Confidence in Covid-19 vaccines is growing, with people’s willingness to have the shots increasing as they are rolled out across the world and concerns about possible side effects are fading, a 14-country survey showed on March 5.

Australia’s second most populous state Victoria entered a five-day lockdown on Feb. 13 as authorities raced to prevent a third wave of Covid-19 cases sparked by the highly infections UK variant.

Global coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million on Jan. 27, according to a Reuters tally, as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls.

Australian authorities said mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving for the Australian Open tennis tournament was essential to stop Covid-19, as the country recorded another day with no new locally acquired cases on Jan. 19.

The United States called on China to allow an expert team from the World Health Organization (WHO) to interview “care givers, former patients and lab workers” in the central city of Wuhan, and ensure its access to medical data and samples.

A Covid-19 vaccine being developed by CSL Ltd. and the University of Queensland was scrapped after numerous vaccine recipients reported receiving false positives on certain HIV tests, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said clinical trials of their Covid-19 vaccine showed an insufficient immune response in older people, delaying its launch to late 2021 and marking a setback in the global fight against the pandemic.

Aviation industry opposition to requiring mandatory Covid-19 vaccination for passengers intensified as impending drug approvals trigger a debate over their role in air travel.

The global tally of confirmed coronavirus cases hit 60 million on Nov. 25, with the pace of new infections accelerating and the United States reporting record numbers of hospitalizations, according to a Reuters tally.

Australian researchers said the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, highlighting the need for frequent cleaning and handwashing.