April 8 coronavirus news

As colleges and universities nationwide make plans to welcome back students in the fall, a growing number have announced they will require all students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning to campus. So far, at least eight colleges have said the vaccine will be required, and that number is expected to grow.

Two universities, St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and Nova Southeastern University in Broward, Florida, are going a step further, requiring students and all campus employees to be vaccinated, saying they have a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for students, faculty, and staff.

“With the extra protection of widespread vaccination, the NSU community will be able to resume more activities and operations sooner, leading to a more engaged educational and professional experience,” said Nova Southeastern University’s announcement on April 1.

Since the announcement, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order saying that vaccines are available but not mandated, and prohibited any government entity or business from requiring a vaccine passport.

On Thursday, NSU posted an update that it is now reviewing the executive order and how it relates to its vaccine requirements.

“Additionally, the President’s Office has been hearing from the NSU community in the past few days—some expressing support and others sharing your questions and concerns. All of this is being considered thoughtfully and we will have more details for you by next week,” a statement from the university said.

Universities have been implementing vaccination policies since late March, when Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, became one of the first to say that having all students vaccinated will allow for an “expedited return to pre-pandemic normal,” making more in-person classes possible, as well as more on-campus events that will be allowed.

“This health policy update means that, with limited exceptions, all students planning to attend in the Fall 2021 semester must be fully vaccinated,” a statement from Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said, adding that proof of vaccination will be required.

Rutgers faculty and staff members are also being strongly urged to get vaccinated, but the statement did not say that it was required for them.

Cornell, Brown, Northeastern, and Fort Lewis College in Colorado have made similar announcements, though all will make exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

Cornell anticipates all members of the university community will be vaccinated in the spring or summer. Individuals who are not able to be vaccinated prior to their arrival to campus, “will be expected to be vaccinated as soon after their arrival as possible, and Cornell is investigating ways to facilitate this process,” a statement from the university said.

Cornell has also created an online registration COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination tool, so students and staff can register their vaccination status.

Brown University said in its announcement that it plans to return to a schedule of “mostly in-person operations” when the fall semester begins, and will require the Covid-19 vaccine for any student who will be on campus.

“Our plans to loosen current limitations on in-person activities for Fall 2021 are based on achieving a high level of immunity among students and employees who will be on campus,” said University President Christina Paxson in a statement.

Northeastern is also planning to be fully reopened by the fall for all students to return and for all classes to resume in-person.

“We expect to be back fully in-person at regular occupancy, including fully in-person teaching, and normal occupancy in residence halls and dining facilities,” said Ken Henderson, chancellor and senior vice president for Learning at Northeastern. 

Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, was one of the first schools to shut its campus at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic last March. It will now require students to enter their proof of vaccination through an online portal.

CNN’s Laura Ly, Rebekah Riess and Alta Spells contributed to this report.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced on Thursday starting April 19 the state will open Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to all people age 16 and older regardless of residency.

“We’re going to have a lot of vaccine here,” he said during a news conference. “So, we want to get it out to anyone who might actually be here in the state.”

Currently, there are about 240,000 first dose appointments available to New Hampshire residents between now and Memorial Day, the governor said. 

“There’s still an immense amount of opportunity for folks to come into the system,” he said. “We’ve made sure that obviously New Hampshire residents have first shot at it.”

New Hampshire residents still have about 10 days to make sure they are prioritized before the vaccination eligibility is expanded, Sununu said.

With vaccine availability and eligibility expanding in the US, many are beginning to contemplate what daily life will look like once things normalize — or at least reach a “new normal.”

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta answered your coronavirus questions.

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About a quarter of adults in the United States – more than 66 million people – are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to data published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than a third of the total US population – more than 112 million people – have received at least one dose of vaccine, including more than 43% of adults and nearly 77% of people age 65 or older.

CDC data shows that 174,879,716 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been reported administered – about 76% of the 229,398,685 doses delivered.

That’s more than 3.4 million doses reported administered since yesterday, for a seven-day average of more than 3 million doses per day.

Note: Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported.

Portuguese health authorities are only recommending the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those above 60 years of age.

