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Tue 16 Mar 2021 20.13 EDTFirst published on Mon 15 Mar 2021 19.59 EDT
A man waits in a vaccination center where a sign reads “No AstraZeneca vaccinations today” in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, southwestern France.
A man waits in a vaccination center where a sign reads “No AstraZeneca vaccinations today” in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, southwestern France. Photograph: Bob Edme/AP
A man waits in a vaccination center where a sign reads “No AstraZeneca vaccinations today” in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, southwestern France. Photograph: Bob Edme/AP

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Key events
Jedidajah Otte
Jedidajah Otte

Hello, I’m Jedidajah Otte and I’ll be taking over for the next few hours.

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it has modified an existing deal with the US to supply up to half a million additional doses of its experimental antibody-based Covid-19 treatment, bringing the total value of the deal to $726 million, Reuters reports.

If you would like to get in touch with updates or comments, you can contact me on Twitter @JedySays or via email.

Summary

I will be handing over to my colleagues in the UK shortly, but here’s a summary of the day’s news so far:

  • World Health Organization vaccine safety experts will meet on Tuesday to discuss the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine after a number of countries temporarily suspended it over blood clot fears. The WHO, AstraZeneca, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have all insisted the shot is safe, and that there is no link between the vaccine and reported blood clots.
  • The three largest EU nations – Germany, Italy and France – joined others in suspending the shot Monday, dealing a blow to the global immunisation campaign against a disease that has killed more than 2.6 million people. Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Latvia, Indonesia and Venezuela have also temporarily suspended the jab.
  • Australia has said it will continue to use the vaccine. The country’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, said in an emailed statement the government remained confident in the vaccine as there was no evidence that it caused blood clots though the side-effects reported would be investigated as a “precautionary measure”.
  • Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, on Monday urged citizens to get the AstraZeneca shot after reports of hesitancy based on the suspensions in Europe.
  • Thailand’s prime minister received a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday, as much of Asia shrugged off concerns about reports of blood clots in some recipients in Europe, saying that so far there is no evidence to link the two. “There are people who have concerns,” Thai prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, said after he received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. “But we must believe doctors, believe in our medical professionals.”
  • The UK’s cancer death rate could rise for the first time in decades if urgent action to address problems stemming from the pandemic is not taken, cancer charities have warned. “We are calling on the government to invest more money in ensuring the backlog of cancer cases is reduced and eliminated,” said Michelle Mitchell, the head of Cancer Research UK.
  • India reported 24,492 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the sixth straight day of more than 20,000 infections, as curbs to try to stop the spread were expanded in parts of the country that have recorded a surge, including Maharashtra and Gujarat.
  • China has reported 13 new Covid cases on 15 March, up from five cases a day earlier, the national health authority said on Tuesday.
  • The Norwegian capital, Oslo, has on Monday closed secondary schools and restricted the number of visitors to homes to two, as Covid case numbers rise. Schools for younger children in the worst-hit districts will also close and kindergartens will be closed during the Easter holidays except for children of essential workers.
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Thailand's PM gets AstraZeneca vaccine

Thailand’s prime minister received a shot of the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca on Tuesday, as much of Asia shrugged off concerns about reports of blood clots in some recipients in Europe, saying that so far there is no evidence to link the two.

AstraZeneca has developed a manufacturing base in Asia, and the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, has been contracted by the company to produce a billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, the Associated Press reports.

Hundreds of millions more are to be manufactured this year in Australia, Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

“There are people who have concerns,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said after he received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. “But we must believe doctors, believe in our medical professionals.”

Thailand last week was the first country outside Europe to temporarily suspend using the AstraZeneca vaccine. Indonesia followed on Monday, saying it was waiting for a full report from the World Health Organization regarding possible side effects.

But Thailand’s health authorities decided to go ahead with AstraZeneca, with Prayuth and members of his Cabinet receiving the first shots.

UK cancer charities warn death rate could rise because of backlog during pandemic

The UK’s cancer death rate could rise for the first time in decades if urgent action to address problems stemming from the pandemic is not taken, cancer charities have warned.

