In the last 24 hours, 1,633 samples were registered with the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H, of which 189 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.
New cases have been registered in all cantons in the Federation of B&amp;H, except in Bosnia-Podrinje Canton, the institute said.
A total of 397,298 samples have been tested so far, and coronavirus has been confirmed in 78,322 individuals.
As of today, 65,273 patients have recovered in FB&amp;H, and 225 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours. Currently, 10,578 cases positive for SARS-CoV-2 are active.
In the past 24 hours, five new deaths were reported to the FB&amp;H Public Health Institute, and as of today, the number of deaths in the Federation of BiH is 2,471.
In the Republic of Srpska entity, 669 laboratory samples were tested in the last 24 hours, and coronavirus was confirmed in 101 people.
In the last 24 hours and 13 deaths have been reported in which the presence of coronavirus has been confirmed.
So far, 40,071 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the RS, and a total of 2,050 people have died. So far, 26,809 people have recovered, and a total of 182,312 people have been tested.
Today, 13 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District of B&amp;H, out of 65 tested samples. Two women died and one recovered.

In the Republic of Srpska entity, 669 laboratory samples were tested in the last 24 hours, and coronavirus was confirmed in 101 people

Today 13 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District of B&H

COVID-19 confirmed in 303 people in B&H, with 20 deaths in the last 24 hours

The accused in the "Respirators" affair, Fadil Novalić, FB&amp;H Prime Minister, Fahrudin Solak, suspended director of the Federal Civil Protection Administration (FCPA), Fikret Hodžić, owner of "Srebrena Malina" and FB&amp;H Deputy Prime Minister Jelka Milićević, denied guilt this morning in the Court of B&amp;H.
It is about the "Respirators" affair, in which these four are charged with the purchase of 100 respirators from China to B&amp;H worth 10.5 million KM. Novalić, Solak and Hodžić are accused of abuse of office and money laundering, and Prime Minister Milićević is accused of unscrupulous work in the service.
When asked by Judge Enida Hadžiomerović, Novalić said before pleading guilty that he understood the indictment and what was being charged against him. The same was confirmed by the other defendants.

Novalić, Solak and Hodžić are also accused of procuring protective equipment worth 2.9 million KM. After several months of investigation, the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H filed the indictment on December 4th last year, and then sent it to the Court for confirmation. The indictment was confirmed only after finalization. The accused Novalić, Solak and Hodžić are charged with having committed several criminal offenses, including abuse of position or authority, receiving a reward or other form.

It is about the "Respirators" affair in which these four are charged with the purchase of 100 respirators from China to B&H worth 10.5 million KM

Accused Novalić, Solak, Hodžić and Milićević denied guilt in the Court of B&H

Sanofi will fill and pack millions of doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine from July in an effort to help meet the huge demand for the U.S. drugmaker's shots.
The French company will aim to help supply more than 100 million doses of the vaccine this year from its German plant in Frankfurt, CEO Paul Hudson told Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are, like other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers such as AstraZeneca, struggling to meet the huge demand for shots that are the world's best bet for overcoming the pandemic.
Last month, Sanofi and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline said a Covid-19 vaccine they are jointly developing had showed an insufficient immune response in older people, delaying its launch to late this year.
The company has been under pressure since to seek ways of helping with Covid-19 vaccines devised by other drugmakers as the pandemic intensifies again in Europe and elsewhere.
-Since our main vaccine is a few months late, we asked ourselves how we could be of assistance now- Hudson was quoted as saying.
Sanofi is also working on another Covid-19 vaccine candidate with U.S. firm Translate Bio which uses mRNA technology, similar to the approach of Pfizer/BioNTech. Phase I trials are expected to start this quarter.
Hudson confirmed in the interview that Sanofi remains committed to its two vaccines projects.

Sanofi is also working on another Covid-19 vaccine candidate with U.S. firm Translate Bio

The French company will aim to help supply more than 100 million doses of the vaccine this year from its German plant in Frankfurt

Sanofi to help produce 100 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses

