China launches ‘virus passport’

China has launched a system of so-called "virus passports" to kickstart international travel, as Russia sealed its first deal on Tuesday to manufacture the Sputnik V jab in the European Union. 

Other nations like Brazil and Mexico are still struggling to get the pandemic under control, although there was a glimmer of hope from the OECD as it raised global economic growth forecasts for this year.

Chinese citizens can download the new certificates and use them to enter and leave the country, with the foreign ministry saying the system was intended "to help promote world economic recovery and facilitate cross-border travel".

It is being hailed as the world's first virus passport -- with similar schemes under discussion in the United States and the EU.

However, the Chinese scheme is not mandatory and, as it is only available for Chinese citizens, it is not yet clear how it could work internationally.

China is one of many countries struggling to get vaccinations up to a level that would allow a return to normal life, with just 3.65 percent of its population covered so far.

The EU's slow rollout has been widely criticised but officials have promised that more than 100 million jabs will enter the bloc each month from April.

The EU was given a further potential boost, with an announcement that the Sputnik V jab would be produced in Italy.

"Ten million doses will be produced between July 1 and January 1, 2022," Stefano Maggi of the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce told AFP.