“The [Portuguese] Directorate General of Health recommends, until further information is available, the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people with more than 60 years,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

“The [vaccination] plan is adjusted to guarantee that every people are vaccinated with the vaccine that guarantees protection and safety, in accordance with the established priority groups, minimizing eventual associated risks.”

With this decision, Portugal becomes the latest European country to restrict use of AstraZeneca following the announcement by the European Medicines Agency yesterday that it had found a “possible link” between the jab and the occurrence of very rare blood clots. 

In its statement, the Portuguese Directorate General of Health goes on to remind people who have already been vaccinated with AstraZeneca that these events are “extremely rare,” while recommending that those vaccinated remain vigilant to the appearance of symptoms within two weeks of vaccination. 

It also calls on people who have only received one dose of the vaccine to await further instructions. 

The number of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine shots allocated to states and other jurisdictions by the federal government is expected to drop 84% next week, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This week, nearly 5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were allocated to states and other jurisdictions, but only about 785,000 are slated for next week.

Allocations of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for next week, however, will remain steady compared to this week. About 4.7 million first doses of Pfizer and 3.5 million first doses of Moderna have been allocated for next week, along with corresponding second doses.

Allocations of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been largely consistent week to week. However, weekly allocations of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have varied widely. 

According to data from the CDC, the first allocation of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – for the week of March 1 – included more than 2.8 million doses. There are no allocations of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine logged for the week of March 8, and allocations dropped to less than 500,000 doses for the two following weeks. Then, for the week of March 29, allocations jumped to nearly 2 million, before more than doubling for this week.

Here are the total allocations for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to states and other jurisdictions each week, according to data from the CDC: 

About 4.5 million people have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, accounting for about 7% of people who are fully vaccinated in the US, according to the latest data from the CDC.

The African Union has announced it is dropping plans to buy additional doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine directly from the Serum Institute of India and will instead focus on securing further vaccines from Johnson & Johnson. 

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC), said the decision was not related to recent safety concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine but “because we work very closely with COVAX,” the vaccine-sharing facility for the world’s poorest countries.

Addressing a virtual news briefing from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia Thursday, Nkengasong explained the pivot to Johnson & Johnson was to ensure, the “Indian Serum Institute was enabled to be able to supply doses to the COVAX mechanism.”  

“It was just a clear understanding of how not to duplicate efforts with the Serum Institute, so that we complement each other rather than duplicate efforts,” he added.

Last week, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) signed an Advance Purchase Agreement with Johnson & Johnson for 220 million doses on behalf of the 55 member states of the African Union (AU).

Nkengasong said he hoped the vaccines would “begin to be available at the beginning of the third quarter.”

The AU will now explore options of securing an additional 180 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, he said.

“Given that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single dose, that means we have the ability – if those vaccines are picked up by countries – to immunize 400 million people on the continent,” he said. 

The AU’s decision comes a day after EU regulator European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that there was a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and “very rare cases of blood clots.”

However Nkengasong said, “this (AstraZeneca) vaccine continues to be safe. We will still recommend that the vaccines be used.” He also reiterated the findings of the EMA saying, “the recommendation still stands that the benefits of receiving the vaccine outweighs the risk of the unusual and rare side effects of the vaccine.”

Nkengasong confirmed that “a total 33.8 million vaccine doses have been acquired by Member States, with approximately 12.9 million doses administered” so far.  

He welcomed the news that “Seychelles and Mauritius have received enough COVID vaccine doses to reach 20% target vaccination benchmark, which was what the COVAX facility promised.”

“I think every little step and progress that we observe in the continent is good progress” and “it’s always good to highlight those success stories,” he added.

As coronavirus cases in Brazil continue to surge at alarming rates and vaccine rollout has been slow at best, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said the adoption of restrictive measures against the virus could help curb its spread. 

“You don’t have to do a lockdown without a date to finish, but if you restrict circulation and ensure that everyone wears a mask, you won’t have people meeting in closed environments like in restaurants and bars, and that reduces the number of cases,” Fauci said in a BBC Brasil interview. 

Fauci’s comments come as Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro continues to oppose lockdowns and restrictive measures, and criticizes governors and mayors with insulting language for implementing them.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro once again told supporters that a national lockdown is out of the question, although the country registered a record 4,195 Covid-19 deaths the previous day. 

