[Jimbuna]

The number of new coronavirus cases in Poland has risen by 25% in the past week, the health ministry has said. On Tuesday, the government in Poland reported 9,954 new coronavirus cases and 282 virus-related deaths - up from 7,937 cases and 216 deaths one week ago.

Hospitals in the region around the French capital, Paris, have been told to reduce non-Covid care and surgery by 40% because the pandemic has filled most intensive care beds. Health officials say the Ile-de-France area is seeing 70 to 80 new admissions a day. Meanwhile, one MP believes veterinary surgeons could be called in to help push France’s vaccination programme. So far only 5.6% of the population has had a first dose but vaccinations are accelerating.

Estonia is facing a new lockdown from Thursday with all education going online and all non-essential shops closing. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says the measures are required to tackle the recent spread of the UK (or Kent) variant of coronavirus and she’s appealed to people to sharply decrease contacts with others.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has warned of a worsening health emergency, although Covid vaccines offer a way out that "isn’t far off”. Almost 14,000 new infections were reported yesterday and the total number of deaths reached 100,000.

The controversial overnight curfew in the Netherlands will remain in place for the rest of this month, but will be relaxed during next week’s parliamentary elections. Foreign travel should be avoided until mid-April, the government says.

Germans have unsurprisingly been spared hours of traffic jams because of the Covid pandemic. In Munich, the city with the worst traffic, commuters lost 65 hours last year – down from 87 hours in 2019.