"The Guide - Trial within a Reasonable Time" was presented today in Sarajevo, and it is a publication made within the project "Strengthening judicial capacities in B&amp;H towards harmonization of domestic court practice with European legal standards".
President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zlatko M. Knežević, stated at the presentation that the Guide emphasizes the obligations of the authorities to "ensure all citizens the opportunity to fulfill their real or envisaged right through the intervention of the system as soon as possible."
The B&amp;H Minister of Justice Josip Grubeša said that the content of the law on trial within a reasonable time at the state level has been sent into the procedure and that he expected it to be on the agenda of the B&amp;H Parliamentary Assembly soon.
The British Ambassador to B&amp;H Matthew Field emphasized that ensuring the right to a trial within a reasonable time has been a continuous challenge for all European countries and that he hopes that the guide will encourage everyone in B&amp;H to contribute to the protection of that right.
It was underlined at the presentation that the guide explains what is the right to a trial within a reasonable time, what procedures are applicable, what are the deadlines, whether it is an urgent procedure or not, what are the criteria used in the case, what remedies can be used and whether there is a right to compensation and what are the appropriate amounts.
The Guide also contains a significant number of decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&amp;H in which the European Convention and the case-law of the Court in Strasbourg have been applied.

Knežević:  Guide emphasizes the obligations of the authorities

It is a publication made within the project "Strengthening judicial capacities in B&H towards harmonization of domestic court practice with European legal standards"

"The Guide - Trial within a Reasonable Time" presented today in Sarajevo

On January 15th and 16th, the Office for the Fight against Corruption and Quality Management of the Sarajevo Canton filed criminal charges against five holders of public office in SC, due to the fact that they hid millions of assets.

<h2>In the process of verifying the data</h2>

This information was confirmed for "Avaz" by the director of the Office, Erduan Kafedžić, who has been assisted in his work as an advisor by the American Eric Larson, a former prosecutor with international experience, since July.
In the process of verifying data on the property of public office holders, the Office has so far detected several cases in which a potential gross violation of the provisions of the law has been established when it comes to undeclared property. A significant disparity was found between the reported assets and the data obtained by the Office in the verification process on a sample of only 200 persons.
One of the registered public office holders did not report that he is the owner of the apartment, owner / founder of a limited liability company, owner of securities in a joint stock company, has more than 100,000 KM in a foreign currency account in a commercial bank and did not report that his spouse is the owner of several real estates.
He also did not report that his son owns a motor vehicle, which "Avaz" wrote about a month ago.

According to unofficial information "Avaz" confirmed by the Office for Corruption and the Prosecutor's Office of SC for"Avaz" , charges were filed against the current mayor of Trnovo Ibro Berilo (SDA), but also former mayors Nedžad Koldžo (Novo Sarajevo) and Nedžad Ajnadžić (Center), also SDA personnel.
They are suspected of not reporting millions of assets.
Unofficially, Berilo did not report that he had more than 100,000 KM in his account in one commercial bank and term savings of 40,000 KM.

In addition, Abid Jusić, SDA councilor in the Centar Municipality, was reported to the SC Prosecutor's Office. He did not report the property to the Office either, more precisely, he reported everything on his relatives names. He did not report four apartments and two garages.
Samir Šišić, councilor of the First Party in the Municipality of Ilidža, was also reported. He did not report 100,000 KM either.
Koldžo did not report numerous shares, the apartment of relatives and vehicles.
- We have information that these persons have property that they did not report outside the borders of B&amp;H - our sources claim.

Berilo, the current mayor of Trnovo did not report that he had 100,000 KM in his account and term savings of 40,000 KM

SDA chiefs hid millions of assets in B&H and abroad

Representatives of the Military Unit of the Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels participated in a meeting of the NATO Military Committee at the level of the Chiefs of Staff of NATO member and partner countries, in the format of a mission in Afghanistan.
The Head of the Military Unit of the B&amp;H Mission, Brigadier Jasmin Čajić, participated on behalf of the Chief of the Joint Staff of the B&amp;H Armed Forces, along with Deputy Brigadier Darijo Pajić and Colonel Dobrislav Biloš.
In the introductory part of the presentation, the Chairman of the Military Committee (MC), Air Marshal Stuart William Peach, thanked the partner countries for the commitment and contribution of their armed forces in carrying out the "Resolute Support" mission in Afghanistan, including members of the B&amp;H Armed Forces.
Marshal Peach stressed that NATO forces must be able to cooperate despite differences in doctrine, language and structures, as this is extremely important for the security environment in which it operates. He pointed out that only by working together it is possible to deal with all modern challenges, the Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of B&amp;H announced.

