March 19 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the
coronavirus right now:
Nearly a dozen countries resume AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) 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. 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.
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."