South Africa suspended the start of its AstraZeneca inoculation programme over concerns the shot does not work on a new variant, with WHO experts due to meet Monday to discuss the vaccine already facing questions about its efficacy for over-65s.

Pakistan has secured 17 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine under a global scheme to deliver coronavirus treatments to developing nations, a government health official said on Saturday.

Pakistan will launch its Covid-19 vaccination drive next week, starting with front-line health workers, a government minister said on Wednesday

South Korea is reviewing AstraZeneca's request for approval of its coronavirus vaccine, as it expands a ban on private gatherings of more than four people to the whole country with daily cases topping more than 1,000 in four days.

Experts at India's drugs regulator have recommended for emergency use two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other backed by a state-run institute, the government said on Saturday

India's drug regulator is set to approve on Friday a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for emergency use, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Malaysia said on Saturday it has secured coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca PLC, on the heels of news it will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February as it grapples with a surge in infections.

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's Russian branch said Friday it would use part of Russia's homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials, a major sign of recognition for a jab that has been viewed with scepticism by the West.

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, has sought emergency use authorization in the country for AstraZeneca Plc's Covid-19 vaccine candidate, its chief executive officer said on Monday.

Suspected North Korean hackers have tried to break into the systems of British drugmaker AstraZeneca in recent weeks, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the company races to deploy its vaccine for the Covid-19 virus.

Britain gave AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine a vote of confidence on Friday when it asked its regulator to assess it for a rollout after experts raised questions about trial data and the company said it may run another study to gauge the shot's efficacy.

The Philippines is set to sign a supply agreement for AstraZeneca's potential Covid-19 vaccine on Friday, the first such deal in a country aiming to further reopen its economy that has been ravaged by the pandemic.