Overview: Romania waives COVID-19 quarantine rules for Ukrainians crossing the border; other developments

* Germany does not have leeway to ease restrictions more quickly, and Germans should not think that the pandemic is over as the number of new daily infections is still very high, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. read more

* Sweden should have adopted tougher early measures and the government assumed clearer leadership as COVID-19 hit, though the mostly voluntary no-lockdown strategy was broadly correct, a commission reviewing the pandemic response said. read more

* A three-week long protest in Canada against pandemic measures that snarled trade and shuttered Ottawa's core likely cost billions in trade delays, tens of millions in lost sales for businesses, and left behind a hefty policing and clean-up tab. read more

* Hong Kong has contracted a Chinese firm to build eight isolation and treatment facilities to help fight a worsening COVID-19 outbreak, as the government said daily cases in the financial hub surged beyond 10,000 - a new record. read more

* Drugmaker Shionogi & Co (4507.T) has applied for approval to make and sell its oral COVID-19 treatment in Japan. read more  ...

* The Omicron BA.2 sub-variant appears to be more infectious than the original BA.1 sub-variant, but does not cause more severe disease, the head of Africa's top public health body said. read more

* Valneva (VLS.PA) expects to start delivering its vaccine in Europe soon after it is recommended for conditional approval by the end of March, the French vaccine maker said as it received an initial regulatory assessment. read more

* Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) executives said on Thursday they believe a fourth vaccine shot will be needed late this year due to waning protection from earlier doses. read more   ...