Vaccines to be offered to all over-40s in UK by Easter People over 40 in the UK will be offered their first jab by Easter, after a boost in the supply of vaccines. According to the Telegraph, vaccine stocks are set to double meaning the NHS can offer a million doses a day in the next few weeks. Those aged over 50 are expected to get an invite for their dose over the next week; three weeks before the government’s target. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said that the claim that over-40s would be offered vaccine shots by Easter is “incorrect,” when contacted by Reuters. She said: “We have set out our timelines for the vaccination programme and there is no change to this. “We intend to offer a first dose to all over-50s by mid-April and all adults by the end of July.” The US and three of its closest Indo-Pacific partners agreed to supply up to a billion coronavirus vaccines across Asia by the end of 2022. US president Joe Biden, along with Australia, India and Japan, known collectively as “the Quad”, pledged to work together on vaccine supply, as well as maritime, cyber and economic security at a summit on Friday. India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the meeting had agreed US vaccines would be made in India, something the country has called for to counter China’s vaccine diplomacy, according to Reuters. Summary Here’s a summary of the latest developments this evening Plans to relax restrictions in Cyprus have been put on hold amid high case numbers, driven by the UK variant. Brazil has registered another 2,216 deaths in the last 24 hours, the third day in a row the death toll has been above 2,000. More than 275,000 people have now died. Germany faces a wait until mid-April for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine amid questions over the delays. The US has given out a total of 101,128,005 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, and distributed more than 130 million jabs. A judge in the UK has ruled that a man with severe learning difficulties should have a Covid-19 vaccination, despite his family’s concerns. Government ministers, police chiefs and representatives from both Celtic and Rangers held a “positive” meeting on Friday ahead of the Old Firm derby in Scotland on 21 March. AstraZeneca is set to apply to have its jab approved by the US authorities before early April, according to Reuters. Germany faces a wait for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine amid questions over the reasons behind the delays. AFP reports: Health minister Jens Spahn said Friday that Germany would have to wait until “mid-to-late April” for the newly approved Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid vaccine on Thursday became the fourth jab to be authorised for use in the European Union. But Spahn warned that Germany would have to wait at least another month to receive the first doses from the US firm, as Berlin cited production issues and what amounted to an effective US ban on exports of domestically produced vaccines. “It’s a pain with Johnson & Johnson. We have a European authorisation, but the deliveries will only be there from mid-to-late April at the earliest,” said the minister at a weekly news conference in Berlin. He added that the European Commission was in talks with the company over the problem. Deaths toll in Brazil over 2,000 for third day in a row Brazil has registered another 2,216 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, and another 85,663 cases. The amount of positive test results is more than 10,000 higher than the total for Thursday, which stood at 75,412. According to Reuters the country is now in the worst run of deaths since the pandemic began. A total of 275,105 people have now died, the second-highest death toll in the world. Cyprus halts moves to loosen restrictions Plans to relax Covid-19 measures in Cyprus have been put on hold as case numbers on the island remain high. Middle school pupils will have to stay at home for another two weeks as the UK variant has led to a rise in infections. Health minister Constantinos Ioannou said samples showed that more than a quarter of positive tests are as a result of the faster-spreading variant, according to Associated Press. He said that infections remain high in families with workers in both the public and private sectors, as well as primary schools. Compulsory testing for a quarter of employees has been introduced. The US has given out a total of 101,128,005 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, as of Friday morning. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 133,337,525 doses had been distributed of the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson jabs. According to Reuters 65,965,305 have received at least one jab, with more than 35 million having been fully vaccinated. AstraZeneca is set to apply to be approved by the US authorities before early April, according to Reuters. More than 32,000 volunteers have taken part in a trial this year, meaning that the drug firm hopes it has enough data to judge the vaccine’s efficacy in the US. The jab, developed with Oxford University, has been approved in the EU but has faced concerns in recent days about links to blood clots. The World Health Organization has said there is no reason to stop using it. A judge in the UK has ruled that a man with severe learning difficulties should have a Covid-19 vaccination, despite his family’s concerns. According to PA Media, specialists said the man, who is in his 30s, was “clinically vulnerable” and in a “priority group” for vaccination. The man’s parents objected and raised concerns about side-effects. However, after a hearing at the court of protection, judge Jonathan Butler concluded that the man should have the jab. In a written ruling on Friday, he said that despite having “no doubt” that the objections were based on love for the man, the family’s objections had “no clinical evidence base”. Butler said the man was vulnerable and added there was “overwhelming objective evidence of the magnetic advantage of a vaccination”. Government ministers, police chiefs and representatives from both of Scotland’s Old Firm sides held a “positive” meeting on Friday to discuss the derby match between Celtic and Rangers on 21 March. Justice minister, Hamza Yousaf, had warned last week that the game could be postponed after thousands of Rangers fans breached lockdown rules to celebrate the side’s first Scottish Premier League title win in a decade. According to PA Media, sport minister Mairi Gougeon said: “This was a positive meeting which we called to address the need for fans to stay at home during the upcoming fixture on March 21. “The reason we have allowed elite football to proceed is as much for the benefit of supporters as for those working in professional sport. “Everyone is being deprived of so much right now – and making so many sacrifices – that the ability to watch a football game safely at home on television should be something that people should have the ability to do. “But a minority cannot be allowed to act irresponsibly. We want to send out a very clear message that all fans must stay at home - there will be opportunities to come together to celebrate safely, collectively in due course. “Clubs have a leading role to play in reaching out to their supporters and communicating the vital message that fans and supporters need to stay at home. I welcome that both clubs have agreed to reinforce that message.”