Headlines
• EMA says ‘no indication’ AZ vaccine causes thrombosis
• 33% in the UK currently have antibodies
• Moderna begins late stage trails of its vaccine in children
• Sweden, Latvia, Slovenia and Cyprus suspend AZ vaccine
• Stay at Home measure in Scotland will be lifted on 2 April
World news
• There were 13,107 deaths registered in the UK in the week of 5 March, 3% above the usual level for this time of year. Last week, they were 9% above usual levels.
• In the UK 33% are estimated to have antibodies to coronavirus, while a month ago the figure was about 18% according to the ONS.
• Stay at Home measure in Scotland will be lifted on 2 April.
• Oslo is closing all middle and high schools and has imposed a two-person limit on visits to people’s homes.
• Police in Jordan have used tear gas to break up crowds demonstrating against health restrictions.
• Cyprus will acquire Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine if it is approved by the European Medicines Agency.
• Moderna has begun administering doses in its mid-to-late stage study of its vaccine in children aged six months to less than 12 years.
• Only those aged 18-65 years old will be allowed out of their homes in Manila. Night-time curfews have also been re-imposed for two weeks with additional measures such as liquor bans and localised lockdowns.
• AstraZeneca said today it has modified an existing deal with the US to supply up to half a million additional doses of its experimental antibody-based treatment, bringing the total value of the deal to $726m.
AstraZeneca vaccine developments
• The European Medicines Agency has reiterated there is no indication that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine increases the risk of thromboembolic events. Its safety experts are reviewing the latest information today and will update their advice on Thursday.
• The head of France’s vaccination programme, Alain Fischer, has said decisions by multiple EU countries to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine were due to the unusual nature of the side-effects reported rather than their number.
• Australia has no plans to halt the use of the vaccine. The country’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, said in a statement: 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.
• Sweden, Latvia, Slovenia and Cyprus have become the latest to suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
