Covid-19 Pandemic: Updates and live news from March 24, 2021

Photographer: Christophe Archambault / AFP / Getty Images

AstraZeneca Plc he said he will publish updated results of the final stage of the vaccine test within 48 hours, in response to criticism from a US scientific agency. Millions more doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected to be released after U.S. regulators pave the way for a contract manufacturer to help produce them.

The head of the World Health Organization described the latest increases in deaths and cases as “really worrying trends”. Pfizer Inc. said he has begun human safety testing of a new pill to treat the coronavirus that could be used at the first sign of illness.

Citigroup Inc. banned internal video calling on Fridays and encouraged the holidays in an effort to combat the pandemic-induced labor unrest.

Main developments:

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Chicago reports an increase in cases (16:50 in NY)

Chicago is experiencing an increase in several of its Covid-19 metrics.

Daily city cases, positivity rate, and visits to related emergencies have increased in recent weeks. The city is experiencing about 350 cases a day, compared to an average of about 270 to 280 daily over the past two weeks.

San Francisco will open offices and some bars (16:40 pm NY)

San Francisco will open offices, outdoor bars and indoor recreation facilities as it moves to the orange level of California, the second least restrictive level in the state.

Non-essential offices can open 25% capacity from Wednesday according to the new guidelines, while already open interior companies, including restaurants and shops, can expand capacity by up to 50%. The city also plans to allow concerts, theater performances and outdoor festivals Until 50 people as of April 1, said Mayor London Breed.

Santa Clara County, home to many of Silicon Valley’s big business owners, also moved to the orange level on Tuesday, along with Marin County, a wealthy area north of San Francisco. Most California counties, which account for 83% of the population, are at the red or second most restrictive level of economic activity in the state.

New York Assembly Speaker Heastie Has Covid-19 (3:05 pm NY)

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office. The Democrat said he felt under the weather and was experiencing “extremely mild symptoms.”

Its positive result will prove in the middle of negotiations on the state’s approximately $ 193 billion spending plan for Prosecutor 2022, which begins on April 1st. Heastie said he plans to stay in Albany and work from his residence.

On Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly held its first meeting to discuss its investigation into the removal of Governor Andrew Cuomo. Heastie is not part of this committee, but he directed it to begin the investigation.

Dutch blockade expands (14:45 in New York)

Closing in the Netherlands, including the night curfew, will run until April 20th. The measure comes after infections increased 16% last week compared to the previous week.

The Dutch government, however, decided to postpone the initial curfew hour for an hour, seeking to maintain the support of the Dutch public for strict and lasting measures. The warning was extended not to travel abroad until May 15.

J&J’s Catalan vaccine partner approved (1:47 pm NY)

Millions more doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine are expected to be produced after U.S. regulators pave the way for contract maker Catalent Inc. to help produce them.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a Catalent facility in Bloomington, Indiana, to convert the active ingredient in the vaccine into a single dose.

Norway bans alcohol before Easter (1:45 pm NY)

Norway is tightening national restrictions ahead of the Easter holiday period to try to stop a third wave of contagion caused by more infectious variants. The new measures include a ban on drinking alcohol in restaurants and bars across the country and a recommendation that people be kept at a distance of at least 2 meters (6.5 feet) from each other.

EU will eliminate export curbs (11:52 am NY)

The European Union will abolish a list of more than 90 countries that are currently exempt from requiring vaccine export authorizations and will apply potential restrictions even to those pharmaceutical companies that fulfill their contracts with the bloc.

The European Commission will review the mechanism for authorization and transparency of vaccine exports. The controversial tool introduced in January aims to help EU governments examine vaccine export applications, with the option of rejecting them in certain cases.

Texas, Georgia, opens vaccines to all adults (11:15 p.m. in New York)

Texas and Georgia joined a growing list of U.S. states that open vaccines to all adults. Georgia will offer the shots starting Thursday.

Pfizer begins human testing of Covid Pill (11:05 am NY)

Pfizer Inc. said he has begun human security testing of a new pill to treat coronavirus that could be used at the first sign of illness.

If successful in trials, the pill could be prescribed early in an infection to block viral replication before patients become very ill. The drug binds to an enzyme called protease to prevent the virus from reproducing. Protease inhibitor drugs have been successful in treating other types of viruses, such as HIV and hepatitis C.

The new protease inhibitor is the second drug Pfizer has introduced in human trials to treat Covid-19. Pfizer is testing another administered intravenously to hospitalized virus patients.

New York City municipal workers will return on May 3 (10:30 a.m. to New York City)

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said some 80,000 city workers will return to their offices starting May 3, a promise he noted in his speech on the state of the city in January .

The city has administered more than 3.4 million vaccines and expects a “big boost” from supply in early April, the mayor said. All New Yorkers 50 years of age or older are eligible to get their Covid-19 shots.

Portugal reaffirms vaccine target (9:44 am NY)

Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido reaffirmed that the country will meet the target of administering a dose of vaccine to at least 80% of people over the age of 80 by the end of March. “Naturally, if we had access to more vaccines, we would have the opportunity to vaccinate more people,” Temido told reporters.

WHO Tedros Sees “Truly Worrying Trends” (9:18 am NY)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the recent rise in deaths and Covid-19 cases are “really worrying trends.”

Speaking at a World Trade Organization virtual event, Tedros urged nations to relinquish vaccine intellectual property rights as a “medium- or long-term solution” to help developing countries manufacture their own traits.

Fauci: Probably Astra has a very good vaccine (8:47 am NY)

“The fact is, it’s very likely to be a very good vaccine,” Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said about Astra’s shot in a “Good Morning America” interview.

Astra before he said he would publish the updated results of the final stage of the shooting in 48 hours, responding to criticism from a US scientific agency that the drug maker’s analysis included old information.

India accelerates vaccine push in mid-second wave (8:40 am NY)

The government of India opened one of the largest coronavirus vaccination campaigns for all over the age of 45 as the nation faced a resurgence of cases amid tensions over delays in supplying vaccines to other countries.

The world is too optimistic about Covid: Farrar (8:28 am NY)

“This pandemic has not a single point,” Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease specialist and director of Wellcome, the UK’s research foundation, said at a conference. “In my opinion, there is too much optimism left because there will be a single magic bullet that will solve everything.”

After a year, the world remains closer to the start of the pandemic than its conclusion, as new waves occur around the world, Farrar said.

In an independent presentation, Fauci sounded a more positive tone. He said people should remain cautiously optimistic about the outlook, even as cases occur in the United States after the recent declines.