The European Union’s medicines regulator said its investigation found the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe but a blood clot link cannot be ruled out.
A number of European countries, including France and Germany, restarted their AstraZeneca rollouts on Friday.
The Biden administration will loan around 4 million of its AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Canada and Mexico as the company waits for official usage approval in the US, the White House Covid-19 coordinator announced today.
Our live coverage has ended for the day. Follow the latest on the pandemic here.
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Mar-a-Lago partially closed due to Covid outbreak
From CNN's Kate Bennett
Aerial View of Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida on March 1.
mpi34/MediaPunch/IPX/AP/FILE
Former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort has closed its dining room and suspended beach club services to guests due to a Covid 19 outbreak among “some” staff, according to an email sent to members Friday afternoon and shared with CNN.
The email says the closure is out of “an abundance of caution.”
Banquet and event services remain open, the email says, adding: “We have already undertaken all appropriate response measures in accordance with CDC guidance, including activating a thorough sanitization and cleaning of any affected areas and all club facilities, and we will continue our heightened environmental cleaning regimen.”
News of the closure was first reported by Associated Press.
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North Dakota will make Covid-19 vaccine available to general public March 29
From CNN's Jen Christensen
The North Dakota Department of Public Health said Friday that the Covid-19 vaccine will be available to the general public starting March 29.
The department encouraged people who are in the earlier categories of eligibility not to put off getting an appointment to get one.
“As the state prepares to make the vaccine available to the general public, it’s important for people included in Phases 1A, 1B or 1C to be vaccinated now, as they are at highest risk for severe COVID-19 or being exposed to COVID-19,” said Molly Howell, the department’s immunization director.
As of Friday, 27% of North Dakotans had at least one dose of the vaccine, and 16% have been fully vaccinated, according to the state.
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Georgia has administered more than 3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine
From CNN's Kay Jones and Jessica Jordan
A member of the Georgia National guard helps manage traffic at a COVID-19 mass vaccination site at the Delta Flight Museum, Monday, February 22, in Atlanta. The state has four sites located around Georgia.
John Bazemore/AP/FILE
More than 3 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Georgia, according to the state’s health department.
In a news release, the Georgia Department of Public Health said that one million residents over the age of 65, which is 72% of the population in that age range, have received at least one dose. The dashboard showed that over 1.1 million people have received both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.
The state also said that they have administered one million doses over the past 19 days.
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Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson announce agreements to deliver 138 million vaccine doses to Brazil
From CNN's Rodrigo Pedroso in São Paulo
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday that they signed deals with the Brazilian health ministry to provide a total of 138 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to the country.
Pfizer will deliver 100 million doses by the end of September, according to a press release from the company. On Monday, the health ministry said they expect to receive 13.5 million Pfizer doses in the second quarter of 2021 and 86.5 million in the third.
Brazil’s health agency Anvisa has not yet approved emergency authorization for Johnson & Johnson, though the health ministry already said it expects to receive 16.9 million doses from the company by the end of August and another 21.1 million by the end of November.
Johnson & Johnson did not specify their timeline for delivering the 38 million doses in their press release announcing the agreement.
Brazil has so far approved three vaccines for emergency use during the pandemic, those by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.
The vaccine announcement comes as Brazil continues to report record daily numbers. Just on Wednesday, the country saw its largest daily jump in cases since the start of the pandemic — 90,303 new cases.
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Biden thanks CDC staff for work fighting Covid-19: "We owe you a gigantic debt of gratitude"
From CNN's DJ Judd
Patrick Semansky/AP
President Biden thanked staff at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today for their role in combatting the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We can build all the walls and we can get the most powerful armies in the world — we cannot stop, we cannot stop these viruses, other than be aware where they are and move quickly on them when we find them,” he added.
“I just want you to have some confidence that it’s not only the vice president, I, and the whole team, the whole Covid team writ large, committed, but the American people have moved. The American people have moved, this is a bipartisan effort now.”
The President went on to tout his Covid-19 relief bill and the support he said the plan has garnered from the public across the country. No Republicans ultimately supported the administration’s Covid relief bill in the House or Senate, forcing Democrats to pass the legislation through reconciliation with a simple majority.
“Well, we didn’t get any help in the Senate or the House, but there’s 55% of a Republicans in America supporting it, you have 90-something% of the Democrats, 80-something—the point is, the public is thankful to you, because it’s about science, that’s what they understand they understand,” Biden said.
In closing, Biden told the CDC staff, “You’ve changed things, you’ve change them in a way that are going to make everybody healthier in this country. And when we have a crisis, you’re prepared to meet it. Because you speak truth and science to power.”
After Biden’s remarks, Vice President Kamala Harris took the opportunity to laud Biden for his commitment to science that driven his administration’s response to the pandemic, telling CDC staff, “everyone here knows, before the President was President, he was dedicated to science.”