One Cancer Voice, a group of 47 British cancer charities, has told BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat more money and staff are desperately needed to reduce a growing backlog of cancer cases.

It has also asked for the NHS to be given greater access to private facilities.

Michelle Mitchell, the head of Cancer Research UK – which leads One Cancer Voice – told Newsbeat: “We are calling on the government to invest more money in ensuring the backlog of cancer cases is reduced and eliminated.

“We could face, in this country today, the prospect of cancer survival reducing for the first time in decades. That’s why urgent action is required by the government.”

Recent figures from NHS England show 171,231 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in January – an 11% drop on the 191,852 in the same month the year before.

Two new studies cited by the World Health Organization have found that thousands of neonatal healthcare workers are not allowing mothers with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections to have skin-to-skin contact with their newborns, and nearly a quarter of those surveyed are not allowing breastfeeding.

Yet keeping mothers and babies together and encouraging all babies to have so-called “kangaroo mother care” which involves early and very close contact between a mother and a newborn – could save more than 125,000 lives, according to a study published in the Lancet Eclinical Medicine journal.

The WHO says mothers should continue to share a room with their babies from birth and be able to breastfeed and have skin-to-skin contact even when COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed.

India records 6th day with more than 20,000 cases

India reported 24,492 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the sixth straight day of more than 20,000 infections, as curbs to try to stop the spread were expanded in parts of the country that have recorded a surge.

The government has blamed crowding and a general reluctance to wear masks for the spike, ruling out mutations of the virus as a factor.

India’s worst-affected state, Maharashtra, on Monday ordered cinemas, hotels and restaurants to limit guests to half of capacity until the end of the month. Weddings and other social events will also have limited attendance.

Another western state, Gujarat, has also decided to not allow fans into the world’s biggest cricket stadium hosting international matches between India and England, after seeing a spurt in cases.

A woman is tested for coronavirus in Delhi. Photograph: Mayank Makhija/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

The United States on Tuesday accused Chinese state media of publishing “disinformation” about its diplomats in Hong Kong as it denied its staff invoked immunity to avoid isolating after positive coronavirus tests.

AFP reports that Washington temporarily closed its consulate on Monday to conduct deep cleaning and contact tracing after two employees were infected with the virus.

The consulate – and Hong Kong health authorities – have said the pair were headed to a hospital isolation ward as required by the city’s anti-coronavirus rules.

But state media outlets and a leading pro-Beijing trade union have accused the employees of invoking diplomatic immunity, which US officials rejected.

“The disinformation from PRC state media about these two cases not complying with quarantine is false,” a State Department spokesperson told AFP.

“We reject these efforts to spread disinformation about a critical public health issue.”

The reports of diplomatic immunity first ran on Monday in Dot Dot News, an online news outlet in Hong Kong.

It is part of an opaquely owned media group that answers to Beijing’s Liaison Office.

Following the reports, China’s state-run Global Times tabloid repeated the diplomatic immunity accusation and accused US officials of “arrogant outlaw behaviour”.

On Tuesday morning Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader said the two infected consulate workers were already in hospital and that US officials were complying with regulations.

“I’m happy to notice that the US consulate also issued a press release yesterday saying that they will follow our advice and support our work,” chief executive Carrie Lam told reporters.

Nonetheless Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing labour group - the Federation of Trade Unions - went ahead with a small protest outside the US consulate shortly after Lam finished speaking.

Four members of the union held up banners with slogans that included “No privilege, no exceptions” and “Strong condemnation of virus-spreading behaviour in spite of social morality”.

Public gatherings of more than four people are currently banned in Hong Kong because of the coronavirus.

Hong Kong has kept infections low thanks to some of the strictest quarantine measures in the world, recording some 11,000 infections and 200 deaths since the pandemic began.

Relations between the US and China have plunged in recent years, partly because of Beijing’s crackdown against dissent in Hong Kong following huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Helen Davidson
Helen Davidson

Professor Ben Cowling, of Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health, has posted an interesting string of tweets on the differences between some vaccines and how using one or both in a particular country could affect future quarantine arrangements and mutual travel arrangements.

