Coronavirus latest updates: EU boosts vaccine supply; Norway halts Astrazeneca jab; London R rate rises
EU boosts production of Covid vaccines
The European Medicines Agency announced this afternoon that it has approved the use of two European factories to scale up the EU’s vaccine supply.
The Halix factory in the Netherlands has been cleared to produce doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine for the EU, while another in Marburg in Germany will produce supplies of the Pfizer vaccine.
It is unclear whether this will affect the UK’s supply of the Astrazeneca vaccine being produced at the same site in the Netherlands.
However, Boris Johnson signalled earlier this week that he was willing to compromise on Britain’s Dutch-made doses in a bid to avoid a total ban on vaccine exports out of the EU.
This latest move might have proven the ice pack for a long-running dispute between the UK and EU over vaccine shortages within the bloc.
Norway suspends Astrazeneca vaccine for another three weeks
Norway has delayed a decision on whether to resume the use of Astrazeneca’s Covid vaccine until 15 April, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said today.
The country joined a list of 17 countries to suspend rollout of the jab last week over reports of blood clots among patients.
Most have since resumed use of the Astrazeneca vaccine following its approval by the European Medicines Agency, which said it was safe and effective. The shot remains on hold in Denmark.
London R rate rises
London’s R rate has risen at the same pace as the UK’s, up from a best estimate of between 0.6 and 0.9 last week to 0.7 and 0.9. It’s an early indication that the decline in coronavirus cases may be slowing within the capital and across the country.
However, the R rate remains below the crucial 1 threshold, meaning the spread of the virus is still shrinking. The next few weeks will be critical, with the Prime Minister adamant that he will prioritise “data not dates” in plans to reopen the country after months of lockdown.
That said, there has been no huge leap in cases following the reopening of schools and colleges, which scientists warned could push infection rates up once more.
Park chiefs have urged Londoners to comply with social distancing rules when visiting green spaces in the capital this weekend to prevent a spike in cases.
Latest stats
The UK recorded a further 6,397 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, including 501 cases in London. It marks a dramatic drop since the start of the year, when infections hit a daily peak of almost 82,000 for the whole country.
More than 29.3m people in Britain have now received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, including 3m who have received both doses.
US set to overtake UK vaccine rollout
The US is set to overtake the UK in its vaccination rollout after President Joe Biden yesterday doubled his vaccine target, pledging to deliver 200m doses in his first 100 days in office.
The US vaccine rollout has gathered pace in recent weeks with more than 70 per cent of over-65s having received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Britain currently has the fourth most successful national vaccination programme in the world, having delivered 45 doses per 100 people. But the US is closing in — the country has injected 38 doses per 100 people, with the figure set to rise in the coming weeks.
‘Stay at home’ orders to end on Monday
Don’t forget: the government’s “stay at home” guidance is due to expire on Monday for the first time in 12 weeks.
From 29 March, people will instead be asked to “stay local”, while work from home orders will be softened. Under the current guidance, everyone who “can work from home must do so”. But from Monday, “people should continue to work from home where they can”.
It also means limited contact between different households will be allowed to resume, alongside the reopening of outdoor sports venues. Facilities such as golf courses, tennis courts and swimming pools will all be allowed to open as part of the easing of restrictions, though the rule of six must be adhered to.