Fans of Philip Pullman have been waiting almost five years for the final instalment in the author’s sextet of books about his intrepid heroine Lyra and her adventures in multiple worlds.

The governing body of Oxford University’s Oriel College says a controversial statue of Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes will not be taken down because of “regulatory and financial challenges.”.

Chinese officials say 11 more people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in a southwestern city bordering Myanmar that is the scene of China’s current sole active outbreak.

New Zealand has opened its first large vaccination clinic as it scales up efforts to protect people from the coronavirus. (New Zealand Ministry of Health via AP)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has opened its first large vaccination clinic as it scales up efforts to protect people from the coronavirus. Gordon cites Wyoming’s declining number of COVID-19 cases and its success in distributing vaccines as reasons to lift the restrictions. AdThe nation of 1.3 million has seen a rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases n the past few weeks. Italy’s total virus cases surpassed 3 million last week, with a new surge powered by the highly contagious variant that was first identified in Britain.

South Africa received its first 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week and was expected to begin giving jabs to health care workers in mid-February. The disappointing early results indicate that an inoculation drive using the AstraZeneca vaccine may not be useful. Preliminary data from a small study suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccine offers only “minimal protection against mild-moderate disease" caused by the variant in South Africa. Ad“The AstraZeneca vaccine appeared effective against the original strain, but not against the variant,” Mkhize said. The international COVAX initiative has bought the AstraZeneca vaccine in bulk from the Serum Institute of India.

Cambodia on Sunday received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine, a donation of 600,000 doses from China, the country's biggest ally. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)BEIJING — China appears to have stamped out its latest coronavirus outbreaks centered on the northeast, reporting no new cases of local infection in its latest daily report. ___TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has unveiled its second homemade coronavirus vaccine and says it has begun human trials, state TV reported Sunday. ___JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority has announced an emergency use authorization to give the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. to people over 60. ___KABUL, Afghanistan — Some 500,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived Sunday in Afghanistan from the government in India.

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2021, file photo, Sri Lankan nursing staff administer COVID-19 vaccines to front-line health workers in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reynolds issued the earlier restrictions in November when hospitals were struggling to care for a surge of coronavirus patients. Officials say it could help up to four COVID-19 patients. ___LISBON, Portugal — Portugal has set a new daily record for COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care with 904 patients on Friday. AdThe Austrian government offered to take in five COVID-19 patients and five non-COVID patients to relieve Portuguese hospitals.

(AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)British scientists are starting a study Thursday to find out if it's OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines being rolled out now require two doses, and people are supposed to get two shots of the same kind, weeks apart. Participants in the government-funded study will get one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine followed by a dose from Pfizer, or vice versa. Some immunologists credit the fact that the vaccine uses two slightly different shots, made with similar technology to AstraZeneca's. If the vaccines can be used interchangeably, "this will greatly increase the flexibility of vaccine delivery," he said in a statement.

In a study carried out but the Oxford University, the Astra Zeneca vaccine has been shown to stop also the transmission of the virus. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine shows a hint that it may reduce transmission of the virus and offers strong protection for three months on just a single dose, researchers said Wednesday in an encouraging turn in the campaign to suppress the outbreak. But it was unclear whether the vaccines could also suppress transmission of the virus — that is, whether someone inoculated could still acquire the virus without getting sick and spread it to others. Volunteers in the British study underwent regular nasal swabs to check for the coronavirus, a proxy to try to answer the transmission question. Meanwhile, a U.N.-backed program to supply COVID-19 vaccines to the neediest people worldwide is gearing up after a troubled start.

But the Oxford research was greeted with excitement by U.K. officials under pressure to justify their decision to delay the second dose. Britain has Europe's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, with more than 108,000 deaths, and is in its third national lockdown as authorities try to contain a new, more transmissible virus variant first identified in southeast England. So far 105 cases of the variant have been identified in the U.K., 11 of them in people with no links to overseas travel. Scientists say there's no evidence the South African variant is more serious than the original virus but it may be more contagious. AdThat is a worry as the U.K. races to vaccinate its own population against the virus.

