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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has received his first shot of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine after his country became the first EU member to approve its use.
He encouraged people in his country to trust the vaccine in a video that he posted on social media as the country rolls out the Chinese vaccine.
"I got my shot today and I have now returned to my office and started working. You see, I don't have adverse reactions. Thousands of people in Hungary have been inoculated with the Chinese vaccine. Please trust the Hungarian professionals."
Orban received his shot two days after Hungarian President Janos Ader, who also got inoculated with the Chinese vaccine.
The Philippines has received its first COVID-19 vaccine after China donated its CoronaVac developed by Sinovac.
President Rodrigo Duterte thanked China for the donation during a handover ceremony in the capital Manila.
"I convey my sincere gratitude to the Chinese people and the government of China for this gesture of friendship and solidarity, a hallmark of Philippines-China partnership."
The Philippines regulator granted an emergency license for the use of CoronaVac last Monday, and the government plans to start mass vaccinations this month.
So far, the country has reported more than 576,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 12,000 people have died from the illness.
More than 15,000 Zimbabwean frontline workers have received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
The inoculation program started last Monday.
Health officials say frontline workers, including healthcare workers, security sector personnel and journalists, have been vaccinated under phase-one of the program.
At least 49,000 frontline workers will receive two inoculation jabs during the current phase.
A fresh Israeli missile attack reportedly targeted positions in the vicinity of the Syrian capital on Sunday night.
Military sources said the attack in Damascus was launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The report also said that Syrian air defenses responded to the attack, destroying most of the missiles.
The attack came a couple of days after the United States struck positions of pro-Iran fighters in eastern Syria, killing 22.
Iranian officials have said that the time is "not appropriate" for the country to hold an informal meeting with Europe and the United States.
The Iranian foreign ministry says the Biden administration has neither given up the failed maximum pressure policy of its predecessor, nor committed to fulfilling its responsibilities in the nuclear deal and related UN resolution.
Last week, the EU offered to attend an informal meeting between Iran and other parties to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, with the United States also attending as a guest.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canada-US border which was closed to curb the spread of COVID-19 will not be reopened at this stage.
Speaking in an interview on NBC, Trudeau also hailed US President Joe Biden's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis.
"Obviously, as vaccinations increase, we're all hoping for good news to get through this. But we'll continue to engage with the White House and with the administration on the best times to start releasing border measures. But for now, we all need to keep safe, and that means keeping them in place."
Last week, Trudeau and Biden met at a virtual meeting where they stressed their countries' deep ties and pledged to work together on various issues including climate change.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says around 73 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given in the country so far.
The tally is for both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Both vaccines involve two doses.
Authorities say nearly 50 million people have received at least one vaccine dose while more than 23 million have received the two doses.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it has approved the use of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for use by pilots and air traffic controllers.
Recipients will be required to wait 48 hours after receiving the vaccine before conducting safety duties like flying or controlling air traffic.
