COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 15 February

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 108.8 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 2.4 million.

Australia and New Zealand are set to begin vaccination programmes in the coming days, as both countries received their first shipments.

It comes as officials in Victoria, Australia, have said it's too early to say if a snap five-day lockdown will end as planned on Wednesday evening.

South Korea has announced an easing of some of its strictest social distancing rules for businesses, although limits on private gatherings remain. Its own vaccination programme is set to begin from 26 February.

Singapore's economy contracted less than initially expected in the fourth quarter, but it is on a path to a gradual recovery this year.

COVID-19 restrictions have been eased in Poland. Ski slopes have reopened for a two-week trial period, while cinemas, theatres and hotels have been allowed to open at maximum 50% capacity.

Lebanon has begun its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, starting with the head of critical care at its biggest public hospital and celebrated 93-year-old actor and comedian Salah Tizani.

Japan's Health Ministry said yesterday it had officially approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

From today, passengers arriving in England from any 33 'red list' countries will have to spend 14 days quarantined in a hotel room, after new border restrictions were introduced.

2. New lockdown in New Zealand

A new three-day 'level 3' lockdown was introduced for Auckland residents yesterday, while the rest of New Zealand was put on level 2 restrictions.

The move came after three new COVID-19 cases were detected in the city, which were later confirmed to involve the more transmissible UK variant.

“We were absolutely right to make the decision to be extra cautious because we assumed it was going to be one of the more transmissible variants,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on a Facebook Live post.

Level 3 restrictions require Auckland's near 2 million residents to stay at home except for essential shopping and work.

New Zealand's total confirmed cases and deaths are far below other developed nations, with 2,330 confirmed and probable cases since the start of the pandemic and 25 deaths.

3. Israel begins easing restrictions

Israel plans to reopen restaurants around 9 March and restart tourism with Cyprus, officials said yesterday.

Hotels and gyms will partially reopen on 23 February to those fully inoculated or deemed immune after recovering from COVID-19. To gain entry, users would have to present a 'Green Pass' on a Health Ministry app linked to their medical files. Rollout of the app is due this week.

“We want to open gradually, carefully so we don’t have another breakout of another wave, and another lockdown,” Nachman Ash, the national pandemic-response coordinator, told Ynet TV.