Headlines
• J&J delays vaccine rollout in Europe
• WHO urges pause on live wild animals in food markets
• Moderna vaccine rolled out in England
• Wandsworth and Lambeth begin surge testing
• UK-EU exports up 46.6% MoM in February
World news
• Restrictions on travelling within Scotland are to be lifted from Friday, while people are to be allowed to meet up in larger groups outdoors. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said measures were being eased earlier than planned to help people’s mental health.
• The US FDA has recommended that the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccines is paused, after six people developed a rare disorder involving blood clots.
• Johnson & Johnson has delayed the rollout of its vaccine in Europe, the company announced today.
• England opens up vaccination to anybody aged 45 or over.
• Wandsworth and Lambeth have begun surge testing after a cluster of 44 confirmed cases of the South African variant was found.
• Figures from the ONS show exports to the EU rose £3.7bn to £11.6bn in February, or by 46.6%, but exports were still below last year’s levels. UK imports from the EU rose £1.2bn in February to £17.1bn, or by 7.3%, after dropping 29.7% the month before.
• England has begun giving out its first doses of the Moderna vaccine. It will be available at 21 sites across the UK.
• Major coronavirus testing firm Randox says it will reduce the price of PCR tests for travellers returning to the UK from overseas to £60, around half the typical cost.
• Ireland is to limit the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca drug to the over 60s.
• Botswana has halted vaccinations in some regions, saying doses allocated to them have been depleted.
• India is to fast-track emergency approvals for vaccines that have been authorised by Western countries and Japan.
• The WHO has called for a halt to the sale of live wild mammals in food markets to prevent the emergence of new viruses.
• Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City will both have 2,000 fans at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final on 25 April. But fans under 18 cannot attend, and people who are pregnant or clinically extremely vulnerable have also been told not to apply for tickets.
Company news
Retail
• Novavax – has pushed back the timeline for hitting its production target of 150m Covid-19 vaccine doses per month until the third quarter, due to supply shortages, including bags used to grow cells.
