Olympic Games Bursts Foreign Fans, UK Crosses Milestone: Virus Update

The postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo will take place without foreign spectators, the organizing committee said, with the danger of millions of dollars in lost ticket revenue. The UK has vaccinated half of all adults, the country’s health secretary tweeted.

AstraZeneca Plc has said it will deliver 230 million vaccine admissions by Covax within the next few months. Pfizer Inc. has warned the European Union that the threat to ban vaccination could push production production if the UK takes revenge by keeping the key ingredients for its Covid-19 shot.

Meanwhile, Paris closed for a third time, Poland closed shopping malls and Germany approached a threshold that could cause more restrictions. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive and is isolating, the country’s health minister said.

Important developments:

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AstraZeneca Unveils Delivery Plans (07:52 NY)

The UK-based drugmaker will deliver 230 million doses of its vaccine to 142 countries over the next few months, Beijing chairman Leif Johannson said. The announcement comes in the wake of setbacks in Europe after Germany and other countries discontinued the vaccine amid concerns that it is related to blood clots. However, the drama has come to an end, with countries resetting the doses after the regulator pointed out its benefits.

UK vaccination is on track (7:18 am NY)

More than half of British adults have now received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, which puts the country on track to offer a first dose of the vaccine by the end of July. By comparison, less than one in ten adults in the European Union is vaccinated.

The UK’s progress is still under threat, as resistant variants of the virus could undermine the effectiveness of the jab, and so-called vaccine nationalism could undermine the UK’s steady supply.

Tokyo Olympics Avoid Foreign Spectators (07:08 NY)

The world’s largest international sporting event will take place without overseas spectators and tickets purchased by them will be refunded. A decision on the restriction of local fans will be taken in April, said Toshiro Muto, CEO of Tokyo 2020.

Before the matches were postponed last year, some 600,000 foreign visitors were expected to attend, in addition to more than 11,000 athletes.

Pfizer warns of disruption (17:52 HK)

The drugmaker has spoken to the EU as tensions over the vaccine supply between the UK and the group grow. The production of lipids – fatty material used to deliver the genetic material into the heart of Pfizer and the German partner BioNTech SE’s vaccine – takes place in a secret location in the UK and is sent to the EU where the shots are complete.

“We were clear with all stakeholders that the free movement of goods and supply across borders is absolutely critical for Pfizer and the patients we serve,” a Pfizer spokesman said in an email. The Telegraph only reported the bookings on Friday.

Pakistani Prime Minister tests positive (17:46 HK)

Imran Khan is the latest head of government to contract the virus after British Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, France, Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil and former US President Donald Trump. Khan is self-isolating at home, Health Minister Faisal Sultan said in a tweet.

European affairs accelerate (17:30 HK)

Poland has registered 26,405 new cases from Covid in the past 24 hours, the second largest daily increase this year, prompting the country to close shopping centers. In Sweden, even if AstraZeneca vaccinations are resumed, the chances are small that all adults will be fully vaccinated with two doses by 30 June, says vaccine coordinator Richard Bergstrom in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet. Two health workers in Denmark were acknowledgeEkstra Bladet reports that the symptoms of blood clots died within two weeks after their AstraZeneca shot, and that one died. In the Czech Republic, there were signs of the pandemic weakening with the lowest working day in more than a month for new infections.

Senegal Elevator (17:25 HK)

Senegal has lifted a state of emergency and ended a nightmare in the Dakar and Thies areas in an effort to bolster an economy hit by restrictions on movement during a first wave of the virus. The decision comes when Senegal reaches the threshold of 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

German tariff near restriction threshold (16:46 HK)

Germany’s seven-day incidence rose to 99.9 per 100,000 people on Saturday, according to the country’s RKI health institute the highest in almost two months, and close to the threshold at which Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional officials agreed to reinstate the restrictions. set.

On Monday, Merkel and state leaders will discuss whether to extend or even tighten restrictions until April, rather than easing them as the government proposed earlier this month, as the country has a virus revival affecting the whole of Europe. Merkel said on Friday that Germany would accelerates its Covid-19 vaccination campaign in April, after regulators gave their all for the AstraZeneca shot.

Philippines’s Daily Business Reaches Record (16:14 HK)

The Philippines, home to the second worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, reported a record 7,999 coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total to more than 656,000. The government has asked the state offices that are not engaged in critical services reduce operations from March 22 to April 4.

Earlier, it ordered that restaurant restaurants in areas, including Manila, would operate at half capacity until April four. It also restricted conferences and religious gatherings, and closed museums and other tourist attractions.

Hungary’s daily affairs, deaths hit record (16:12 HK)

Hungary has reported a record 227 daily deaths due to Covid-19 as the country struggles to curb infections, despite the second highest vaccination rate in the European Union. New business grew by an unprecedented 11,132.

The government announced on Friday that the closure (which would have expired on Monday and which most stores had to close) was extended by at least another week.

Sri Lanka approves sinofarm vaccine (15:21 HK)

Sri Lanka has the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, reports Xinhua, referring to a government minister. It is the third vaccine approved in the country after the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V shots.

Discuss the corridor of Australia and New Zealand (08:05 HK)

Australia and New Zealand may allow a two-way trip within a few weeks without requiring quarantine, reports the Australian Financial Review, citing Australia’s Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan.

Chicago Hospital reports that he must give vaccines outside the area (07:57 HK)

Loretto Hospital, a safety net establishment in the western Chicago area of ​​Austin, has faced heat to be heard according to local news reports, the vaccinations were administered abroad, including in the Trump Tower.

The hospital’s board, which includes elected officials, said the events “stemmed from a sincere desire to vaccinate as many Chicago residents as possible – especially people of color.” But it added that the actions were “beyond the scope of the Loretto Hospital’s core mission falls “, and that two drivers were reprimanded, according to a statement Friday.

The city “will not tolerate providers who blatantly disregard the Chicago Department of Public Health’s distribution guidelines,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement Thursday.

Paris goes under lock (07:24 HK)

A third exclusion involving several French regions, including the Paris area, came into effect at midnight on Friday. Only essential businesses and schools will remain open, with the restrictions in place for four weeks. Like the rest of the country, the French capital has closed a nightclub with cafes, restaurants, bars and theaters since mid-January. But the infection rate has risen nonetheless, and hospitals are increasingly under stress.

More US Open Shots for Everyone (6:40 am HK)

At least three other states have said they are eligible for vaccinations for people 16 and older ahead of President Joe Biden’s May 1 deadline. More than a dozen other states have said they will begin vaccination all adults by that time.

North Dakota said it would expand by March 29. Maine and Vermont said they will do so by April 19th.

Outbreak reported to hit Mar-a-Lago (06:11 am HK)