Covid-19 Pandemic: Live updates and news for March 2, 2021

Global cases rose for the first time in nearly two months last week, the World Health Organization said, citing countries lowering restrictions, people dropped their guard and variants are spreading.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expects the vaccine situation in Europe to improve in the second quarter, saying the Financial Times that she and her colleagues underestimated how difficult it would be. German unemployment rose unexpectedly for the first time in eight months, as closures remained.

Registrations for vaccination in India jumped after the prime minister he got his shot. China set a goal inoculate 40% of its population by the end of June. The number of patients hospitalized in the Czech Republic in serious condition reached a record, with the medical system on the verge of collapse.

A new variant detected in New York is being seen “very, very closely,” Anthony Fauci said.

Main developments:

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German unemployment rises unexpectedly (16:55 HK)

German unemployment rose unexpectedly for the first time in eight months, adding to the tensions facing Europe’s largest economy due to prolonged blockades. The 9,000 increase put the total number of unemployed at 2.75 million and the rate at 6%, according to the Federal Labor Agency. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected a drop of 10,000.

Israel begins vaccinating recovered patients (16:37 HK)

Israel began offering vaccines to patients recovered from Covid-19, following a decision announced by the Ministry of Health on Monday evening. A single dose will be given to people who have recovered from the coronavirus at least three months ago, the ministry said. It is confirmed that about 782,000 people in Israel have had coronavirus, including the more than 39,000 who are currently ill.

More than 51% of the population has had at least one dose and almost 37% have had two.

Vaccines in South Africa: working day (16:29 HK)

South Africa will likely have enough vaccines to inoculate 6 million people, or a tenth of its population, by the end of June, leaving many vulnerable groups exposed to the pandemic during the winter, the working day said, not to mention where he got the information.

The South African health product regulatory authority is likely to approve Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer shots for general use in April, the newspaper said, citing the senior manager for the pharmaceutical evaluation.

Record number of Czechs in serious condition (16:01 pm HK)

The Czech Republic recorded a record 1,568 patients with coronaviruses hospitalized in serious condition and in need of oxygenation or extracorporeal ventilation. The 10.7 million nation, battling Europe’s worst outbreak, had 148,924 active cases as of Monday, according to health ministry data. The government has imposed its stricter closure measures since the start of the pandemic this week, as its medical system is on the verge of collapse.

FDA could approve Novavax shooting in May: CNBC (3:35 pm HK)

Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine could be disposed of for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration as early as May, CNBC reported Monday, citing the company’s chief executive Stanley Erck. The company expects the FDA to consider the data from its trial in the United Kingdom, as the trial in the United States is still ongoing, Erck said.

Vaccine record jump in India (3:23 pm HK)

The number of people enrolled in vaccines in India increased a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was shot and instat his compatriots to follow the same. More than 2.9 million people signed up for the vaccine on March 1 on local news channel NDTV reported, citing the Minister of Health of India.

The Asian country, which is battling the world’s second-largest outbreak, plans to inoculate about a quarter of its population in August, but has so far only vaccinated 14.9 million. India expanded its vaccination program on Monday to include anyone over 60 and those over 45 with comorbidities.

Infections in India total 11.1 million, with 157,248 dead, according to data from the health ministry.

Bulgaria has most new cases since December (15:06 HK)

Bulgaria reported 2,588 new cases daily, the highest since December 15. The Balkan country reopened restaurants and pubs on Monday despite a growing number of hospitalized and dead patients and amid a shortage of vaccines that is slowing the inoculation process.

Bulgaria is expected to hold general elections on April 4.

Von der Leyen sees a better second quarter (14:15 HK)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said things would improve in the second quarter after a difficult first quarter as a new contract with BioNTech and Pfizer Inc. comes into force. and how Johnson & Johnson will probably start shipping. In an interview with the Financial Times, von der Leyen said she and her colleagues initially underestimated how difficult it would be to achieve mass vaccine production after the initial advances, but also defended her strategy.

“The problem, slowly but surely, will shift from too low a supply of vaccine doses to ensure we administer the doses we have properly and quickly,” he said.

Read more of von der Leyen’s interview here.

Thailand to evaluate vaccines (12:06 pm HK)

Johnson & Johnson has presented all documents required for the approval of Covid-19 vaccines by the Thai drug regulator for local use, according to government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.

Moderna is expected to present its documents next week, he said in a Twitter post. Bharat Biotech has also contacted the agency.

The public will be able to register for the vaccines through the government’s online platform in early May, Thailand’s National News Office reported, citing Deputy Minister of Public Health Sathit Pitutecha.

Philippines detects different strains of virus (10:45 hK)

The Philippines said it first detected the Covid-19 strain that initially emerged in South Africa. It was reported that six people had the variant, some local cases and some Filipinos returning from abroad. Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian nation also reported an additional 30 cases of the most contagious strain first discovered in the UK, bringing the total to 87.

Top 186,000 dead in Mexico (9:21 am HK)

Mexico reported a daily increase of 437 deaths from Covid-19, reaching 186,152, according to data released by the Ministry of Health. The country has administered 2,526,863 doses of coronavirus vaccine and 583,896 people have received a second dose.

US President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador On Monday he discussed the response to the pandemic, migration and climate change.

“They agreed to deepen cooperation in responding to the pandemic, including improving public health capacities, exchanging information and developing border policies,” governments said in a joint statement.

China sets 40% vaccination target (8:33 am HK)

China has vaccinated only 3.5% of its population and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention aims to reach this level Until 40% in late June, Zhong Nanshan, who advises the government on Covid-19, said in an online forum. The country had vaccinated 52.5 million people by the end of February, Zhong said.

Gao Fu, head of China’s CDC, suggested at the forum that China facilitate virus suppression to allow small local outbreaks to keep its economy strong and active.

China on Monday reported eleven new cases of the virus, all of which it said were imported.

California has a plan to open schools (4:45 pm NY)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders said yes reached an agreement that would push the most populous U.S. state school districts to begin reopening in April.

The state would allocate more than $ 6 billion for related expenses, including personal protective equipment, ventilation upgrades and Covid testing. To make up for lost learning, the school year can be extended into the summer.

Cases in the United States fell 61% in February (15:50 in New York)

Covid-19 infections in the United States recorded the largest monthly decline in February, down 61% to 2.42 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. This helped reduce the death toll from January by 25% to 71,772. In general, nearly 514,000 Americans have succumbed to Covid-19 and some 28.7 million residents (or 8.7% of the population) have been infected.

Twitter will tag misleading vaccine tweets (15:10 NY)

Twitter said it will tag tweets that may contain misleading information about Covid-19 vaccines.

France allows Astra Shot for seniors (15.00 NY)