation," it says.
1.7 million dead
At least 1,703,500 people have died since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
The US is the worst-hit country with 319,466 deaths, followed by Brazil with 187,291 fatalities, India with 146,154, Mexico with 118,598 and Italy with 69,214.
