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The U.K.’s health minister warned that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against new variants of the disease, as more countries consider tightening restrictions. France may go into another lockdown within days to halt the spread of a potentially deadlier strain that emerged in Britain last year.

The U.S. neared 25 million total infections, which would be about 8% of the country’s total population.

Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine program is on track to begin as scheduled, with the first Pfizer Inc. doses set to arrive in hospitals in mid-to-late February. Hong Kong imposed a temporary lockdown on thousands of residents for the first time to carry out mandatory testing for the coronavirus.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases exceed 98.8 million; deaths pass 2.1 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 63 million shots given worldwide
• Leaders of vaccine rollout deliver world-beating market gains
• In Zimbabwe, coronavirus sick told to buy their own ventilators
• To revive Manhattan, Wall Street offers help with vaccinations
• Why the mutated coronavirus variants are so worrisome: QuickTake

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.

U.S. Cases Approach 25 Million (6:50 a.m. NY)

The U.S. is nearing another milestone in the yearlong struggle against Covid-19 as total infections approach 25 million, or about 8% of the population.

Daily case counts, which spiked to records of almost 300,000 after the Christmas holiday, have begun to shrink. But the weekly average of about 185,000 new infections remains high: That number was reached for first time only in November.

The U.S. recently hit 400,000 fatalities. President Joe Biden, who has detailed the first national strategy against Covid-19, warned that deaths may reach 600,000 before vaccines begin to create immunity on a large scale.

Dubai Replaces Health Official (6:08 a.m. NY)

Dubai replaced its top health official on Sunday after coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates, of which it is part, spiked sharply in recent weeks. Awadh Al Ketbi was tapped as director general of the Dubai Health Authority “to bring in new blood,” Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said on Twitter. The UAE has recently reported more than 3,000 daily cases, prompting Dubai to tighten restrictions on gatherings. The nation has so far inoculated a quarter of its population of about 10 million.

Iran Fatalities Increase (6:50 p.m. HK)

Iran’s Covid-19 deaths climbed by 89 over the last 24 hours, from 69 reported Saturday, which was the country’s lowest count since June. The number of new infections rose by 5,945, the Health Ministry reported. Iran now has a total of 57,383 fatalities from coronavirus and 1.37 million confirmed cases.

U.K.’s Hancock Warns About Variants (6:41 p.m. HK)

The U.K.’s health minister warned that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against new variants of the disease, such as those found in South Africa and Brazil, and that stricter border controls are therefore justified.

“We don’t know the degree of that,” Matt Hancock said in an interview on Sky News on Sunday, commenting on the extent of any potential reduced efficacy of the vaccines. “In the meantime, we’ve got to have a precautionary principle that says let’s not bring these new variants back to the U.K.”

The warning came as the U.K. reported it had vaccinated more than 5 million people, including three-quarters of those over 80. Britain has already banned flights from South Africa and neighboring countries, plus all of South America. The U.K. is grappling with the highest death toll in Europe from Covid-19 and trying to recover from its deepest recession in more than 300 years.

Denmark Seeks Effigy-Burning Suspects (6:19 p.m. HK)

Police in Denmark are looking for suspects after an effigy of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was burned at a Saturday protest against coronavirus restrictions, TV2 reports. Five people already face various preliminary charges as a result of their participation in the demonstration, including for assaulting a public official and aggravated disturbance of the public order.

France Faces New Lockdown: JDD (4:43 p.m. HK)

France is set to go back into lockdown “within days” amid concerns over a new wave of contaminations driven by the U.K. variant of the coronavirus, Journal du Dimanche said, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the matter.

French President Emmanuel Macron could announce the lockdown -- the country’s third -- on Wednesday night, according to the paper. It could start before the end of the week and last at least three weeks. France passed the threshold of 3 million Covid-19 cases on Friday.

Portugal Eases Travel Curbs for Voting (4:38 p.m. HK)

Travel is being allowed for voting in Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday, even after the country reported a record number of coronavirus cases on Saturday. Voters must wear masks and bring their own pens. Voting takes place until 7 p.m. local time, and exit polls will be released from 8 p.m.

Voter turnout was 49% in 2016 when President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was first elected. He’s seeking a second term. In Portugal, the president is mainly a figurehead and policy is set by the prime minister and the government.

Oslo Area May Expand Restrictions: VG (4:25 p.m. HK)

Municipalities surrounding Oslo have asked that restrictions imposed Saturday on the area around Norway’s capital be extended to include them to stop the spread of a mutated version of the virus. The government told local media VG that a decision will be announced at a press conference later Sunday.

