Daily roundupWednesday's key coronavirus developments in Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 185 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday from 10,260 tests (positivity rate 1.80%). Four deaths were registered.

• 12% of the Luxembourg population have developed immunity against coronavirus.

• Health insurance fund CMCM has distanced itself from comments made by the ex-director of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, following allegations of attempts to acquire vaccines outside of the government programme.

• The deadline for the procedure to recover Luxembourgish nationality has been extended by a year to 31 December 2022, after it was recognised a number of people couldn’t meet the deadline due to Covid travel bans.

• We take a look at the pressures hospital staff are under at CHL, which has recorded 127 deaths linked to the pandemic.

And around the world

• St Patrick’s Day was unusually quiet in Dublin, Ireland, where for the second year in succession, the normally raucous celebrations have been cancelled by coronavirus curbs.

• Italy saw the third highest daily rate of deaths in the world yesterday, after Brazil and the United States.

• The European Union unveiled a plan Wednesday to set up a travel certificate to help restore freedom of movement within the bloc for citizens inoculated against the coronavirus.

• The Commission also threatened to invoke emergency powers to block European exports of Covid-19 vaccines to ensure “reciprocity” with other suppliers, urging Britain to send Europe more jabs.

• Britain’s heir to the throne, Prince Charles, criticised opposition to coronavirus vaccines, as government ministers sought to calm public fears about safety. The country’s health minister added that AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine shot is safe and there is no evidence of health risks.

• French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Tuesday vowed he would be vaccinated “very quickly” with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to give the public confidence in the jab if it is ruled as safe by the EU medicines agency.

• In the US, meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Tuesday encouraged his Republican supporters -- one of the main groups resistant to Covid-19 vaccines -- to get their shots.

• Finally, as Israel pushes ahead with one of the world’s most intense coronavirus vaccination campaigns and normality slowly returns, nearby Palestinians without access to vaccines are flooding hospitals already at breaking point.