The Head of the Military Unit of the B&H Mission, Brigadier Jasmin Čajić, participated on behalf of the Chief of the Joint Staff of the B&H Armed Forces, along with Deputy Brigadier Darijo Pajić and Colonel Dobrislav Biloš

NATO forces must be able to cooperate despite differences in doctrine, language and structures, as this is extremely important for the security environment in which it operates

NATO MC meeting reaffirmed its commitment to continue mission in Afghanistan

The Chairman of the Presidency of B&amp;H, Milorad Dodik, stated that he had talked with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, about the procurement of vaccines, and that it was obvious that there were problems, but that Serbia had shown that it was very successful in that.

- We are literally deceived with the story of joint procurement through "Covax", now we even see that the EU is trying to tell the public that it will close deliveries until it completes all its needs. It is not only a commercial issue but also a deeply humane issue. We'll see how it all goes. In any case, we are developing some agreements with Serbia on that - said Dodik.
He added that in that regard, they will have to discuss again in the coming days and weeks how to move through the problem.
Dodik reiterated that the Republic of Srpska paid for the vaccines, and did not receive anything from that, and he believes that it was played a bit in some way, and added that the RS is trying to get certain quantities of the Russian vaccine in the coming days.

<h2>Procurement from the Chinese as well</h2>

- We have received guarantees that we must conditionally accept that we will have about 100,000 vaccines from the Russians during February. We will also procure from the Chinese, and I believe that a joint project will finally work, so that Republic of Srpska will also enter the vaccination project - said Dodik.

Dodik reiterated that Republic of Srpska paid for the vaccines, but did not receive anything from it, and believes that in some way they were a bit cheated

Dodik: During February, we will have about 100,000 vaccines from the Russians

Dodik: We were deceived by the story about the joint procurement of vaccines through "Covax"

The Federal Civil Protection Administration (FCPA) announced a new tender yesterday for the legal verification of the ACM812A fan. These are Chinese respirators imported for the needs of the FB&amp;H Government by the company "Srebrena malina", which is owned by the accused TV presenter Fikret Hodžić.

In this way, the affair continued with the verification of devices that were paid 10.5 million KM, and were never put into operation. These are 100 devices that arrived in B&amp;H in April and May last year.

Under the new call, FCPA gives 40.0000 KM for this type of work.
Earlier, the verification was performed by the company "Verlab" from Sarajevo, but their contract expired. During the first verification of the devices in Goražde and Sarajevo, they determined that they had a system failure, after which all division and installation, which was performed by a company from Serbia, was suspended.

This procurement of devices resulted in an indictment against Hodžić, but also against the Prime Minister of FB&amp;H, Fadil Novalić, the suspended director of FCPA, Fahrudin Solak, and Jelka Milićević, the Minister of Finance of FB&amp;H.
Tomorrow, a plea hearing is scheduled for them in the Court of B&amp;H.

In this way, the affair with the verification of devices that were paid 10.5 million KM, and were never put into operation continues, it is about 100 devices

Money from the budget, and respirators were never put into operation

FCPA announces new tender: They give 40,000 KM to companies to verify Fikret's respirators

Eric Nelson, the US Ambassador to B&amp;H, met today with the President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Bakir Izetbegović.
The US Embassy posted on their official Twitter account stating that Nelson emphasized to Izetbegović the urgent need for leaders to engage in a "meaningful dialogue".
The post also states that Nelson conveyed to Izetbegović the need to avoid the rhetoric of divisions, that it is necessary to take responsibility for advancing the reforms needed for the path to the European Union and for improving citizens' trust, including the 2021. election law reform.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">AMB Nelson met with Bakir Izetbegovic to stress the urgent need for leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue, avoid divisive rhetoric, and carry out their responsibility to advance reforms needed for EU path & to improve citizen confidence, including electoral reform in 2021.— US Embassy Sarajevo (@USEmbassySJJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/USEmbassySJJ/status/1354765530998190082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It is necessary to avoid the rhetoric of divisions, it is necessary to take responsibility for advancing the reforms needed for the path to the European Union and for improving the confidence of citizens, including the reform of the election law

Nelson and Izetbegović from one of the previous meetings

Nelson talked to Izetbegović: Leaders should have meaningful dialogue and avoid divisive rhetoric

A total of 154,735 surgical masks, FFP2 protective masks and protective suits, with a total value of 63,374 KM, were delivered to the Public Health Institute of the Tuzla Canton (TC) today.
The protective equipment is part of the European Union's support to institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
In order to ensure the safe work of medical and emergency workers, by the end of January 2021, a total of 1,100,000 surgical masks, 110,000 N95 / FFP2 protective masks and 50,000 protective suits will be delivered to institutions in Banja Luka, Bihać, Brčko District, Goražde, Livno, Mostar, Orašje, Travnik, Tuzla and Zenica.
The equipment was procured through a project to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), for which the European Union has provided a total of seven million euros, the EU Delegation to BiH said.

