Even after one year of its discovery in late 2019 in China, Covid-19 is still going on strong and affecting the lives of millions of people worldwide. Here is the latest update on Covid-19:
- Some European countries have either suspended the vaccination or banned the use of a particular batch of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, following the development of blood clots in some people who received the vaccine.
- Denmark, Norway, and Iceland temporarily halted all AstraZeneca vaccinations to investigate the blood clot cases. Italy, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Lithuania banned vaccinations with one particular batch of 1m doses that was sent to 17 countries.
- Thailand has also delayed its rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday as it was scheduled to start the vaccination today. While Australia said it would continue using the vaccine as the prime minister, Scott Morrison said they did not believe there was a need to change Australia’s classification of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
- However, Britain defended the vaccine as it would continue its rollout. Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson told reporters that, they are assured about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness and asked people to take it confidently.
- The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that, the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine should be used as “The vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks”. So far only 30 cases of “thromboembolic events” or blood clots had been reported among 5 million vaccinated people in Europe.
- For the first time, more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths have been reported in a single day in Brazil on Thursday. A more infectious variant of covid has spread throughout the country and some hospitals have hit a breaking point.
- Brazil has the world’s second-highest number of COVID-deaths (over 270,000), but only 5% of the population has received vaccinations. It also recorded 78,300 new cases on Thursday.
- Meanwhile, Wales is all set to ease Covid lockdown restrictions from Saturday. The country’s first minister, Mark Drakeford, is expected to change the restrictions from “stay home” to more lenient “stay local”. Wales will unlock each sector gradually, starting with schools, by monitoring how each change impacts public health.
- President Joe Biden delivered a primetime speech to the nation marking the one-year anniversary of the pandemic in the United States. Biden announced that his administration would press states and local governments to make the vaccine available to all adults by May 1st. Biden also officially signed his $1.9 trillion stimulus package earlier today.
- Italy is expected to announce the closure of schools, restaurants, and shops across the country later today as a new wave of coronavirus infections hits the country.
