Headlines
• France suspends all flights to Brazil
• Denmark permanently stops AZ vaccine use
• Surge testing in London extended to Southwark
• J&J vaccine suspended in the US, EU, Sweden & South Africa
• 55% have antibodies in England
World news
• In England, an estimated 54.9% of the population had antibodies in the week to 28 March, 49.1% in Wales, 54.5% in Northern Ireland and 46% in Scotland according to the ONS.
• Surge testing will take place in a third London borough, Southwark, after a case of the South African variant was found.
• Unemployment in Ireland is set to fall to an average rate of 8.2% next year as economic activity fully returns to normal, and fall to 5.5% by 2025 new economic numbers published on Wednesday forecast. The average rate in 2019 stood at 5%.
• France is suspending all flights to and from Brazil to contain the spread of a highly contagious new variant.
• Denmark will permanently stop using AstraZeneca’s vaccine, following concerns about rare cases of blood clotting. It is the first country to completely remove the vaccine from its inoculation programme.
• Finland is to extend its pause on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 65, the Finnish Health Institute said today.
• The US, South Africa and European Union will temporarily stop the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
• Sweden has paused the planned rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
• The suspension of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine could delay efforts to vaccinate the EU by over two months, according to analysis from Airfinity.
• EU countries will receive 50m more vaccines produced by Pfizer and BioNTech by the end of June, the head of the EU Commission said today, as deliveries expected at the end of the year will be brought forward.
• Poland has extended its lockdown rules until 25 April.
• Greece plans to lift quarantine restrictions from next week for travellers from the EU and five other countries, including the UK, who have been vaccinated or test negative.
• A UK study looking at whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines can be safely mixed for the first and second doses will be expanded to include the Moderna and Novavax vaccines.
• Denmark will reopen borders to some fully vaccinated people from 1 May.
• Germany is to give a different second jab to AstraZeneca recipients under 60.
• Canada is to reinstate enhanced screening measures for travellers who have been in Brazil in the previous 14 days.
• A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered health regulator Anvisa to decide within 30 days whether it will approve the emergency import of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
Company news
Transport
American Airlines – Said it expects to fly more than 90% of its domestic seat capacity in the summer of 2021, compared with the same period in 2019, due to a strong rebound in bookings. The airline also expects to utilise 80% of its international seat capacity this summer, compared with 2019 levels.