The European Medicines Agency is expected on Friday Jan. 29, 2021 to authorize use of the vaccine AstraZeneca developed with Oxford University. The shot is the third COVID-19 vaccine given the green light by the European Medicines Agency after ones by Pfizer and Moderna. A separate study testing the AstraZeneca vaccine in the U.S. is still underway. The EU has particularly lashed out at AstraZeneca after the drugmaker said it would initially supply less vaccine than originally anticipated. AdThe AstraZeneca vaccine has already been authorized in more than 40 countries, including Britain, India, Argentina and Mexico.

The EU has asked AstraZeneca for permission to release the contract, Kyriakides said. The EU’s drug regulator will consider the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday. “This is this is really, really bad news — not only bad news for the European countries involved,'' he said. Soriot said AstraZeneca had to reduce deliveries to the EU because plants in Europe had lower than expected yields from the biological process used to produce the vaccine. “There are a lot of emotions running in this process right now, and I can understand it: people want vaccine,” Soriot said.

Smoke rises from the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker that is manufacturing the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine for the coronavirus, in Pune, India, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)PUNE – At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the COVID-19 vaccine. Poonawalla said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that it hopes to increase production capacity from 1.5 billion doses to 2.5 billion doses per year by the end of 2021. As a result, Serum Institute is likely to make most of the vaccines that will be used by developing nations.

A healthcare worker fills a syringe with the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the vaccine centre that has been set up in central Newcastle, Scotland Monday Jan. 11, 2021. Britain gave its approval to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine last month and has been using it. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be a key vaccine for many countries because of its low cost, availability and ease of use. Researchers claim the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine protected against disease in 62% of those given two full doses and in 90% of those initially given a half dose because of a manufacturing error. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it won't consider approving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine until data are available from late state research testing the shot in about 30,000 people.

The Dutch government has come under fierce criticism for its late start to vaccinations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told lawmakers in a debate Tuesday that authorities had focused preparations on the easy-to-handle vaccine made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which hasn't yet been cleared for use in the EU, and not the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. ”The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage before it's used, is the only shot that has been approved so far by the European Medicines Agency. Andre Rouvoet, chairman of the umbrella organization of local health authorities, welcomed the first vaccinations, which were aired live on Dutch television. “It is symbolic of the hundreds of thousands — millions — of vaccinations that will be administered in the Netherlands in coming months,” he said.

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. Mexico’s vaccination effort continues at a glacial rate, with about 7,500 shots administered Wednesday, a rate similar to previous days. John Bel Edwards and public health officials said Wednesday that efforts are being made to speed up vaccinations for the coronavirus. So far, state officials have administered 126,602 of the 522,550 doses the state has received. More than 329,000 people have been vaccinated in Florida — or about 1.5% of the population — almost all of them either health care workers, residents in care homes, or people over the age of 65.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. The second round of shots began in various locations around the country as the U.S. death toll surpassed 352,000. Britain, meanwhile, became the first nation to start using the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, ramping up its nationwide inoculation campaign amid soaring infection rates blamed on the new variant. Elsewhere around the world, France and other parts of Europe have come under fire over slow vaccine rollouts and delays. The European Union likewise faced growing criticism about the slow rollout of COVID-19 shots across the 27-nation bloc of 450 million inhabitants.

People were told to work from home unless it's impossible to do so, and leave home only for essential trips. All nonessential shops and personal care services like hairdressers will be closed, and restaurants can only operate takeout services. As of Monday, there were 26,626 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in England, an increase of more than 30% from a week ago. Authorities have recorded more than 50,000 new infections daily since passing that milestone for the first time on Dec. 29. London and large areas of southeast England were put under the highest level of restrictions in mid-December, and more regions soon joined them.

Yuriko Koike is asking the national government to declare a “state of emergency” to curtail surging coronavirus infections. State health officials reported 12,563 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals on Sunday, an increase of more than 240 from Saturday. It was the sixth time in seven days that the state reported record-breaking hospitalizations. Intensive care units in several parts of the state were full or nearly full Sunday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Andrew Cuomo says the state has recorded more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

A mask on the pavement near the entrance of a hospital on Westminster Bridge in London, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. The move will severely curtail New Year's Eve celebrations in parts of England that are home to 44 million people, or 78% of the population. The U.K. also reported Wednesday that another 981 people with the coronavirus had died. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said secondary schools in England would not resume in-person teaching until Jan. 11. Most primary schools will welcome students back on Monday as planned, although not the ones in some virus hotspots, including a big chunk of London.