“The President takes calls with leaders around the world, we talk with people around the world, and they have named their Centers of Disease Control after this Center of Disease Control,” Harris said, adding the American CDC serves as a template for other nations.
“You all are a model for the world around what can be done based on a pursuit of that which will uplift and improve human condition in life.”
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson receives first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine
From CNN's Nada Bashir
Frank Augstein/Pool/AP
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson received the first dose of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday.
“I’ve just received my first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine dose. Thank you to all of the incredible scientists, NHS staff and volunteers who helped make this happen,” he tweeted.
“Getting the jab is the best thing we can do to get back to the lives we miss so much. Let’s get the jab done,” Johnson added.
He urged people to get a vaccine, telling reporters after receiving his first shot that it is the “best thing” for all.
“I literally did not feel a thing, it was very good, very quick. I cannot recommend it too highly,” Johnson said.
“Everybody, when you do get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it. It is the best thing for you, the best thing for your family, and for everybody else,” he added.
Johnson was seen leaving Gassiot House Outpatient Centre at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital on Friday evening after receiving his first dose.
Johnson was previously admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital in April 2020 for coronavirus and remained in intensive care for three nights. The prime minister later released a statement thanking National Health Service staff who cared for him.
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Germany's Merkel says she would take AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
From CNN's Nada Bashir
Michael Sohn/AP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she herself “would get vaccinated with AstraZeneca” when called to get the vaccine, adding that the government’s motto to tackle the coronavirus pandemic is “vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.”
The chancellor’s remarks come as Germany recommences its rollout of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday, a day after the European Medicines Agency [EMA] reaffirmed that the vaccine is both “safe and effective” in preventing coronavirus and “not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events, or blood clots.”
Speaking during news conference following Berlin’s vaccination summit, Merkel said the government was right to impose a temporary suspension on the rollout of the vaccine in order to guarantee its safety.
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CDC's new school guidance reducing distance relies on masking and other measures, director says
From CNN’s Maggie Fox and Nick Neville
New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that relaxes recommendations for distancing from 3 feet to 6 feet for many kids relies heavily on schools using other measures, including universal masking and contact tracing, the agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said Friday.
The CDC announced the new guidance earlier Friday and Walensky outlined it at a White House coronavirus briefing.
“Today, CDC is pleased to update our recommendations for physical distancing between students and classrooms in our K- 12 operational strategy,” Walensky said. In elementary schools, CDC recommends students remain at least 3 feet apart in classrooms where everyone is wearing a mask.
But this only works if schools are taking other steps, too, she said.
“These include universal and correct use of masks, physical distancing, hand washing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning to maintain healthy facilities and diagnostic testing with rapid and efficient contact tracing in combination with isolation in quarantine and in collaboration with local health departments,” Walensky said.
Three studies done in Utah, Missouri and Florida helped inform the changed guidance, she said. A study done by Florida health officials and the CDC found that resuming school in person did not increase infection rates.
“Importantly, this study also found that Covid-19 rates were higher among students in school districts that did not have mandatory mask use policies in place,” Walensky said.
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UK variant is more deadly and contagious, Fauci says
From CNN's Nick Neville and Maggie Fox
White House
One of the new coronavirus variants that’s rapidly spreading in the US is both more contagious and likely more deadly as well, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday.
The spread of the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the UK means vaccination is more important than ever, as are measures such as mask use and social distancing, Fauci said during a White House briefing.
It was first spotted in Colorado at the end of December, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Since then it has been detected in 50 jurisdictions in the United States, and likely accounts now for about 20 to 30% of the infections in this country. And that number is growing.”
“In a couple of UK studies, this one looking at over 54,000 matched pairs of participants in the UK in which one person was infected with the B.1.1.7 and another one with the previously circulating variant, there was a 64% increased risk of death for those with the B.1.1.7,” Fauci told the briefing. He showed a second study that indicated a 61% higher risk of death with B.1.1.7.
But vaccines appear to protect well against B.1.1.7 and treatments such as monoclonal antibodies also appear to work against this particular variant, Fauci noted.
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CDC director: Teachers unions have been "very respectful" of science behind new school distancing guidance
From CNN's DJ Judd and Kaitlan Collins
White House
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN Friday that teachers’ unions have been “very respectful” of the CDC’s commitment to following science in rolling out new distancing guidance at schools.
Earlier today she announced that low levels of in-school coronavirus transmission in three states helped persuade the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lower its distancing guidelines for many schools from 6 feet to 3 feet.
In a statement, Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, expressed concern over the new guidance, writing, “We are concerned that the CDC has changed one of the basic rules for how to ensure school safety without demonstrating certainty that the change is justified by the science and can be implemented in a manner that does not detract from the larger long-term needs of students.”