A total of 154,735 surgical masks, FFP2 protective masks and protective suits, with a total value of 63,374 KM was donated

The protective equipment is part of the European Union's support to institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic

EU hands over protective equipment to Public Health Institute of Tuzla Canton

The National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska will consider at its session scheduled for February 9 the Information regarding the request for submission of the report of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement from 2009 to 2020 with proposed conclusions.
It is a proposal of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) caucus, which was approved by the Collegium of the Assembly.
The information will be presented to the deputies at the moment when the appointment of the new High Representative in B&amp;H is being considered, and the only candidate for that position is the former Minister of Agriculture of Germany, Christian Schmidt.

It is a proposal of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) caucus, which was approved by the Collegium of the Assembly

The National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska

RS NA to discuss the work of the High Representative in B&H on February 9

The Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H tested 1,862 samples in the last 24 hours, of which 180 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.
New cases have been registered in all the cantons in the Federation of B&amp;H, except in the Podrinje Canton, the Institute said.
In the past 24 hours, 235 patients recovered. There are currently 10,619 active cases of SARS-CoV-2.
Eleven new deaths were reported to the FB&amp;H Public Health Institute in the past 24 hours, and as of today, the number of deaths in the FB&amp;H is 2,466.
In the Brčko District of B&amp;H, 13 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered out of the 56 tested. 19 people recovered.
In the entity of Republic of Srpska, 615 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, and coronavirus was confirmed in 137 people.
Five deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
So far, a total of 2,037 people have died in the RS.
The total number of hospitalized is 624, in the University Clinical Center Banja Luka ​​220, and in general hospitals 396 people. There are currently 4,434 people under medical supervision.

In the past 24 hours, 235 patients recovered

New cases have been registered in all the cantons in the Federation of B&H, except in the Podrinje Canton

COVID-19 confirmed in 330 people in B&H, with 16 deaths in the last 24 hours

Portugal is in a terrible phase of the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said, warning that it would be some weeks before things might start to improve and only limited help could be expected from abroad.With a total of 668,951 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11,305 deaths, including a record 293 dead on Wednesday, Portugal has the world’s highest seven-day average of new daily cases and deaths per million inhabitants.
The situation was not “bad”, it was “terrible”, Costa told the TVI broadcaster overnight.
-There is no point in feeding the illusion that we are not facing the worst moment- he said. -And we’ll face this worst moment for a few more weeks, that is for sure.-
More than 20 ambulances with COVID-19 patients queued outside Portugal’s largest hospital on Wednesday evening as they waited for beds to become available, while doctors in other hospitals warned of a risk of the oxygen support system collapsing.
Costa said the situation had worsened partly because his government relaxed restrictive measures between Christmas and the end of the year, but also due to the virulence of a new variant of the virus first detected in Britain.
-There were certainly errors: often the way I transmitted the message to the Portuguese ... and, when the recipient of the message did not understand the message, then it is the messenger’s fault, I have no doubt about it- he said.

Germany said on Wednesday that it was sending military medical experts to Portugal to see what kind of support it could bring.
But Costa warned there was only so much Germany and other European partners could do, adding that “one should be cautious” about the idea of sending patients to foreign countries - like Germany, for instance, did last year with patients just across the border in France.
-It is different for a country which has a geographical position like Portugal - between the Atlantic and Spain - than for a country that is at the centre of Europe with borders with several countries and therefore where cross-border collaboration is much more common and much easier.-
Regarding possible German aid, he said: “In everything Portugal has asked for, unfortunately they have no availability, namely doctors, nurses. They have ventilators, but at the moment we don’t need it because we have enough.”
In a rare note of hope, he did add that the lockdown measures decided last week should, in principle, start having an impact on contagion numbers next week.

They have the world’s highest seven-day average of new daily cases and deaths per million inhabitants

Medical personnel stand next to ambulances with COVID-19 patients as they wait in the queue at Santa Maria hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Lisbon, Portugal, January 27, 2021.

