Pfizer Inc.

Italy will take legal action and step up pressure in Brussels against Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca over delays in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines with a view to securing agreed supplies, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday.

Italy will take legal action against Pfizer and Astrazeneca over delays in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines with the aim of securing the doses rather than to seek damages, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday.

The European Union will make pharmaceutical companies respect contracts they have signed for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, European Council President Charles Michel said on Sunday.

Australia recorded no new local coronavirus cases on Sunday, maintaining a recent run of success in keeping the virus at bay, but nevertheless is keen to press on with its vaccination campaign from next month, government officials said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 20,537,990 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 41,411,550 doses.

Britain's COVID-19 vaccination push gathered pace on Saturday, with 5.9 million people now having had a first dose, but doctors challenged the government over its policy of delaying a second shot of the Pfizer vaccine for up to 12 weeks.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte lashed out at suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday, saying delays in deliveries amounted to a serious breach of contractual obligations.

Delays in supply of vaccines to Italy from Pfizer and, possibly, AstraZeneca amount to serious violations of contractual agreements and Rome will take countermeasures, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

A group of British doctors have written to England's chief medical officer to tell him to cut the gap between doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine to six weeks from up to 12.

U.S. President Joe Biden will sign orders to speed delivery of coronavirus stimulus checks and food aid, while Europe's vaccination drive was dealt another blow when AstraZeneca said initial deliveries to the region will fall short of the targeted volumes.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 19,107,959 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Friday morning and distributed 39,892,400 doses.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Pfizer had reassured him it would meet Canada's vaccine order in full by end-March as, with a second COVID wave spreading across the country, he hinted at a clampdown on citizens leaving home.

The World Health Organization said on Friday it had reached an agreement with Pfizer/BioNTech for 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine and should be able to start delivering vaccines to poor and lower-middle income countries next month under its COVAX programme.

* GAVI to give countries supply breakdown soon (Adds detail, quotes throughout)

A video that covers a range of conspiracies regarding COVID-19 vaccines is being shared on social media. The video includes the false suggestion that the vaccine manufacturer Pfizer shut down production because of deaths among vaccine recipients. There are other claims and...

Mexico's government said on Friday the second round of doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could be delayed and private companies will be allowed to purchase the drugs directly as the country struggles to keep rampant infections in check.

Pfizer Inc said on Friday it had finished enrolling children aged between 12 and 15 in a study testing its COVID-19 vaccine, as the U.S. drugmaker seeks to expand the shot's use among different age groups.

France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte will store its first vials of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at a secret and secure location when they arrive on Sunday to deter would-be thieves, the local health authority chief said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday he had talked to Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla about shortages of the firm's COVID-19 vaccine and said the next few weeks would be challenging.