“Public health restrictions are crucial to gain control over epidemics,” Fauci said.

“We have seen in many other countries where there have been a large number of cases that, when public health measures were implemented, the number of cases has dropped dramatically,” he continued. “So, this is one of the things that Brazil should seriously think about and consider given the very difficult period that it is going through.”

Why Fauci is making those remarks: The Covid-19 P1 variant, first founded in Brazil, is causing a rise in cases in neighboring countries, including Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, and Argentina. It’s also causing a sharp rise in hospitalizations. Intensive care occupancy rates in most Brazilian states are at or above 80% and some local healthcare systems have already collapsed. 

Fauci said he preferrers not to refer to Brazil as a “global threat,” a term used by foreign and Brazilian media to describe the ongoing crisis in the country, but said “there is no doubt that severe public health measures, including lockdowns, have been very successful.”

“I am not going to make a statement that Brazil is a threat, because that could be taken out of context and would be an unfortunate phrase. What I am saying is that Brazil is in a serious situation that is spreading to other countries in South America, which is unfortunate.” Vaccinations, especially in Brazil, should be conducted “as soon as possible,” he added. 

A man is being held in custody in the Netherlands after plotting to blow up a vaccine center, a spokesperson for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) told CNN on Thursday. 

Police arrested the 37-year-old man on March 18 on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack on the former town hall of Den Helder on the Drs. F. Bijlweg. The building has been in use as a coronavirus vaccination center since March 8.

The police investigation so far has revealed the suspect, from Den Helder in North Holland, intended to cause an explosion with a firework bomb, according to the Public Prosecution Service, which classified the actions as an act of terror.

Speaking to CNN on Thursday, OM said the suspect tried to sabotage a crucial government process, namely the nationally coordinated vaccination program, in an “extremely violent way.” 

“This has also put public health at risk, the fewer people that can be vaccinated, the more victims the virus will make.”
“With his actions, the suspect intended to terrify the population and to disrupt the economic and social structures of the country.” OM said, adding “To sabotage the country’s coordinated vaccination program is a very severe crime.” 

The man has been detained since his arrest and will be remanded in custody for at least 90 days while police gathered more information, the spokesperson said. He will appear later for trial.

An investigation is also being carried out into possible co-suspects.

Correction: A previous version of this post stated the man had been found guilty. A verdict has not yet been made in the case.

The European Union is on track for herd immunity by mid-July, the EU’s vaccine chief Thierry Breton told CNN.

“We now have 53 factories, seven days a week, and I will tell you today, that we will deliver the number of doses which will be necessary to achieve 70% of the population being vaccinated by mid-July.”

He insisted the EU was working extremely hard to make this happen and said it was possible. Once the doses are produced, it is up to each member state to administer the vaccines, Breton said, adding that he was in contact with all EU countries who are “doing the right things” to make sure people will get vaccinated.

Breton said he had confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying it is a “good vaccine,” adding, it’s “extremely important that all of our fellow citizens understand that we are extremely cautious…and when we give it (a vaccine) the green light, we can go.”

Asked whether the EU would use Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, he said approval was in the hands of European medical regulators. But he said even if it was approved, it wouldn’t change the situation in Europe immediately.

“Our citizens believed maybe at the beginning that you order and you get, the following day, the vaccine. No it doesn’t happen like that, you need at least 10 to 12 months to transform the facility to adapt to the vaccine. When it will be approved, you will need maybe another 10 months,” he explained.

Watch Thierry Breton’s full interview on CNN’s First Move with Julia Chatterley here:

Chile’s Institute of Public Health authorized the emergency use of the new CanSino Biologics vaccine on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.

President Sebastián Piñera highlighted the need for the acquisition of 1.8 million single doses from the Chinese-Canadian laboratory CanSino, and said the vaccinations would take place between April and May.   

“If we all give the best of ourselves and act with a united spirit, a willingness to collaborate and a sense of urgency, we can avoid this tragic dilemma,” the President said. 

Chile already uses vaccines from Sinovac, Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca. It has vaccinated 7,111,354 people so far, of which 4,192,320 have received the complete dosage.

There have been 1,043,022 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 23,796 deaths associated with the disease, according to the latest figures by Chilean health authorities. 

