People wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus walk in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district on March 14, 2021. The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 239 new cases of the virus the same day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, March 16

• Thailand resumed its rollout of AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, which had been suspended since Friday following reports of blood clots among people who had received the vaccine in European countries, according to the Thai public health ministry.
  
  
• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga received his first dose of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine at a Tokyo hospital on Tuesday, getting the shot in front of cameras to reassure the Japanese public about its safety.
  
  
• France, Germany and Italy said Monday they have decided to suspend the use of a coronavirus vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc as a precautionary measure following reports of blood clots among those who received the shots in Norway.
  
  
• The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee will likely consider the option of conducting coronavirus tests on participating athletes every day, instead of every four days as currently planned, in the wake of new virus variants spreading, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.

As of 11 p.m., Monday, March 15

• A Japanese biotechnology startup said Monday it has developed jointly with a university in Okinawa a new method to detect novel coronavirus infection as fast as in two minutes.
  
  
• The Japanese government could decide Thursday whether to stick to its plan to end the COVID-19 state of emergency covering the Tokyo metropolitan area this weekend or to further extend the measure, officials said Monday.
  
  
• The Tokyo Games organizing committee said Monday the Olympic torch relay's opening ceremony on March 25 will be held without spectators in the northeastern Fukushima Prefecture to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
  
  
• Major Japanese travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Monday its sales plunged 80.5 percent to 38.86 billion yen ($356 million) in the November-January quarter from a year earlier due to a sharp decrease in travel demand caused by the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic.
  
  
• Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will receive his first shot of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday as part of preparations to visit the United States next month, a government official said.
  
  
• Japan may consider issuing certificates to those who have been inoculated against the novel coronavirus if pressed by calls overseas for systems to ensure safe cross-border travel, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Monday.