Protests have escalated in European capitals against the new lockdown measures that have been taken to counter what is said to be a third wave of the Corona pandemic, while Britain announced the vaccination of half of its adult population.

German security forces clashed with demonstrators who tried to breach security barriers in the central city of Kassel, after thousands took to the streets to protest against the anti-Corona lockdown measures.

Groups, mostly from the far-right, opposing the government's measures to combat the Corona pandemic, have called for widespread protests across the country.

In parallel, the capital, Berlin, witnessed a demonstration against the far-right protests, in which the participants confirmed their support for the government's measures.

In France, despite the closure imposed by the authorities, starting today in Paris and other provinces, hundreds of French people demonstrated near the Luxembourg Gardens in the capital, against police violence and racism.

In Paris, and 16 other provinces, a comprehensive lockdown for 4 weeks has begun, in an attempt to limit the spread of the Corona virus.

The government decided to keep schools and shops selling basic materials open, while transportation will be possible with an exit permit within a distance of no more than 10 kilometers from the residence.

Colossal success

In Britain, the Minister of Health announced today that half of the adult population in the United Kingdom had received the first dose of the vaccine, praising the "tremendous success" of this country most affected in Europe by the epidemic in terms of the number of deaths.

Minister Matt Hancock said in a video posted on Twitter, "I am delighted to report that we have now vaccinated half of the adults in the UK, it is a huge success."

The United Kingdom has so far provided more than 26 million first doses of the Coronavirus vaccine.

The vaccination campaign was finally expanded to include those over the age of 50, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson (56 years) received the first dose of the "AstraZeneca" vaccine on Friday after assurances from British and European regulatory bodies regarding the safety of the vaccine.

The United Kingdom, where the epidemic has killed more than 126,000 people, is using the "Pfizer-Biontech" and "AstraZeneca-Oxford" vaccines.

In addition, the health authorities have approved a third vaccine, "Moderna", which will be available "in the coming weeks," according to what the Minister of Health said Thursday.

Renewed fears

In the context, Denmark said today that one person died, and another is in serious condition, and they had blood clots and a brain hemorrhage after they received the "AstraZeneca" vaccine.

The Danish Medicines Agency confirmed it had received "two serious reports", and there were no details on when the two people fell ill.

And Denmark, which stopped using the "AstraZeneca" vaccine on March 11, was among more than 12 countries that temporarily stopped using this vaccine after reports of rare blood clots in the brain that prompted scientists and governments to speed up the search for any relationship between "AstraZeneca" and blood clots. .

Some countries, including Germany and France, last week backed away from the decision to suspend the use of the vaccine after an investigation into reports of blood clots conducted by the European Union's Medicines Control Authority, and concluded that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its risks.

On the other hand, China announced today that it has conducted 70 million vaccinations, knowing that it recorded 4 new cases of the disease yesterday, all of them from abroad.

In Palestine, the government decided today to re-apply the partial closure in the West Bank, with the continued suspension of schools, with the exception of high school students, until April 3 to confront the spread of the Corona virus.

The West Bank has been subject to a comprehensive closure over the past seven days as part of the measures taken to confront the pandemic.