France is beginning to see encouraging signs after the latest lockdown measures aimed at curbing the surge in Covid-19 infections, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Thursday during his weekly press conference.  

“We have encouraging signs in the 16 departments where we had imposed restrictive measures,” Attal said. “The measures seem to be working.”

The restrictions — extended to the rest of France since Saturday — allow individuals to go outdoors to walk or exercise, but they cannot go further than 10km from their home or travel between regions without a valid reason. There’s also a nationwide curfew at 7 p.m. CET.  

“The virus still circulates strongly”, Attal said. “There are 400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the country”.
“More than 31,000 patients are currently hospitalized, including 5,746 in ICU units”, he added. “This figure should continue to increase in the coming days.”

The number of hospitalizations is still on the rise. On Wednesday, the number of people in intensive care units (ICU) with Covid-19 in France reached a new 2021 record of 5,729 people, according to official data. 

The last time France had seen a higher number of patients in ICUs was nearly a year ago on April 19, 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic.

According to the Health Ministry, 3,362,472 people have been fully vaccinated in France and 9,797,957 have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. 

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar been released from hospital but will remain in isolation at home following treatment for Covid-19, according to a statement posted on his official Twitter account on Thursday.

In the tweet, Tendulkar wrote: “I have just come home from the hospital and will remain isolated while continuing to rest and recuperate.”

The 47-year-old was admitted to hospital last week after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was previously quarantining at home after experiencing “mild” symptoms.

Tendulkar retired from professional cricket in 2013 but remains the highest run scorer in Test cricket history and the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries.

Belgian Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke sought to reassure the country about the AstraZeneca vaccine, following a decision to temporarily pause administering it to those aged 18 to 55.

“There is no doubt about that it is a good vaccine. It protects against the disease,” he said.  But he cautioned that it does have side effects, “like any vaccine.” 

The decision by Belgium to suspend using AstraZeneca came after a finding by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that there was a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and “very rare cases of blood clots” but that the benefits of the vaccine continue to out weigh the risks.

“There is no doubt that if you have the choice between vaccination with AstraZeneca or no vaccination, you should get vaccinated immediately with AstraZeneca,” Vandenbroucke emphasized during an interview on VRT Radio 1 Wednesday.

Following the advice of Belgium’s Superior Health Council, Vandenbroucke said the country would now, “use AstraZeneca for the somewhat older people and use the other vaccines earlier for the younger people.”

He added that this was only possible, “Because we have the luxury of choosing from a variety of vaccines and we can spread the risk without impacting our vaccination strategy.”

On the data presented by the EMA to a virtual meeting of European Health Ministers Vandenbroucke said, “We found that EMA actually still had homework,” adding he was not the only Minister to have raised this concern.

“We are not so happy that the EMA has not taken the analysis a little further, namely what is the best choice between the different vaccines for the different age groups

Last month Belgium had decided to continue its vaccination campaign for all people aged over 18 with the AstraZeneca vaccine, while other European countries suspended using the vaccine over blood-clotting concerns pending an investigation by the EMA.

Asked why Belgium had continued when others hadn’t, Vandenbroucke said: “If we had then decided not to use the vaccine anymore, we would have had to turn the campaign upside down. Fortunately we did not do that then, because that would certainly have cost lives.”

Uruguay recorded 3,935 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday – the highest number of new cases since the start of the pandemic. That brings the number of total cases for the country to 126,987, according to the health ministry. 

The country also recorded 40 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,231. On Monday, Uruguay registered a daily record of 45 deaths. 

“We are going through the worst times of the pandemic these days,” Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou said at a news conference Wednesday, in which he extended current measures to control the spread of the virus. 

Lacalle Pou said the measures implemented on March 23, that include the closure of public offices, clubs, gyms, amateur sports practices, as well as public shows, will be extended untl April 30. 

He said the current intensive care unit occupancy rate for the country stands at 74%.

Norwegian Cruise Line President and CEO Frank Del Rio said that the company is proposing that all passengers and staff be vaccinated in order to start cruises again on July 4. 

“The [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has shut us down for over a year now,” he said. “… There are many — if not all — travel, tourism and hospitality venues that are open throughout the country that never shut down or are certainly open today. We want to be treated fairly, we want to be treated just like every other industry. And the CDC is not cooperating up until now.”

