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BERLIN – Germany’s Minister of Health has said he would be personally ready “without hesitation” to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, but it is not his turn yet.
Germany’s Independent Vaccine Expert Group on Tuesday said AstraZeneca injections should not be routinely given to people under the age of 60 due to an increase in reported cases of unusual blood clots in the days following vaccination .
The German government followed the recommendation and said the vaccine would be a priority for people aged 60 and over, although exceptions can be made in consultation with doctors.
40-year-old Health Minister Jens Spahn was asked on Thursday whether he would be ready to be vaccinated. He replied, “Yes, I would get vaccinated without reservation and without hesitation with AstraZeneca too.”
He said the cases must be considered individually. Spahn said that there are situations where there is a risk of a blood clot but “because I, without having consulted extensively with a doctor, do not see this risk for me, I would personally be ready” to take the vaccine.
But Spahn, who has defended this week’s decisions, noted that his turn to get the shot was far from the right one.
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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
– Doctors despair as France’s ‘third way’ anti-virus strategy is in full swing
– India combats virus outbreak, steps up blows amid exports
– Society at heart of J&J vaccine woes has series of quotes
– Amazon expects its employees to return to the office by fall as the tech giant moves away from remote working it has implemented for many workers due to the coronavirus pandemic.
– Japan is set to nominate Osaka and two other prefectures for further virus control steps, as infections in those areas increase less than four months before the Tokyo Olympics.
– Greece has announced that it is easing some coronavirus restrictions despite the surge in COVID-19 cases that are forcing hospitals to their limits, with retail stores to reopen and people allowed to drive outside their municipality of origin for exercise on weekends.
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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s planning and development minister said his country was importing 1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China, the first purchase after initial donations.
Half a million doses arrived Wednesday and the rest later Thursday.
The announcement by Asad Omar comes as Pakistan reported 4,974 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest one-day jump since June last year.
China started giving vaccines to Pakistan in February, and since then only health workers and the elderly have received the vaccines.
In an effort to contain the spread of the disease, Pakistan has extended the partial lockdown to cities with high positive rates.
Pakistan has reported 672,931 cases and 14,530 confirmed deaths.
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SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea is examining whether to approve rapid coronavirus tests that can be done at home and produce near-immediate results as another tool in the fight against the pandemic.
Kwon Jun-wook, director of the South Korean National Institute of Health, said Thursday there is a need to provide convenient and accessible tests that people can use regularly because the virus is often transmitted from people not showing no or mild symptoms.
Health officials had previously been reluctant to expand the use of rapid antigenic tests and other forms of rapid tests, which could produce results in 30 minutes but are less accurate than standard laboratory tests.
However, Kwon said the country may need more tools as it struggles to slow the spread of the virus following a devastating winter wave, with around 300 to 500 new cases still reported every day.
He said real-time PCR testing, which involves medical professionals administering nasal and throat swabs and laboratory machines genetically analyzing the samples, would remain the country’s gold standard even if authorities approve the samples. rapid tests for public use.
South Korean officials also said Thursday that the country will release a smartphone app this month that verifies that a person has been vaccinated. While Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun raised the possibility that the app could be used as a vaccine passport, officials from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said countries should agree first. on an international standard for screening travelers for vaccination.
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BEIJING – Health officials in China say six more people have fallen ill with COVID-19 in a southwestern Chinese town on the border with Myanmar. This brings the total confirmed in Ruili City, Yunnan Province over the past two days to 12, including three Burmese citizens.
The Yunnan Health Commission said Thursday that 23 more people had tested positive for the coronavirus without showing symptoms of illness. Of these, 13 were Chinese and 10 were Myanmar nationals.
Officials say more than 20,000 tests have been administered to date. City officials plan to test Ruili’s entire population of around 210,000 and force them to quarantine themselves at home for a week.
The residential complex where the infections were discovered has already been locked down.
China has largely eradicated local transmission of the coronavirus and is taking strict action whenever a new cluster emerges.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – People magazine reports that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said she tested positive for the coronavirus and urged people to guard against the pandemic by wearing masks in public for example.
It is not known when Palin tested positive, but the magazine quotes her as saying that other members of her family have also tested positive.
According to the magazine, Palin says his case shows that “anyone can catch this.” She urges vigilance and says people should “use common sense” to avoid spreading the coronavirus and other viruses.
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OLYMPIA, Washington – Washington state opens eligibility for coronavirus vaccinations to all residents aged 16 and over starting April 15.
Gov. Jay Inslee had previously resisted expanding eligibility, saying he wanted to avoid doing it too quickly to ensure those most at risk were vaccinated first. He had noted that eligibility did not guarantee vaccination right away and would depend on the offer.
But Inslee said Wednesday that assurances from the federal government of an increase in benefits, as well as concerns about increasing cases in many areas of the state, led to the decision to open up eligibility.
The federal government has ordered states to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1, but most states have prior plans, with more than a dozen eligibility for all adults this week.
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QUEBEC – The Quebec government is locking out three cities in the Canadian province as of Thursday following a sharp increase in coronavirus infections.
Quebec Premier François Legault announced Wednesday that schools and non-essential businesses will close and that the curfew will be postponed to 8 p.m. in Quebec City, Lévis and Gatineau. He says the situation is alarming.
The new restrictions do not affect the Montreal area.
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, is expected to announce new pandemic restrictions on Thursday amid a new wave of infections.
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ATLANTA – Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is rolling back restrictions on the pandemic amid warnings from federal officials of a “fourth outbreak” of coronavirus cases if states continue to relax precautions.
The governor’s office said Kemp signed an executive order on Wednesday that will end the ban on large gatherings, eliminate shelter-in-place requirements and reduce remaining distance requirements at restaurants, bars, cinemas and venues. fitness classes. The restoration begins on April 8.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden and the head of the CDC warned that too many Americans were prematurely declaring their victory over the virus. They called for mask requirements and other restrictions to be maintained or reinstated.
Kemp said easing restrictions was a critical step in restoring normalcy and ensuring business survival.
Georgia last week made all residents over 16 eligible for the coronavirus vaccination.
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SEATTLE – Amazon expects its employees to return to the office by fall as the tech giant moves away from remote working it has implemented for many workers due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The company had previously given its return to office date of June 30, but questions remained as to whether the company would allow some of its 60,000 Seattle-area office workers to continue working part-time from home.
The Seattle Times reports that the company told its employees on Tuesday that it was planning a “return to a culture centered on the office as a baseline.”
Amazon and Microsoft were among the first large companies to mainly close their main offices in the Seattle area during the first outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020.
Amazon spokesman Jose Negrete said the company will not require office workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before they return, but encourages employees and contractors to be vaccinated as soon as they return. ‘they are eligible.
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JOHNSTON, Iowa – Facing an increase in the number of new coronavirus cases and a reluctance among a significant portion of the population to get vaccinated Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is pushing to convince residents to get vaccinated vaccinating will help restore normal life.
Reynolds faces a state where viral activity has increased in recent weeks, particularly among spring break travelers aged 18 to 29. About a third of the state’s adult population, or roughly 800,000 people, will not commit to getting the vaccine, prompting Reynolds to advocate for them. to consider it for the good of all.
State health data shows 555 new positive cases in the past 24 hours and no additional deaths have been reported. Iowa has had 5,729 COVID-19-related deaths in the past year.
Reynolds said Iowa is expected to receive nearly 161,000 doses of the vaccine next week, the largest weekly supply to date. This will allow the state to widely open immunization appointments to all adults starting Monday, although a few counties have already expanded their immunization eligibility.
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