“The only way we get the pandemic behind us is if we get doses of vaccine out there,” he said. That vaccine and another developed by U.S. government scientists and made by Moderna Inc. seem about 95% effective in results announced so far. Hopes are high for the AstraZeneca vaccine because it can be shipped and stored at normal refrigerator temperatures unlike the others that require freezing until a few hours before they're given. AstraZeneca has also signed licensing deals for the vaccine to be produced in countries including Brazil, South Africa and China. ___This story has been corrected to show that COVAX has ordered 400 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, not 700 million.

LONDON – AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Wednesday acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine. In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be 90% effective. In the group that got two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62% effective. DID RESEARCHERS MEAN TO GIVE A HALF DOSE? Some 2,741 people received a half dose of the vaccine followed by a full dose, AstraZeneca said.

LONDON – Drugmaker AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective, buoying the prospects of a relatively cheap, easy-to-store product that may become the vaccine of choice for the developing world. While the AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored at 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius (36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), the Pfizer and Moderna products must be stored at freezer temperatures. The AstraZeneca vaccine is also cheaper. The AstraZeneca trials were paused earlier this year after a participant in the U.K. study reported a rare neurological illness. “This vaccine’s efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency,’’ Soriot said.

LONDON – A study by Oxford University researchers on how playing video games affects mental health used data from video game makers, marking what the authors say is a rare collaboration between academics and the game industry. Lack of transparency from game makers has long been an issue for scientists hoping to better understand player behaviors. The video game industry has previously been reluctant to work with independent scientists, the paper noted. Such partnerships might be needed for future research on the booming video game industry. “This is correlational data, and so we cannot estimate the causal effect of video games on well-being," said Hilgard.

LONDON – The European Medicines Agency has started a “rolling review” process for the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a move it hopes will speed any eventual approval. In a statement Thursday, the EU regulator said instead of waiting for all of the required vaccine data to be submitted before beginning its assessment, the EMA has begun analyzing the preliminary information from scientists on the Oxford vaccine. That data suggests the vaccine “triggers the production of antibodies and T-Cells,” referring to immune system cells that target the virus. Last month, Britain's trial of the Oxford vaccine was paused for several days after a U.K. woman in the trial reported severe neurological symptoms. In August, Russia became the first country in the world to license its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.

(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)NEW DELHI — India has registered a single-day spike of 94,372 new confirmed coronavirus cases, driving the country’s overall tally to 4.75 million. Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press showed drops in seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths over the past two weeks. The average of daily deaths went from 488 on Aug. 28 to 299 on Friday while the average of daily deaths dropped from 15 to 9. The health department says in the three weeks before the surge, only 23 people affiliated with the university had tested positive. ___ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Anchorage will receive federal support to aid in lessening the coronavirus outbreak in its homeless population.

LONDON – Oxford University says trials of a coronavirus vaccine that it is developing with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will resume, days after being paused due to a reported side-effect in a patient in the U.K. The study had been previously stopped in July for several days after a participant who got the vaccine developed neurological symptoms; it turned out to be an undiagnosed case of multiple sclerosis that was unrelated to the vaccine. Late last month, AstraZeneca began recruiting 30,000 people in the U.S. for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, said the U.N. health agency wasn’t overly concerned by the pause in the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine trial, describing it as “a wake-up call” to the global community about the inevitable ups and downs of medical research.

Here are a few examples:ModernaThis week, we learned about the Moderna vaccine that is showing promise. Moderna is a young company (10 years old) and has never had a drug approved before so this would be the first. Last week, a few experts said the United States is not prepared to start supplying millions of doses of any kind of vaccine. That’s exactly what the researchers working on the trials with these vaccines want to find out. Before producing millions of doses and injecting millions of people, they want to know who is a good candidate for the drug.