Last Sunday, Japanese Health Ministry informed that a new strain of coronavirus was detected in four people who came to Tokyo from Brazil.

The European Commission today proposed to the EU Member States to purchase an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by BioNTech and Pfizer, with the option to acquire another 100 million doses.

The main factors that can negatively affect the brain's performance include lack of sleep, brain hypoxia, smog, stress and noise, unhealthy diet, and a lack of mental training. Factors adversely affecting the brain can cause malaise, worsen memory and can also lead to a stroke.

Despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic and quarantine, Kaunas ended 2020 with a solid workload. Many of them have started or accelerated on an even larger scale this year. Kaunas City Mayor Mr. Visvaldas Matijošaitis says that the gained momentum cannot decrease even in this difficult period, but today it is especially important to notice and evaluate the efforts and initiatives of Kaunas residents, taking care of each other in order to stay safe and healthy.

Today, the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID‑19 vaccine developed by Moderna, the second COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU. This authorisation follows a positive scientific recommendation based on a thorough assessment of the safety, effectiveness and quality of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is endorsed by the Member States.

On 2 December, the Government has decided to issue Lithuanian national visas free of charge to regime-persecuted Belarusians. The proposal was brought forward by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following 3rd January extraordinary meeting of the Government Emergency Commission chaired by Minister of the Interior Agnė Bilotaitė, the Government has approved the Commission’s proposal concerning restrictions on the movement of persons between municipalities until 31 January 2021.

In 2020, the Year of the Vilna Gaon and of the History of the Jews of Lithuania, the City of Vilnius announced an open international tender for a monument to Lithuanian rescuers of Jews during the Nazi occupation, which rendered 14 architectural-sculptural ideas.

Dear fellow citizens,

The end of one year and the beginning of another makes us reflect on the past and take a look at the future. For the future is where our hopes and plans lie. I believe that in the coming 2021 we will take a big step forward in creating a greener, more innovative and more united Lithuania. I am convinced that in 2021 we will be more optimistic rather than pessimistic about the pandemic.

Vilnius continues to grow and remains one of the fastest growing capitals in the Baltic States: in 2020, 10,000 new residents of Vilnius declared their place of residence in the capital. During the previous years, the capital acquired 8,000 new declared residents for several years in a row.