Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus The head of the World Health Organization-led team in Wuhan that is investigating the origins of COVID-19 said that cold chain transmission of the virus was a possibility and warranted further investigation. Reuters Staff U.S.

* Germany is planning to spend nearly 9 billion euros this year to buy up to 635.1 million COVID-19 vaccines as part of the European Union’s procurement scheme and national deals.

Vaccines Could Blunt U.K. Epidemic in Weeks

LONDON — Britain is on a pace to give the first shot of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine to its entire population by the end of June, if it can avoid supply and logistical issues that threaten to slow one of the world’s fastest rollouts.

The most vulnerable will get their first doses much sooner — likely over the next two weeks — which could drastically reduce deaths. People over 70, nursing home residents and workers, health and social workers, and those whose health problems make them extremely vulnerable are all on schedule to receive their first vaccine shots before Feb. 15. Together these groups have accounted for 88 percent of all Covid-19 deaths.

The timeline shows the promise of vaccination as a path out of the deadliest stage of the pandemic in the countries that are moving quickly. ...