CDC guidance on Friday did not give a date by which the agency planned to allow US sailings again for the first time since March 2020. Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean all suffered massive losses last year, totaling $6.8 billion between them.

The cruise line would also require passengers to have a negative coronavirus test before boarding, mandate the wearing of masks indoors and would limit capacity to 60%. The return-to-service proposal was submitted to the CDC on Monday, Del Rio said, but the company has not heard back from the agency yet. 

“If people are not vaccinated, they’re not getting on board a Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings vessel. … So we will source vaccines for our crew or else we won’t sail,” Del Rio said. 

In the CDC’s technical instructions for Covid-19 mitigation for cruises, there’s a requirement for cruise lines to submit daily reports.

“Do hotels report daily? Do airlines report daily? No one does. Why should the cruise industry be exposed to that kind of draconian requirements? It’s just not fair. It’s discriminatory, and we hope the CDC comes to the table soon to discuss all these issues because up to now, they haven’t,” Del Rio said. 

Watch more:

Peru’s Health Ministry reported 314 new deaths due to Covid-19 on Wednesday evening, the highest number since the pandemic started. The country’s death toll reached 53,725. 

At least 9,305 new coronavirus cases were also reported, bringing the total number in the country to 1,607,898. The South American country has averaged over 8,000 cases for the last two weeks, with 12,916 cases being reported on April 1, its highest daily total since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Earlier this week, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte told CNN’s affiliate TV Peru that the Brazilian variant P1 has been identified in almost all regions in the country, particularly in the areas bordering with Brazil. The same variant has been also been detected in almost 40% of the cases in the capital Lima, the Minister reiterated.

The UK variant has been detected but in very few cases, the minister added. 

Peruvians will go to the polls on April 11 to choose a new President as well as 130 members of Congress. 

Voting is mandatory and authorities have increased the number of polling stations, extended voting hours and encouraged voters to cast their votes according to a staggered schedule in order to avoid risks while the country struggles fighting a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Peru has the fifth highest Covid-19 case count in Latin America, after Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico according to data from Johns Hopkins University. 

More than half of the people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK did not have symptoms, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Thursday in its latest Infection Survey. 

“In March 2021, 47% of people testing positive for the coronavirus in the UK with a strong positive test reported symptoms and 53% did not report having any symptoms,” the ONS said.

But how did the others feel? Fatigue, headache and a cough were the most reported symptoms from people who tested positive for Covid-19. Nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea were among the less commonly reported symptoms.

“Asymptomatic” describes a person who is infected but does not have symptoms. With Covid-19, asymptomatic carriers can still easily infect others without knowing it. So if you’re infected but don’t feel sick, you could still get others very sick.

Find more information about Covid-19 and vaccines here:

Japan’s Osaka Prefecture reported a record 905 Covid-19 daily cases on Thursday, logging a new daily high for the third consecutive day amid a fourth wave of the pandemic. 

Tokyo reported 545 new cases on Thursday, exceeding 500 for two days in a row – the first time doing so since the state of emergency lifted on March 21st. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she has requested that the central government allow her to employ stricter measures. 

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government plans to designate stronger measures for Tokyo due to a rise in infections and increasing pressure on hospitals in the capital.

Suga told reporters Thursday, “We’ll make an official decision after hearing from a experts panel on Friday, and we will also discuss whether more prefectures should be placed in the stricter measure.”

On Wednesday the city of Osaka took its Olympic torch relay off public roads as it declared a state of emergency amid rising infections. Read more:

Actor Satomi Ishihara (L) and Paralympian Aki Taguchi (R) light the celebration cauldron on the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay in Naraha, Fukushima prefecture on March 25, 2021. (Photo by KIM KYUNG-HOON / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIM KYUNG-HOON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Osaka takes Olympic torch relay off public roads as it declares state of emergency amid Covid-19 surge

The rate of new coronavirus infections has levelled off in England, researchers at Imperial College London have found. 

According to a report released Thursday, one in 500 people are currently infected in England, a fall of almost two thirds since February.

Moreover, infections now result in fewer hospital admissions and deaths. The authors suggest these trends are likely due to a combination of factors, including schools reopening and the nationwide vaccination program. 

