Headlines
• EMA concludes blood clotting should be listed as a very rare side effect of AZ vaccine
• UK begins rollout of Moderna vaccine in Wales
• Osaka declares medical emergency
• Poland extends restrictions until 18 April
World news
• One in three people who were severely ill with coronavirus, were subsequently diagnosed with a neurological or psychiatric condition within six months of infection, a study published in the Lancet Psychiatry has found. The most common diagnoses were anxiety disorders (occurring in 17% of patients), mood disorders (14%), substance misuse disorders (7%), and insomnia (5%). The incidence of neurological outcomes was lower, including 0.6% for a brain haemorrhage and 0.7% for dementia.
• France’s health ministry has reported that the number of people in intensive care with Covid-19 increased by 193 in the space of 24 hours to 5,626, the highest number for almost a year.
• Australia said today that the European Union asked it to withdraw export permit applications for AstraZeneca.
• UK begins the roll-out of Moderna vaccine in Wales.
• Indonesia has reported its first case of a more transmissible new variant of the coronavirus known for being more vaccine resistant.
• The Japanese city of Osaka is to declare a medical emergency. The city and the neighbouring prefectures of Hyogo and Miyagi started targeted lockdown measures for a month from Monday.
• South Korea’s food and drug safety ministry has granted final approval for the use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
• US President Joe Biden has announced that all US adults would be eligible to receive a vaccine by 19 April.
• Poland will extend its restrictions until 18 April. Kindergartens, shopping centres, hotels, cinemas and theatres will remain closed under the restrictions.
• Nigeria has directed its 36 states and federal capital territory to stop giving first doses of AstraZeneca vaccine once they use half their current stock, in order to safeguard supply for the second dose.
• Hungary is reopening shops and resuming other consumer services today.
• AstraZeneca vaccine developments • EMA’s safety committee put out a statement that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
• A vaccine trial into the safety and efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in children has been paused while the UK regulator investigates a possible link to rare blood clots in adults.
• The World Health Organization expects there will be no reason to change its assessment that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh any risks, its regulatory director said today.
• South Korea has temporarily suspended vaccinating people aged under 60 with the AstraZeneca vaccine
• Castile and León are to suspend AstraZeneca shots to the under-65s pending further EMA clarification.
Company news
Healthcare
Serum Institute of India – has appealed for government financial aid amid the vaccine export curb. The company now requires $408m additional funding to ramp up capacity.
