Johnson & Johnson said it expects to generate as much as $3.5 billion from the sale of its Covid-19 vaccine this year compared to $2.39 billion in 2021, in a sign of easing manufacturing problems and increasing demand.

Delivery delays and an uneven demand during last year resulted in the drugmaker narrowly missing its goal of garnering $2.50bn in vaccine sales in 2021, according to Reuters.

J&J shares fell nearly two per cent before the opening bell as overall fourth-quarter sales also missed market expectations due to a bleak performance by a few of the big revenue drivers such as cancer drug Imbruvica and Crohn's disease treatment Stelara.

Spanish police said they had detained seven suspected members of an international criminal gang that created and sold forged Covid-19 passports and negative tests.

The Spanish arm of the ring, which advertised its services on “anti-vax” instant message groups, fraudulently added at least 1,600 people to the national vaccination register with the help of health workers, the investigation found.

European Union countries agreed last year to create a standardised Covid certificate with a QR code so vaccinated and tested people could travel and attend events.

According to Reuters, that created a demand for forgeries.

Pfizer and BioNTech have begun enrollment for a clinical trial to test the safety and immune response of their Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine in adults aged up to 55, the companies said in a statement.

Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla previously said at a conference that the pharmaceutical giant could be ready to file for regulatory approval of the shot by March.

The company's head of vaccine research Kathrin Jansen said in a statement that while current data showed that boosters against the original Covid strain continued to protect against severe outcomes with Omicron, the company was acting out of caution.

“We recognise the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address Omicron and new variants in the future,” she said.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have published new information about the capital's entry requirements, saying that unlike residents and citizens, vaccinated tourists do not need to show proof of a booster shot to cross into Abu Dhabi, AP reports.

The pandemic has prompted Abu Dhabi to erect a hard border with Dubai, forcing all drivers to come to a halt for vaccination and Covid checks on what once had been a wide, empty highway before the virus struck.

All visitors, whether residents or tourists, also must present a negative virus test taken within the last two weeks to gain entry to the capital and to its public places, including malls and gyms.

London's police chief said her officers are investigating several parties that took place at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office and government departments during Covid lockdowns.

“The Met is now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly local authority.

Japan's daily count of new Covid-19 infections has surpassed 60,000 for the first time, broadcaster FNN said.

The government is poised to expand infection control measures to try to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.

Russia has reported a record number of Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours as the Omicron variant of the virus spread across the country, the government coronavirus task force said.

New daily cases jumped to 67,809, from 65,109 a day earlier. The task force also reported 681 deaths.

Health Minister Olivier Veran has said he hoped France would reach the peak of the current Covid-19 wave in the next few days, Reuters reports.

Almost 400 people in France who were hospitalised due to a Covid-19 infection died over the past 24 hours, official data showed on Monday, the highest figure since April.