Cowling is specifically talking about Hong Kong, which is administering either the Chinese-made Sinovac or the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine to its population, but says it’s relevant for anywhere using these vaccines.

The short version of his assessment: “I think vaccinated persons should still be isolated if testing positive, while quarantine duration could be reduced or even converted to medical surveillance for some fully vaccinated persons.”

You can read more below:

“Recovery [from Covid] could be quicker for vaccinated persons, but I think there is no reason that vaccinated-but-still-infected persons should be exempt from isolation. They may still be infectious, and they are in the best place if medical attention is needed.

If a close contact has been fully vaccinated, their risk of infection after exposure drops substantially, and there would not be as much effect on transmission of placing fully-vaccinated-close-contacts in quarantine. Particularly if they received the BioNTech vaccine.

We know the Sinovac vaccine is very good at reducing the risk of severe illness or death if a breakthrough infection occurs, but it only has a moderate effectiveness of around 50% against mild infection, and mild infections can be contagious.

It is not too surprising that mainland China has not yet announced a shorter quarantine duration for arriving travellers who have received mainland-produced vaccines like Sinovac, perhaps because it would be too much of a risk?

The BioNTech vaccine is much more effective, likely more than 90% effective against mild infections, meaning a close contact who was fully vaccinated with BioNTech might have on average less than a 0.5% chance of being infected rather than a 5% chance.

Perhaps close contacts who have received BioNTech could be placed under medical surveillance, and required to be tested multiple times during the 14 days since exposure, but could avoid being sent to a quarantine camp.”

Japan warns over daytime karaoke venues

A rash of Japanese coronavirus clusters linked to daytime karaoke sessions by the elderly, including several linked to 93 cases in one prefecture, prompted a stern warning on Tuesday and calls for caution from authorities.

Reuters reports that the recent clusters, which are spread across the country, come as the Tokyo metropolitan area is nearing the planned end of a state of emergency aimed at curbing the latest wave of coronavirus cases. The Olympics are set to begin in Tokyo in just over four months.

At least 215 people have recently tested positive in cases linked to daytime karaoke sessions, a pursuit especially popular with the retired and elderly, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Tuesday.

Ninety-three were in Saga prefecture in southwestern Japan, with ages ranging from the 50s to the 80s, but clusters were also found in Saitama and Chiba prefectures, still under a state of emergency set to end on 21 March.

Many of Japan’s karaoke establishments feature small rooms lined with sofas in which groups can sing, eat and talk in privacy for hours.

“We realize that under normal circumstances, karaoke is almost a salon for older people to talk and enjoy themselves, but in the current situation of absolutely trying to prevent infection, these (venues) are rather confined,” Nishimura said.

“In my election district there are many places like this -– narrow rooms where people are packed in and singing. They have to take thorough steps including putting up acrylic panels, good ventilation and disinfecting the microphones.”

He also called on those in areas still under the state of emergency to refrain from unnecessary trips out of their homes.

Roughly 448,400 people have tested positive in Japan and about 9,000 have died since the pandemic began.

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Australia continues to use AstraZeneca vaccine

Australia has no plans to halt the use of the AstraZeneca. The country’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, said in a statement: “While the European Medicines Agency is investigating these events, it has reinforced its view that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is successful in protecting against Covid-19 and should continue to be used in the rollout.”

Kelly said the government remained confident in the vaccine as there was currently no evidence that it caused blood clots though the side-effects reported would be investigated as a “precautionary measure”.

The United Kingdom and Poland are also continuing to use the vaccine.

AstraZeneca said on Sunday a review of more than 17 million people inoculated with its vaccine in the European Union and the UK showed no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

The majority of Australia’s 25 million people will be administered the AstraZeneca vaccine and authorities have secured nearly 54m doses, with 50m to be produced locally from the end of March.

Australia began its nationwide immunisation drive last month, much later than many other countries, and began first vaccinations using the AstraZeneca vaccine last week.

New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, reported no Covid-19 cases on Tuesday after recording its first local case in nearly two months a day earlier. Queensland, which reported a new case on Saturday, reported zero infections for the third straight day.

Australia has reported over 29,100 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began.

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