Oman to Get AstraZeneca Vaccine (3:56 p.m. HK)

Oman reserved 100,000 doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford. The shipment is expected to arrive next week, the minister of health told the nation’s legislature. The Gulf nation has inoculated about 30,000 people so far and has also approved the shot from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.

Seychelles Imposes Curfew (3:42 p.m. HK)

The Seychelles restricted public movement and reduced the opening hours of shops as the number of coronavirus cases rose in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

The curfew, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m, has been in place since Saturday and will run until Feb. 15. An additional 106 cases were recorded over two days, bringing the total to 972, according to Seychelles Nation’s news website.

Tokyo Daily New Cases Below 1,000 (2:05 p.m. HK)

Tokyo found 986 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the first time for the daily total to be below 1,000 in 12 days. Japan’s capital is halfway through its second state of emergency, with bars and restaurants asked to close at 8 p.m.

India Vaccinates Over 1.5 Million People (1:16 p.m. HK)

India has vaccinated more than 1.5 million health care workers across the country as of Jan. 23, the eighth day of the vaccination drive, the ministry of health and family welfare said.

Australia Vaccine Program on Track (1:09 p.m. HK)

Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine program is on track to begin as scheduled, with the first Pfizer doses set to arrive in hospitals in mid-to-late February, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Sunday.

Australia pre-purchased 10 million units of the Pfizer and BioTech vaccine in November to begin inoculating front-line workers in hospitals and aged-care residents next month.

Concern has heightened about delays in delivery of the vaccine and tightening supplies after Pfizer said it would scale back shipments to countries outside the U.S. while it renovates a factory in Belgium.

New Zealand Investigates Possible Case (10:18 a.m. HK)

New Zealand is investigating a possible case of Covid-19 in the community after a positive test result was returned in a person who had departed a quarantine facility, the Ministry of Health reported.

The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that eight people currently infected with the virus are in managed isolation. The country has 79 active cases and total of 1,927 confirmed infections, according to the ministry.

Hong Kong Imposes First Lockdown (8:19 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong is locking down thousands of residents for the first time over the weekend in a bid to contain a worsening outbreak. The unprecedented step for the Yau Ma Tei and Jordan areas -- known for their night markets -- was announced in a government statement early Saturday morning.

The lockdown affects about 10,000 residents, Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui said at a briefing, adding 162 cases were found in the district since the start of 2021 through Wednesday. More than 3,000 government officers were deployed in the action, Tsui said.

Brazil Reports Deadliest Week Since Summer (5:56 p.m. NY)

Brazil reported 1,202 new fatalities, ending the deadliest week since the surge last summer. Total deaths are now 216,445, the Health Ministry reported. The nation, which has the most cases after the U.S. and India, reported another 62,334 infections. The weekly count declined from the previous week but is still higher than during the summer peak. Total cases are 8.8 million.

Los Angeles County Deaths Exceed 15,000 (5:15 p.m. NY)

Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the latest wave, said the number of Covid-19 deaths reached the “grim milestone” of 15,000. Fatalities climbed more than 5,000 since the end of the year, its public health department said.

The county added 269 new deaths Saturday, bringing the total to 15,162. It also reported 10,537 new cases, for a total of almost 1.1 million. ICU capacity across Southern California remains at zero, it said, citing state data.

Hospitalizations fell below 7,000 for the first time this year at 6,881. Almost one in four of these patients are in ICU.

Pakistan Nears Vaccine Approval (5:03 p.m. NY)

Pakistan is close to granting approval to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, as world’s fifth most-populous nation looks to start inoculations against the coronavirus.

U.S. Governors Plead for More Vaccine (2:53 p.m. NY)

U.S. governors are stepping up their complaints that the federal government is not giving them enough vaccine -- and it could be months before they inoculate those currently eligible.

“I’m not as worried about running out as I am about not getting enough,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said Friday on CNN. He said he could use as much as four times the 100,000 doses the state now is allotted a week.

On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said it would take 17 weeks to get through the 7 million New Yorkers eligible to receive the vaccine. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said on Friday the general population may have to wait four months before being eligible for a vaccine.

“Supply is our primary issue,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear tweeted Saturday.

— With assistance by Ken McCallum, Ian Fisher, Sybilla Gross, Subramaniam Sharma, Kamlesh Bhuckory, Frances Schwartzkopff, Turki Al Balushi, Joao Lima, Blaise Robinson, Joe Mayes, and Arsalan Shahla