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| - These are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: G7 leaders agree to "intensify cooperation" in response to the coronavirus pandemic and increase funding for the rollout of vaccines in the world's poorest countries to $7.5 billion. The money includes $4 billion (4.6 billion euros) from the United States, an extra 1.5 billion euros from Germany and one billion euros from the European Union and will go to the Covax global vaccination programme. A study on healthcare workers at the largest hospital in Israel shows the first dose of the Pfizer jab is 85 percent effective against infection between two and four weeks after being administered. And Pfizer-BioNTech say tests have shown that their vaccine can stand warmer temperatures than initially thought, potentially simplifying the jab's complex cold-chain logistics. French President Emmanuel Macron calls on Western nations to supply "as soon as possible" 13 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to African governments, enough to inject the continent's health workers. Dutch appeals judges say they will rule in a week's time on whether to overturn a lower court's order for the government to scrap its coronavirus curfew. The curfew, in place since January 23, looks set to stay in any case however as the government is pushing through a new law to reinstate it even if it loses the appeal. Italy's health ministry announces tighter anti-coronavirus measures for three regions -- Campania, which includes Naples, along with Emilia Romagna and Molise, but spares its biggest cities, Rome and Milan. Lockdown measures come into effect in Iraq as its daily infection figures double from less than a week ago. The measures include a 8:00 pm until 5:00 am curfew as well as full lockdowns on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The virus has caused at least 2,441,926 deaths around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources. The United States is the worst-affected country with 493,119 deaths, followed by Brazil with 243,457, Mexico with 178,108, India with 156,111 and Britain with 119,387. The pandemic has continued its sharp slowdown with the number of new cases halved since early January, according to a specialised AFP database. More than 197 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines have been injected in 106 countries and territories around the world, according to an AFP count based on official sources at 1730 GMT. London Fashion Week starts, virtually, due to coronavirus, a year after thousands flocked to see designs by Victoria Beckham and Vivienne Westwood, in the weeks before the pandemic hit the UK. burs-nrh-jmy/ach
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