Amid the rise in Covid-19 cases worldwide, Paris is all set to enter another four-week lockdown from Friday midnight. Read further to learn about the latest development in covid-19 related news around the world.
- French Prime Minister Jean Castex declared a limited month-long lockdown for Paris, its surrounding area, along with 15 other French departments to curb the rising number of Covid-19 incidents. However, the lockdown will be less strict than the past as only non-essential shops must remain close and people will not be allowed to travel out of their home area without an “imperative reason”.
- Castex said France would resume vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency confirmed its safety. For now, the lockdowns will start from Friday at midnight in France’s 16 hardest-hit departments. Although, schools will stay open and people will be allowed to exercise outdoors within a 10km radius of their homes. The French prime minister is expected to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.
- The British prime minister Boris Johnson is also receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday. In Downing Street press conference, the prime minister repeatedly stated the safety of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which was reaffirmed by regulators in the EU and UK on Thursday. In his speech he encouraged the public to continue taking the vaccine to ensure that corona cases continue to decline, so that he would stick to his new schedule for easing the lockout in England.
- After the European Medicines Agency (EMA) declared the AstraZeneca “safe and reliable,” a number of nations, including Germany, Italy and France, revoked their decision to briefly halt its use due to blood clot concerns. Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands will resume vaccination next week. Norway and Sweden will wait before reusing the vaccine.
- On Thursday, India announced 39,726 new coronavirus cases, the highest one-day number since November 28, when over 41,000 cases were confirmed. The worst-affected districts, including Maharashtra, have enacted new measures to halt the disease’s spread.
- Biden stated that the United States would reach its target of 100 million vaccinations on Friday. As the US hit the target weeks ahead of schedule, the White House reported on Thursday that they are now in a position to supply millions of vaccine shots to Canada and Mexico.
- Cuba’s drug regulatory authority approved a second Covid-19 vaccine candidate for late-stage clinical trials on Thursday. The country was trying hard to generate a domestic vaccine to put an end to the worst outbreak since the pandemic began and to export abroad.
- The replacement of the health minister of Brazil will take effect on Friday, said Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro. The announcement came after the country had its second-worst day of deaths caused by Covid-19. Last week around 2000 people died in Brazil due to Covid-19 in a single day.
- China reported 11 new Covid19 cases on 18 March. The National Health Commission said, one of the cases was a locally transmitted infection in Shaanxi province marking it as China’s first local Covid-19 case since 14 February. The other 10 cases were infection that originated from overseas.
- Philippines Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that they have approved Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.
