What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Rush for COVID vaccines in France Hundreds of thousands of people in France rushed to set up appointments to get vaccinated against the coronavirus after the president warned that the unvaccinated would face restrictions aimed at curbing the quick spread of the Delta variant.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Rush for COVID vaccines in France

Hundreds of thousands of people in France rushed to set up appointments to get vaccinated against the coronavirus after the president warned that the unvaccinated would face restrictions aimed at curbing the quick spread of the Delta variant. Unveiling sweeping measures to combat a surge in infections, Emmanuel Macron said on Monday night that vaccination would not be compulsory for the general public for now but stressed that restrictions would focus on those who are not vaccinated.

The president said health workers had to get vaccinated by Sept. 15 or face consequences. Germany wary on re-opening

German officials said on Tuesday coronavirus measures should be maintained until more of the population has been vaccinated, and one called England's plan to lift most restrictions despite the spread of the Delta variant "a highly risky experiment". England will become from July 19 the first part of the United Kingdom to lift the legal requirement to wear masks and for people to socially distance themselves.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said restrictions were still necessary to avoid a further lockdown of the economy. South Korea vaccine rollout grinds to halt

South Korea's rollout of vaccinations to people aged 55-59 has stuttered to a week-long halt after a spike in new cases sparked a rush for shots, booking up available supplies and crashing the official government reservation website. The halt in vaccination appointments for people in the upper 50s age bracket came late on Monday, the first day that inoculation bookings were opened to under-60s. Daily infections came in at 1,150, a seventh straight day of more than 1,000 cases - the country's worst outbreak so far.

While South Korea is ahead of its schedule in vaccination target, the pace has slowed sharply in recent weeks to around 30,000 doses a day from a peak of 850,000 earlier, as it finalises shipment schedules to begin Moderna inoculations for people in their 50s. Sydney's COVID-19 cases ease

Australian authorities reported a slight slowdown in new COVID-19 cases in Sydney on Tuesday, but may still extend a lockdown in the country's largest city to douse an outbreak of the Delta variant. New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the harbor city's more than 5 million residents not to become complacent as she reported 89 new locally transmitted cases, down from Monday's record high for the year of 112 infections.

"One day is not a trend, the numbers will keep bouncing around," Berejiklian said in a televised news conference. U.S. puts a new warning on J&J vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday added a warning to the fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine saying that data suggests there is an increased risk of a rare neurological disorder in the six weeks after inoculation. In a letter to the company, the FDA classified the chances of getting Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after vaccination as being "very low." Still, it said J&J vaccine recipients should seek medical attention if they have symptoms including weakness or tingling sensations, difficulty walking, or difficulty with facial movements.

Around 12.8 million people have received J&J's one-dose vaccine in the United States. The FDA said 100 preliminary reports of GBS in the vaccine recipients include 95 serious cases that required hospitalization and one reported death.