Commissioned by the government, the research is based on swabs taken from 140,000 people selected to represent England’s population. Of those tested, 227 had a positive result, giving a rate of 0.2%, or one in 500 people. 

Primary school-aged children (aged 5-12) had the highest number of infections at 0.41%, while those aged 65 and above had the lowest at 0.09%. 

The researchers also estimated that the reproduction number (R) is 1.0, which means the epidemic is neither growing nor shrinking as each infected person infects, on average, one other individual. 

Professor Steven Riley, Professor of Infectious Disease Dynamics at Imperial and co-author of the report, said: “Our results are consistent with patterns observed in other data such as cases and hospitalisations and are supportive of a gradual easing of restrictions. 
“But with the country continuing to open up in the coming weeks, we would expect prevalence of infections to rise. Future rounds will allow us to monitor the situation closely.” 

More than 5.7 million people have now been fully vaccinated with two doses in the UK, while 31.7 million have had a first dose.

Iran’s health ministry reported 22,586 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the country’s total number of Covid-19 related cases to 2,006,934 since the beginning of the pandemic. 

A week ago, the country reported 11,700 new daily coronavirus cases, half of today’s numbers.

According to official data, 185 people have died of the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll to 63,884.

At least 4,221 patients remain in ICU, a spokeswoman for the ministry of health, Sima Sadaat Lari, said in a press conference on state TV. 

The country continues to keep restrictions in place in an effort to avoid a larger outbreak of cases, with 257 cities and towns now categorized as “red zones” by the authorities.

Why this matters: Iran has the most severe Covid-19 outbreak in the Middle East, with the highest number of cases and deaths in the region. On Monday, the Health Ministry said the country had entered its fourth wave of the pandemic.

Australia will not give AstraZeneca vaccines to people under the age of 50 due to the associated risk of blood clots, forcing a “recalibration” of its vaccine program, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a press conference Thursday.

The vaccine will be provided to those under 50 only when “benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual’s circumstances,” Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said at the press conference.

This follows recommendations made to the government by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, which added that “people that have had their first dose of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca without any serious adverse events can safely be given their second dose. This includes adults under the age of 50.”

AstraZeneca is key to Australia’s vaccine plan. The country relies heavily on the local production of 50 million doses of the British-Swedish vaccine and the further import of 3.8 million doses. Australia has also signed deals for 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 50 million doses of the Novavax vaccine.  

Australia remains at the ‘1A’ phase of its vaccine rollout, targeting older and vulnerable Australians. It should not be affected by the updated advice, according to Kelly.

“The 50 cut-off is based on what we’ve seen in these events so far - more common in younger people, less common in older people. We know older people are at higher risk of COVID,” Kelly said. 

Spain will now give the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine only to people older than 60, marking a “pivot” in its vaccination strategy, Health Minister Carolina Darias announced in a new conference late Wednesday. 

Darias said the Health Ministry and the health department chiefs from Spain’s 17 regional governments had approved the shift in policy by a large majority and called the approval “a pivot, with regards to the AstraZeneca vaccine.”

The minister said that health authorities in the Spanish regions already had standing appointments Thursday for people 60 to 65 years old to get Astra Zeneca jabs, and that authorities would consider expanding that to a higher age range. 

Spain’s national vaccination strategy has been using the Astra Zeneca vaccine for “essential workers” like police officers, firefighters and teachers, who range in age from their twenties to fifties, a spokesman for the Galicia regional government’s health department told CNN on Thursday. 

Why now? Spain’s decision follows the European Medicines Agency (EMA) report on Wednesday that declared “blood clots and low blood platelets is very rare,” in people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and “the overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects.” 

The EMA statement said, “So far, most of the cases reported have occurred in women under 60 years of age within 2 weeks of vaccination.” 

The events of the past 24 hours have left many worried and unsure of exactly how safe the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is.

A quick recap:

After days of speculative media coverage, European drug regulators on Wednesday confirmed a possible link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots, and UK authorities recommended that people under 30 should take alternative vaccines.

While the European Medicines Agency and its British counterpart acknowledged that growing evidence pointed to a link, they both emphasized that the chances of clots were on balance still very low and that the vaccine was still very effective at preventing Covid-19.

