The United Kingdom has administered over 23.6 million Covid-19 vaccine doses so far, while more than 5 million people in France have received at least the first dose of the vaccine.
Equities on major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mostly in the red on Monday amid increasing concerns surrounding AstraZeneca's vaccine against the coronavirus.
Major stock markets on Wall Street traded with gains ahead of Monday's session on cautious optimism related to the recently approved $1.9 trillion stimulus package.
The DAX stood flat at the opening bell. The FTSE 100 in London gained 0.19 percent, while the CAC 40 in Paris ticked 0.44 percent higher. The euro slid 0.34 percent to trade for $1.19196, and the pound declined by 0.08 percent to $1.39180.
The Nikkei 225 closed 0.17 percent higher, the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.09 percent at the closing bell, while the Kospi ended the session losing 0.20 percent. The Hang Seng declined 0.09 percent, while the Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Composite dipped 1.40 percent and 3.19 percent, respectively.
The Dow Jones jumped 0.31 percent or 101 points, while the S&P 500 rose 0.16 percent. At the same time, the Nasdaq 100 stood slightly in the green. The euro lost 0.23 percent against the dollar to trade for 1.19332 a minute later.