One of the largest reports on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy bolsters evidence that it is safe although the authors say more comprehensive research is needed.

The preliminary results are based on reports from over 35,000 U.S. women who received either the Moderna or Pfizer shots while pregnant. Their rates of miscarriage, premature births and other complications were comparable to those observed in published reports on pregnant women before the pandemic.

NEW YORK (AP) — How long does protection from COVID-19 vaccines last?

Experts don't know yet because they're still studying vaccinated people to see when protection might wear off. How well the vaccines work against emerging variants will also determine if, when and how often additional shots might be needed.

BEIJING (AP) — Around 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far inside China, with an emphasis on front-line workers, university students and people living in border areas, health officials said.

China is ramping up vaccination efforts after a slow start that was due in part to the virtual elimination of domestic transmission of the coronavirus. Just two local cases were reported on Wednesday, both in the city of Ruili, which borders on Myanmar.

CAIRO — Developers of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine say they signed a deal with a leading Egyptian pharmaceutical company to manufacture more than 40 million doses annually in Cairo.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, along with Egypt’s Minapharm and its Berlin-based subsidiary, issued a joint press release saying the technology transfer will begin immediately. It expects the roll out of the Sputnik V vaccine in the third quarter of 2021.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway will lend all of its 216,000 doses of AstraZeneca to neighboring Sweden and Iceland as long as its own government regulator has paused the use of the vaccine.

On March 11, Norway followed Denmark in deciding to put on hold jabs by the British-Swedish company after reports of very rare blood clots.

Health Minister Bent Hoeie said if the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is resumed, “we will get back the doses we lend as soon as we request it.”

SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico health officials say they are preparing to respond to pockets of vaccine hesitancy in some communities as overall interest increases in receiving the vaccine for COVID-19.

State Health Secretary Tracie Collins said Wednesday that statistics on those trends are being reviewed this week. New Mexico is among the top states for immunization rates with nearly 40% of the population fully vaccinated.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said on Wednesday that he plans to lift all mandates on social distancing and gathering limits by June 1 if coronavirus metrics remain stable and residents continue to get vaccinated.

Further restrictions, including the statewide mask mandate, could be halted once two-thirds of North Carolina have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine.

HONOLULU — Hawaii officials are moving forward with a plan to allow people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to skip pre-travel testing and quarantine requirements for flights between islands.

The rule, for now, is only for people who have received vaccinations in Hawaii and for travel within the state.

The plan does not change anyone’s ability to travel and avoid quarantine by testing, but adds another option for those who have received the shots

LONDON (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulatory agency said Tuesday that it found a “possible link” between Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine and extremely rare blood clots and recommended a warning be added to the label. But experts at the agency reiterated that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks.

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado county public health report found a Colorado Springs vaccine clinic operating without proper temperature storage for vaccines or social distancing, as well as unmasked workers.

The Associated Press received the report on the Dr. Moma Health and Wellness Clinic by an El Paso County public health employee in response to a records request.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale has joined a growing list of universities that are requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning in the fall.

The university's president and provost made the announcement Monday in an email to the Yale community. They urged students to get their shots as soon as possible, calling inoculation "the strongest tool for preventing transmission of the virus.”

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's health minister on Monday welcomed the announcement by two pharmaeutical companies that they will deliver more coronavirus vaccines during the second quarter than previously predicted.

The Germany company BioNTech, which developed the first widely approved vaccine shot together with U.S. partner Pfizer, will provide Germany with an additional 10 million doses by the end of June. That takes the total expected from the company during the second quarter to 50.3 million jabs.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Monday amid cautious optimism about a global rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 shot, the government announced Sunday, marking another milestone in the nation’s largest-ever vaccination campaign but leaving more work to do to convince skeptical Americans to roll up their sleeves.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million people Saturday amid repeated setbacks in the worldwide vaccination campaign and a deepening crisis in places such as Brazil, India and France.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Brass bands playing at a 24-hour drive-thru coronavirus vaccine event. Doses delivered to commercial fishermen minutes from the docks. Pop-up immunization clinics at a Buddhist temple, homeless shelters, truck stops and casinos, with shots available at night or on weekends.

And now, door-to-door outreach getting underway in neighborhoods where few people have gotten vaccinated.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa took the first step in its mass vaccination campaign on Friday by starting online registrations for the elderly to receive shots beginning next month.

People aged 60 years and older will be vaccinated first as they are among those at highest risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.

South Africa's inoculation drive is dependent upon millions of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arriving in the country within weeks.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China's success at controlling the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a population that has seemed almost reluctant to get vaccinated. So it is accelerating its inoculation campaign by offering incentives — free eggs, store coupons and discounts on groceries and merchandise — to those getting a shot.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has finalized a deal with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday.

The report quotes Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, as saying the contract has been “signed and finalized” for enough vaccinations to inoculate 30 million people.

Jalali said Iran will receive the vaccines by the end of the year.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — In a Washington, D.C., suburb, Black and Latino barbers are busting myths about the coronavirus vaccine while clipping hair.

Across the country, a university researcher in Phoenix teamed up with a company behind comic books fighting Islamic extremism to produce dance-inducing animated stories in Spanish that aim to smash conspiracy theories hindering Latinos from getting inoculated.

Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine will remain in limbo for a while longer after government health advisers declared Wednesday that they need more evidence to decide if a handful of unusual blood clots were linked to the shot — and if so, how big the risk really is.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's decision to suspend the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to preliminary reports of rare blood clots has left the country without any shots as it struggles to combat an aggressive coronavirus variant.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — European countries diverged Wednesday on whether they would push ahead with giving their residents Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine after reports of very rare blood clots in a handful of recipients in the United States.

BRUSSELS (AP) — In a stinging rebuke to pharma giant AstraZeneca Wednesday, the European Union announced plans to negotiate a massive contract extension for Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine insisting the 27-nation bloc had to go with companies that had shown their value in the pandemic.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey posted another record of 62,797 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

The ministry also reported 279 deaths in the past 24 hours, the highest since the start of Turkey’s outbreak. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced a partial lockdown during the first two weeks of the Muslim month of Ramadan in a bid to curb the infection rate. He also warned of more measures to come if the number of cases fail to decrease.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign hit a snag when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots. But the White House portrayed the action as important validation of his measured approach throughout the rollout.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after Wall Street hit a high following an uptick in U.S. inflation and an order by regulators to suspend use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine.

Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Sydney rose, while Tokyo was off less than 0.5%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign hit a snag Tuesday when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots. But the White House portrayed the action as important validation of his measured approach throughout the rollout.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, setting off a chain reaction worldwide and dealing a setback to the global vaccination campaign.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced that they were looking into unusual clots in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died.

HELENA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has issued an executive order banning the development or use of vaccine passports in Montana.

Vaccine passports are documents that could be used to verify coronavirus immunization status and allow inoculated people to more freely travel, shop and dine.