|
 Nearly a dozen countries resume AstraZeneca shots
Almost a dozen countries resumed use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shots
on Friday as EU and British regulators said the benefits outweighed
any risks after reports of rare instances of blood clotting that
temporarily halted inoculations.
The end of suspensions will kick off a test of public confidence,
both in the shot and in drug regulators whose conclusions are under
unprecedented scrutiny, as virus variants spread and the global
death toll, now at nearly 2.7 million, rises.
Indonesia joined Germany, France and others in re-administering the
shots after they suspended vaccinations on reports of around 30
cases of rare brain blood clots, after millions of injections, that
sent scientists and governments scrambling to determine if there was
a link.
Paris goes into lockdown
France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north
after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious
coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift
course.
Since late January, when he defied the calls of scientists and some
in his government to lock the country down, Macron has said he would
do whatever it takes to keep the euro zone's second-largest economy
as open as possible.
However, this week he ran out of options just as France and other
European countries briefly suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Lockdown extension looms in Germany
German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Friday dampened hopes that
further restrictions will be lifted soon, saying rising infections
could mean that curbs to slow the spread of the virus may have to be
re-imposed.
"The rising case numbers may mean that we cannot take further
opening steps in the weeks to come. On the contrary, we may even
have to take steps backwards," Spahn told a weekly news conference.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet with leaders of Germany's 16
federal states on Monday to discuss whether to extend a lockdown
that has been in place since mid-December.
[to top of second column] |
 Philippines posts record daily
cases
The Philippines recorded 7,103 new cases on
Friday, a record daily increase in infections,
as authorities tightened curbs in the capital
and approved Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for
emergency use. A new wave of
cases in the Philippines, which has the second highest number of
infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, is threatening hopes of a
strong economic rebound after a record contraction last year and the
loss of millions of jobs.
The health ministry said there were now 648,066 confirmed cases and
12,900 deaths.
U.S. to share vaccine with Mexico and Canada
The United States plans to send roughly 4 million doses of
AstraZeneca's vaccine to Mexico and Canada in loan deals with the
two countries, yielding to requests to share shots with allies.
Mexico will receive 2.5 million doses of the vaccine and Canada is
to receive 1.5 million doses, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki
said.
"It is not fully finalised yet but it is our aim," Psaki told a
daily briefing. "Ensuring our neighbours can contain the virus is
... mission critical to ending the pandemic."
Brazil struggles with lack of ICU doctors
As Brazil's coronavirus outbreak spirals out of control, the country
is facing a dangerous new shortage, threatening to drive fatalities
even higher: a lack of staff in intensive care units.
Some medical professionals are burned out after months of gruelling
work. Others are simply unable to keep up with the endless flow of
critical patients pushing the country's healthcare system to the
brink.
"Intensive care doctors are a commodity in short supply," César
Eduardo Fernandes, the president of the Brazilian Medical
Association, told Reuters. "There's no way to meet this brutal,
catastrophic demand."
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
