A year on, vaccines offer hope to virus-hit world

UAE reports 2,087 cases, 16 deaths; Russian vaccine trials in UAE reach final monitoring phase; Europe approves single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine; Denmark, Norway and Iceland suspend use of AstraZeneca.

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.

More than 2.6 million people have now died from the virus, a staggering toll unimaginable before the virus swept the globe - subjecting most of humanity to restrictions of some form and eviscerating the global economy.

Today, countries are hoping vaccines will clear the path to a return to normal, but the rollout has been uneven globally, with demand far outstripping supply.

In a promising development in Europe, the continent’s medical regulator approved the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is stored at higher temperatures than its competitors making it easier to distribute.

It is the fourth vaccine to get the nod from the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency for use in the bloc, which has come under fire for its sluggish rollout.

But the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine hit a snag Thursday as Denmark temporarily suspended its use as a precaution after some patients developed blood clots since receiving the jab. Norway and Iceland quickly followed suit.