The EMA’s decision was based on 18 deaths in 62 cases of clotting in the sinuses that drain blood from the brain and 24 cases of clotting in the abdomen. The cases were reported in an EU database from European countries, including the UK, where around 25 million people have had the vaccine.

The European regulator advised that the vaccine still be used as normal, while the UK advised that people under the age of 30 should receive a different vaccine. The reason for this is that as the age group gets younger, the chances of serious illness or death from Covid-19 lessens, meaning the margin between the benefits and the risks narrows. 

The British government is already fighting back in the hope that Wednesday’s news won’t lead to vaccine hesitancy. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock sought to reassure Britons this morning that the vaccine rollout was proceeding “in the safest way possible.”

“Be reassured by the fact that we’re taking an abundance of caution,” Hancock told Sky News Thursday. “All three vaccines that are in use in the UK are safe, and they’re safe at all ages. But there is a preference for the under-30s, if they want to have the Pfizer or Moderna jab instead.” 

The Daily Telegraph newspaper even found and spoke to the family of a man who died from a blood clot after having the vaccine, saying that they still believe people should take the jab when given the chance.

This story, of course, has implications beyond the UK, and developments in the coming days will be very important in the global fight against coronavirus. Many developing countries are depending on the AstraZeneca vaccine as a way out of the pandemic.

Germany plans to speak to Russia about acquiring doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, if it is approved by EU regulators. In an interview with German public radio WDR5 on Thursday, Health Minister Jens Spahn, said he has notified the EU that Berlin will “bilaterally talk to Russia,“ after the bloc made it clear it will not sign a contract to procure Sputnik shots.

Possibly talking down the significance of the talks, Spahn said that “first of all we will talk about when what quantities could even be delivered … in the 4th quarter or even 2022 we could possibly still have a need for Sputnik V, but in order to actually make a difference in our current situation the delivery would have to come in the next 2-5 months. Otherwise we will already have enough vaccine anyway.” Spahn said. 

The EU’s sluggish vaccine rollout has handed Russia the opportunity for a PR coup, which Moscow has grasped with both hands, much to the annoyance of EU allies.

The German state of Bavaria said on Wednesday it would independently buy 2.5 million doses of Sputnik V, as soon as it is approved by the European Union’s drug regulator.

This year’s French Open tennis tournament has been postponed by a week due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said on Thursday.

The French Tennis Federation said it would “improve the likelihood of enhanced conditions and ability to welcome fans.”

Roland-Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year, was initally scheduled to take place from Monday 17 May – Sunday 6 June.

The qualifying rounds for the clay court event will now be held from Monday 24 – Friday 28 May and will be followed by the main draw, from Sunday 30 May – Sunday 13 June.

France has recently entered a new lockdown with a series new national restrictions in place as the country fights rising Covid cases.

In a speech on 31 March, French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped cultural and sporting events would be back up and running from mid-May onwards, subject to the improvement of the health situation.

The FFT said in a statement “in this context, it appeared that postponing the tournament by one week would be the best solution.” 

The qualifying rounds for the clay court event will now be held from Monday 24 – Friday 28 May and will be followed by the main draw, from Sunday 30 May – Sunday 13 June.

“For the fans, the players and the atmosphere, the presence of spectators is vital for our tournament, the spring’s most important international sporting event,” FFT President Gilles Moretton added.

Last year, Roland-Garros was played in the fall: The 2020 edition of the French open was postponed by four months due to rising infections in France. It eventually took place at the end of September in front of limited crowds.

Rafael Nadal sealed his record-extending 13th men’s singles title while Polish teenager Iga Swiatek won her first Grand Slam title.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock sought to reassure Britons that the country’s vaccine rollout was proceeding “in the safest way possible”.

In an interview with SkyNews, Hancock said the UK was “taking an abundance of caution” regarding the disputed Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

European and British medicines regulators announced on Wednesday a “possible link” between the vaccine and rare cases of blood clots. 

“We’re totally transparent with all of the side effects,” Hancock told SkyNews, “no matter how extremely rare they are.” 

“All three vaccines that are in use in the UK are safe, and they’re safe at all ages,” Hancock added. “But there is a preference for the under 30s, if they want to have the Pfizer or Moderna jab instead.” 

