Covid-19 pandemic: live updates and news for April 3, 2021

Photographer: Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty Images

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The UK confirmed that seven people had done so died of blood clots after receiving the vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc. More than 18 million doses have been administered in the country and the regulator insists the shot is safe.

Worldwide there were more than 130 million cases of coronavirus. Weekly US infections hit their highest point since late February, even with vaccinations at record levels. India reported the most new cases since the peak of the September outbreak.

The Philippines extended a lockdown in Manila and nearby provinces for at least a week as active coronavirus cases reached their highest in Southeast Asia. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez tested positive after preliminary antigen screening for his fever.

Main Developments:

Subscribe to one daily update on the virus by Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for general data on cases and deaths.

Vermont Cases Surge (11:56 am NY)

Vermont’s new infections are reaching the peak of the pandemic, despite administering vaccines at a rate above the national average. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection, there have been more than 200 new cases on three days since Friday, and the number of infections per capita has risen to one of the highest in the country in the past week over the past week.

“The seven-day average for the number of cases is, in fact, a record high for the pandemic,” Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, told the Burlington Free Press Friday during a virus press briefing. reported. Almost 35% of the population has, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

UK says Astra shot safe despite blood clot deaths (9:17 am NY)

The UK confirmed seven people had died of rare blood clots after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc. Medicines and healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Saturday that of the 30 cases of clotting and low platelets diagnosed in people in the UK who received the injection through March 24, seven had died. More than 18 million doses have been administered in the country and the regulator insists the shot is safe.

Australia is also investigating a case of clotting. The country said on Saturday that it was working with regulators in the UK and the European Union after diagnosing a case of blood clotting in someone who had received the AstraZeneca injection on April 2.

US Adds Nearly 68,000 New Cases (8 p.m. NY)

The US added nearly 68,000 new cases Friday as weekly infections hit their highest point since late February, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Upward trend continues even as US vaccines at record levels, with 4 million shots Friday, Bloomberg data Vaccine Tracker show.

A further 949 deaths were reported Friday, after two days in excess of 1,000. The number of fatalities per week is at its lowest point since late October, ahead of the national rise in deaths, infections and hospital admissions around the holidays.

Manila Lockdown Extended (7:52 am NY)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a proposal extension of a lockdown in the capital Manila and nearby provinces for at least a week as the country’s active coronavirus cases reached the highest in Southeast Asia.

The national capital and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal will remain under improved community quarantine from April 5-11, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Saturday. The country’s strictest movement restriction was originally intended to be in effect for only a week until April 4.

British Young Adults Could Get J&J Shot (7:17 am NY)

Young adults in the UK could get a new one-time vaccine Covid-19 from Johnson & Johnson in a ‘jab and go’ offer by July. Telegraph reported, citing government officials. The Janssen jab is probably an attractive offer for young millennials, just in time for the summer holidays. The UK has ordered about 30 million doses of the Janssen shot, which is made using the same method as the AstraZeneca vaccine, the paper said.

UK Bars Kenya Visitors (6 hours NY)

The UK announced that visitors who have been in or traveled through Kenya in the last 10 days will not be able to enter the country from April 9 at 4am. British and Irish and third-country nationals with UK residency rights arriving in England from Kenya will have to be quarantined in a hotel, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a statement. statement on its website. According to the agency, different rules apply for arrivals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Vaccinated Britons face fewer curbs (17:27 HK)

Vaccinated Britons will face fewer Covid tests and could avoid some quarantine measures under UK government plans to ease restrictions abroad summer vacation, according to the Daily Telegraph.

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will draft a plan to enable travel and is expected to unveil a traffic light system where countries are rated as red, yellow or green based on their risk based on vaccination levels, Covid rates and the prevalence of new variants , the newspaper said. All travelers returning to the UK will require Covid testing before departure, regardless of their vaccination status.

Poland’s Cases Slow (4:56 PM HK)

According to data from the Ministry of Health, Poland has reported 28,073 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. That compares to 31,757 new cases a week earlier and a record of 35,251 on April 1. The death toll rose from 448 a week ago to 571, and a record high of 674 on Nov. 25.

UK Official Slams Astra ‘Bickering’ (16:47 HK)

“Bickering” and disputes over vaccine stocks and potential side effects of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine “should stop” because it “just puts the uncertainty in people’s minds,” said Kate Bingham, who led and launched the UK Vaccine Task Force, in a statement. Interview with the Financial Times.

Bingham said that AstraZeneca, whose vaccine safety is questioned in a number of countries, are ‘heroes’ for picking up an experimental vaccine invented at the University of Oxford and figuring out how to test, manufacture and produce it at low cost around the world distributed. The company has signed more deals to supply low-income countries than any other pharmaceutical rival, and has “become entangled in geopolitics,” Bingham told the FT.

Bangladesh gets locked (4:01 pm HK)

The Bangladesh government has enacted one A seven-day lockdown from Monday as coronavirus cases and deaths soar across the country, Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said at a news conference in Dhaka on Saturday.

IMF Approves Kenya Funding (2:45 PM HK)

The International Monetary Fund approved a $ 2.34 billion financing package for Kenya to support the country’s response to Covid-19 and to address an urgent need to reduce debt vulnerability. Kenya was initially hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the IMF said.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kenya stands at 136,893, with 2,186 fatalities on April 2, according to the Ministry of Health.

Separately, Kenya has ordered an immediate suspension of private imports of vaccines over fears that this could lead to the entry of counterfeit vaccines. AP reported.

Argentinian leader tests positive (12:55 pm HK)

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said he tested positive for Covid-19 after preliminary antigen testing for his fever.

Fernandez said in a tweet that he is currently isolated pending the results of a polymerase chain reaction test, which is more definitive. The Argentinian leader took a first dose of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine at a public hospital in Buenos Aires province in January.

India Cases Spike (12:46 pm HK)

India reported 89,129 new cases, the highest daily figure in more than six months, as the country sees a resurgence that threatens to be more severe than when infections peaked in September.

Cases have more than quadrupled in the past month, after India appeared to quell the outbreak earlier this year. The country has the third most cases worldwide, although daily infections are now at levels comparable to Brazil, the second worst country.

Maharashtra state, home to Mumbai, India’s financial hub, may be about to shut down again, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday. With more than 50% of the state’s hospital beds occupied, systems can be overwhelmed within 15 to 20 days, he said. Some curbs will be announced in the coming days, Thackeray said.

Brazil reports 70,238 cases, 2,922 deaths (10:11 am HK)

Brazil, one of the worst Covid-19 hotspots in the world, reported 70,238 cases in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Ministry of Health. The country’s death toll is up 2,922. President Jair Bolsonaro promised in a tweet that the government would make nearly 3,000 more doctors available to combat the outbreak.

China Cluster is growing; Korea Fallen over 500 (9:49 AM HK)

China’s largest cluster since mid-February has continued to expand into a border town in southwestern Yunnan province. The county reported seven new infections and five new asymptomatic cases on Friday, according to the National Health Commission.

All Yunnan cases were found in the city of Ruili, which is close to the Myanmar border, after city-wide testing, the provincial government said on its Weibo account on Saturday. Earlier this week, Ruili said it would test all of the locals. On Friday, Yunnan had 26 fallen.

South Korea reported 543 cases on Saturday. It is the fourth consecutive day that there have been more than 500 infections – the longest streak since mid-January.

– Assisted by Ian Fisher, Emma Dong, Jeff Sutherland, Dorota Bartyzel, Arun Devnath, Deirdre Hipwell, Eric Ombok, Deana Kjuka, Ditas B Lopez and Andreo Calonzo