Overview" Europe, South Pacfic, India

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Reuters Reuters

-- More than a billion COVID-19 vaccines produced in the European Union have been exported since December, making the bloc the biggest exporter of the shots, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

The vaccines had gone to more than 150 countries, and the EU had exported as many doses as it had distributed to its own citizens, von der Leyen added in a statement.

--Thousands of children returned to school in Sydney on Monday, putting an end to months of home learning, as Australia's largest city eased more COVID-19 curbs, thanks to rising rates of vaccinations.

The latest in a series of planned easing of restrictions marks a shift by Australia's largest cities to living with the virus, a strategy officials have warned will bring a greater number of COVID-19 cases in coming weeks. read more

-- New Zealand's biggest city of Auckland will retain its lockdown for two more weeks as the country pushes to step up vaccinations, Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern said on Monday. ..

-- India's vaccination campaign has slowed despite amassing record stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccine, health ministry data showed on Monday, as authorities maintain a wider-than-usual gap between doses in a strategy that has boosted coverage. ...