Despite the change, Hancock claimed the UK’s vaccine rollout “is proceeding well” and was not affected by Wednesday’s decision. 

“We are seeing that the vaccine is working. It’s breaking the link between cases and deaths,” Hancock said. “We are on track to hit the target we have set, to ensure everyone in the UK is offered the jab by the end of July.”  

Some context on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine: After the UK’s drug regulator confirmed links between the vaccine and rare occurence of blood clots on Wednesday, officials said those who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca should receive a second dose from the same brand. People under the age of 30 will be offered an alternative. 

Approximately one in ten adults in the UK have received both doses of a Covid vaccine. 

India on Thursday reported 126,789 new cases of coronavirus, the highest single-day rise in infections since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health.

This is the second consecutive day the country has reported an all-time high of new cases. 

India is amid a second wave of the pandemic following the previous peak in cases in September last year. 

Maharashtra state continues to report the highest deaths and cases in the country, according to health minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday, and several other states have also seen an “upswing” in cases, health officials said Tuesday.

Vaccine shortages: Maharashtra, Odisha and Punjab state health officials said they’re facing a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines.

Odisha state officials wrote a letter to the central government Wednesday expressing concern over the shortage saying: “Due to shortage of vaccine, we have had to close nearly 700 vaccination centres in the state,” adding that the state would exhaust its currently available stock by April 9.

Maharashtra’s health minister said on Wednesday the state was also facing a shortage. In response, Indian Health Minister Vardhan said in a statement: “this is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from Maharashtra government’s repeated failures to control the spread of pandemic.”

Punjab state health officials told CNN Thursday it is also facing a shortage of vaccines.

New Zealand will temporarily ban entry to travelers from India following a record surge in Covid-19 cases in recent days in the Asian country.

Speaking in a news conference Thursday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the suspension would begin at 4 p.m. on April 11 and would last until April 28. 

“I want to emphasize that while arrivals with Covid from India has prompted this measure, we are looking at how we manage high risk points of departure generally. This is not a country specific risk assessment, but of course a risk assessment generally to ensure we better manage the number of cases that are coming in from those countries that are experiencing a surge,” Ardern said.

India is experiencing a second wave of coronavirus and reported a record 126,789 new cases on Thursday – its highest single-day rise of the pandemic. 

Brazil’s Butantan research institute has temporarily suspended production of the Sinovac CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine due to a delay of the delivery of raw materials from China, three sources directly connected to the matter told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil Wednesday.

A new shipment of raw materials – the so called IFA (Active Pharmaceutical Input) ingredient – scheduled to arrive in Brazil from China on April 9, has now been pushed to April 15, Sao Paulo Gov. Joao Doria said Wednesday during a news conference.

When CNN inquired about the reported suspension of Sinovac’s vaccine production at the Butantan Institute in the state of Sao Paulo, the research center denied the claim but confirmed that it will not produce any new vaccines until the raw materials arrive.

“We didn’t suspend production. We are in the process of finalizing the packaging of the material we had previously received. As soon as we receive more raw material we can continue with the process and deliver the missing remaining doses,” Butantan’s press office told CNN Wednesday, adding that “despite the delay” it will meet the contractual deadlines with the country’s health ministry.

The Butantan Institute has delivered 40.7 million out of the 46 million Covid-19 doses promised to be delivered by April 30. The Institute says it will deliver an additional 2.5 million doses next week and told CNN it anticipates the production of Covid-19 vaccines to resume by April 15.

The Covid-19 vaccine raw material (IFA) is supplied by Butantan’s Chinese partner Sinovac Biotech. The delay in shipping was caused by the increased campaign of China’s vaccines, according to CNN Brasil.

CNN has reached out to Sinovac Biotech and has not yet received a response.

Dr. Anthony Fauci explained Wednesday why the United States is now seeing more Covid-19 cases among younger people.

It’s in part because so many older people are vaccinated, he said, and also because of spread in day care centers and at school sporting events.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that more than 75% of people ages 65 years and older have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in the US.

He said a number of factors are at play, including clusters of cases in day cares and school sports teams – in which people are in close contact and sometimes aren’t wearing masks – and the B.1.1.7 variant.

“I think that is what is explaining these surges of cases in young individuals,” he said.