Portugal is in 'terrible' phase of pandemic, PM Costa says

A World Health Organization-led team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic left its quarantine hotel in Wuhan on Thursday to begin field work, two weeks after arriving in the Chinese city where the virus emerged in late 2019.The mission has been plagued by delays, concern over access and bickering between China and the United States, which has accused China of hiding the extent of the initial outbreak and criticised the terms of the visit, under which Chinese experts conducted the first phase of research.
The team left the hotel shortly after 3 p.m. (0700 GMT) without speaking to journalists, who were kept at a distance behind yellow barriers, and boarded a bus, whose driver wore full protective gear, and headed to another hotel.
The WHO has not provided details of the mission’s itinerary, although team leader Peter Ben Embarek said in November that the group would likely go to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where the first known cluster of cases was traced.
A handful of team members posted on Twitter about life in quarantine.
Embarek, the WHO’s top expert on animal diseases that cross to other species, described 10 to 13 hours of meetings under quarantine.
-Slightly sad to say goodbye to my ‘gym’ &amp; my ‘office’ where I’ve been holed up for last 2 wks!!- team member Peter Daszak said on Twitter earlier on Thursday, along with photos of exercise equipment and a desk in his hotel room.
-Moving into next phase of work now w/@WHO mission team &amp; China counterparts- he said.
The team members’ luggage, loaded onto the bus by workers in protective suits, included yoga mats and what appeared to be a guitar case.The Geneva-based agency has sought to manage expectations for the investigation.
-There are no guarantees of answers- WHO emergency chief Mike Ryan told reporters this month. -It is a difficult task to fully establish the origins and sometimes it can take two or three or four attempts to be able to do that in different settings.-
China’s foreign ministry said the team would participate in seminars, visits and field trips.
-All these activities must be in accordance with the principle of tracking the origin scientifically and with the ultimate goal of preventing future risks and protecting the safety and health of the people- ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing on Thursday.

The origin of COVID-19 has been highly politicised.
The investigating team had been set to arrive in Wuhan earlier in January, and China’s delay of their visit drew rare public criticism from the head of the WHO, which former U.S. President Donald Trump accused of being “China-centric” early in the outbreak.
China has been pushing a narrative that the virus existed abroad before it was discovered in Wuhan, with state media citing the presence of the virus on imported frozen food packaging and scientific papers saying it had been circulating in Europe in 2019.China’s foreign ministry has also hinted on several occasions that the sudden closure of a U.S. army laboratory at Fort Detrick in Maryland in July 2019 was linked to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
A man surnamed Lei who was organising bicycles outside the quarantine hotel said it was not certain that the virus had originated in China.
-People are saying that the virus came from other countries- he said. -I’m really not sure.-

The mission has been plagued by delays, concern over access and bickering between China and the United States

Peter Ben Embarek, a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), leaves his quarantine hotel in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 28, 2021.

WHO team in Wuhan investigating COVID origins leaves quarantine

A man died of his wounds Thursday in Lebanon after clashes between security forces and protesters angered by the combined impact of a severe economic crisis and a coronavirus lockdown.
Omar Tayba sustained a bullet wound late Wednesday when protests in the northern city of Tripoli turned violent for the third night running, his brother Ahmad told AFP.
-My brother was in Tripoli watching the protests when he was hit- he said. -He was transferred to hospital and died this morning.
-The 29-year-old man, who was employed in a bakery, became the first fatality -- reported also by local media -- of the protests that erupted earlier this week in Tripoli. 
According to the National News Agency, a total of 226 people received treatment Wednesday night.
Tripoli was already one of Lebanon's poorest areas before the coronavirus pandemic piled new misery onto a chronic economic crisis.
Many of its residents have been left without an income since Lebanon imposed a full lockdown earlier this month in a bid to stem a surge in Covid-19 cases and prevent its hospitals from being overwhelmed. 
A round-the-clock curfew is in force nationwide and grocery shopping is restricted to home deliveries -- a service that is often unavailable in poorer areas.
Authorities have extended the lockdown by two weeks to February 8.

Omar Tayba sustained a bullet wound late Wednesday when protests in the northern city of Tripoli turned violent for the third night running

Lebanon's port city of Tripoli has been hit by several nights of clashes between security forces and protesters amid a strict lockdown

Lebanese man dies of wounds after lockdown protests

The vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to retain its effectiveness against coronavirus mutations in worrying new variants that have emerged recently in Britain and South Africa, the firms said Thursday.
Several new variants -- each with a cluster of genetic mutations -- have sparked fears over an increase in infectiousness as well as suggestions that the virus could begin to elude immune response, whether from prior infection or a vaccine.
Pfizer/BioNTech, which had previously said it was unlikely that the strain originally found in Britain could escape vaccine protection, said Thursday that early tests suggest their immunisation would be similarly protective against the variant in South Africa.
In a statement, the two companies said these preliminary findings "do not indicate the need for a new vaccine to address the emerging variants". 
They said they are "prepared to respond" if a new strain is shown to be able to evade the immunity of the vaccine, adding that they can produce updates to their jab if needed.
The statement comes after US biotech firm Moderna this week announced that lab studies suggest its vaccine should protect against the variants first found in the United Kingdom and South Africa. 
The latest Pfizer/BioNTech research, which has not yet been peer reviewed, was carried out by researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas. 
The authors compared the antibodies of 20 people who had received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during clinical trials with lab-engineered sets of mutations present in the variants that emerged in Britain and South Africa.&nbsp;

The new variants -- along with another linked to Brazil -- have mutations to the virus' spike protein, which enables the virus to latch onto human cells and therefore plays a key role in driving infections. 
One mutation in particular -- known as E484K and found in the South Africa and Brazil strains but not the one in Britain -- has experts particularly worried about immunity "escape".
The study found that the antibodies were able to neutralise all the sets of mutations tested. 
It noted that the effect was "slightly lower" against three mutations in the variant found in South Africa, including E484K. 
But the firms said that it was "unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the vaccine".
They said they were looking to test against the full set of mutations in the spike protein of the variant that emerged in South Africa. 
A study released last week by researchers in South Africa, which has also not yet been peer reviewed, tested the variant found there against blood plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients. 
They found that it was resistant to neutralising antibodies built up from prior infection, but said more research was needed into the effectiveness of other parts of the immune response.
Daily global deaths from Covid-19 topped 18,000 for the first time Wednesday, with vaccines seen as the only real chance of returning to some form of normality.
The German firm BioNTech had already said the messenger RNA technology means it could update the vaccine against new variants within weeks.

They said they are "prepared to respond" if a new strain is shown to be able to evade the immunity of the vaccine

The latest Pfizer/BioNTech research, which has not yet been peer reviewed, was carried out by researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas

COVID-19 confirmed in 303 people in B&H, with 20 deaths in the last 24 hours

Accused Novalić, Solak, Hodžić and Milićević denied guilt in the Court of B&H

Sanofi to help produce 100 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses

"The Guide - Trial within a Reasonable Time" presented today in Sarajevo

SDA chiefs hid millions of assets in B&H and abroad

NATO MC meeting reaffirmed its commitment to continue mission in Afghanistan

Dodik: We were deceived by the story about the joint procurement of vaccines through "Covax"

FCPA announces new tender: They give 40,000 KM to companies to verify Fikret's respirators

Nelson talked to Izetbegović: Leaders should have meaningful dialogue and avoid divisive rhetoric

EU hands over protective equipment to Public Health Institute of Tuzla Canton

RS NA to discuss the work of the High Representative in B&H on February 9

COVID-19 confirmed in 330 people in B&H, with 16 deaths in the last 24 hours

Portugal is in 'terrible' phase of pandemic, PM Costa says

WHO team in Wuhan investigating COVID origins leaves quarantine

Lebanese man dies of wounds after lockdown protests

Pfizer/BioNTech say vaccine effective against UK, SAfrica virus mutations

News

COVID-19 confirmed in 303 people in B&H, with 20 deaths in the last 24 hours

Accused Novalić, Solak, Hodžić and Milićević denied guilt in the Court of B&H

Sanofi to help produce 100 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses

"The Guide - Trial within a Reasonable Time" presented today in Sarajevo

SDA chiefs hid millions of assets in B&H and abroad

NATO MC meeting reaffirmed its commitment to continue mission in Afghanistan

Dodik: We were deceived by the story about the joint procurement of vaccines through "Covax"

FCPA announces new tender: They give 40,000 KM to companies to verify Fikret's respirators

Nelson talked to Izetbegović: Leaders should have meaningful dialogue and avoid divisive rhetoric

EU hands over protective equipment to Public Health Institute of Tuzla Canton

RS NA to discuss the work of the High Representative in B&H on February 9

COVID-19 confirmed in 330 people in B&H, with 16 deaths in the last 24 hours

Portugal is in 'terrible' phase of pandemic, PM Costa says

WHO team in Wuhan investigating COVID origins leaves quarantine

Lebanese man dies of wounds after lockdown protests

Pfizer/BioNTech say vaccine effective against UK, SAfrica virus mutations