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Here's a look at the latest US vaccination figures
From CNN's Betsy Klein
White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients outlined today some key updates from the administration’s efforts to vaccinate Americans.
Here’s a breakdown of the figures:
100 million shots have been administered in 58 days.
22 milliondoses have been sent out to states, tribes and territories, and through the federal channels, including pharmacies and community health centers this week – over2.5 times the weekly supply that was being distributed when President Biden took office.
Nearly 6,000 federal personnel have been deployed to serve as vaccinators and support vaccinations, including over 2,000 active duty troops – that will grow to more than 6,000 active-duty troops in the coming weeks.
More than 600 community vaccination sites receiving federal support are administering more than 1 million shots, over 60% of which administered to minority populations.
14,000 pharmacies are participating in the federal pharmacy vaccination program – Biden has committed to doubling the program.
More than 500 mobile vaccination clinics have been set up to meet people where they are.
250 community health centers are receiving vaccines directly, with an additional 700 centers expected by the end of April.
2.5 million shots have been administered per day, per the current seven-day average.
2 out of 3 adults age 65 and older have gotten at least their first shot.
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Biden administration surpasses goal of 100 million vaccine doses, Covid response team announces
From CNN's DJ Judd
The Biden administration officially hit 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered Friday under their watch, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients announced.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 115,730,008 total vaccine doses have been administered to date — 75,495,716 Americans have received at least one dose, while 40,981,464 have been fully vaccinated.
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US will send around 4 million of its AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses to Canada and Mexico
From CNN's Betsy Klein
White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients
White House
The US will loan a portion of its releasable AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to Mexico and Canada, White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients officially announced on Friday.
The US will be loaning around 4 million doses to the two countries as the US waits for official usage approval of the vaccine in the US, Zients said. CNN has previously reported Mexico will be receiving approximately 2.5 million doses, with 1.5 million going to Canada.
He continued, “So balancing the need to let the approval process of the AstraZeneca vaccine take place here in the US, with the importance of helping to stop the spread in other countries, we will loan a portion of our releasable AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada.”
The loan, Zients said, will allow US neighbors “to meet a critical vaccination need in their countries, providing more protection immediately across the North American continent.”
Zients clarified that those doses will not be taken from Americans since this vaccine is still not authorized for emergency use in the US.
“No American will be without a vaccine because of this action,” he said of the move.
Zients was pressed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to clarify how the loan process would work. He suggested it would follow “the structure of a loan” and the doses would be returned through AstraZeneca later in 2021.
“The structure of a loan, that’s what makes most sense. And given what we’re balancing here, which is helping our global partners while they have a critical need, and we await the results of the clinical trials here in the US and FDA action on AstraZeneca in the next several weeks,” Zients said.
He continued, “So this arrangement helps Canada and Mexico, in the moment, meet that critical need while ensuring that they return those doses through the company — through AstraZeneca — later in the year.”
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WHO committee says there is no evidence AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots
From CNN’s Virginia Langmaid
A medical worker prepares an AstraZeneca vaccine in Turin, Italy, on March 19.
Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images
Current available data does not indicate that recent reported blood clots following the administration of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine are connected to the vaccine, the World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety said Friday.
The committee concluded that data “do not suggest any overall increase in clotting conditions such as deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism following administration of Covid-19 vaccines.”
The committee noted that people naturally develop blood clots, and Covid-19 infection can also cause them. It said observed rates of these events have actually been lower than expected. Just because someone suffers a blood clot and was also recently vaccinated does not mean the vaccine caused the clot, the committee said.
The committee says it will continue to review vaccination data and update guidance as necessary. It said health authorities should continue to keep careful watch.
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Biden says administration is on pace to administer 200 million Covid-19 vaccines by his 100th day in office
From CNN's Maegan Vazquez
Andrew Harnik/AP
President Biden said on Friday that his administration may be able to double its previous goal of getting 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses into the arms of Americans by his 100th day in office, a day after he announced that his administration had reached the 100 million goal less than 60 days since being sworn in.
The US seven-day average crossed the 2.5 million mark yesterday, which would get the country to more than 205 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by day 100 of Biden’s presidency.
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Finland pauses AstraZeneca vaccinations for a week
From CNN's Chloe Adams
Finland has suspended use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for at least one week, a spokesperson for the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare told CNN Friday, despite assertions from the European Union’s medicines regulator that the vaccine is safe.
According to the spokesperson, administration of the vaccine — developed by AstraZeneca in conjunction with the University of Oxford — will be paused in order to allow for further investigations to be carried out into potential side effects of the vaccine.
The decision comes just a day after the European Medicines Agency [EMA] announced its conclusion on an emergency investigation into the risks associated with the vaccine, recommending Thursday that the vaccine is “safe and effective” in preventing coronavirus and “not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events, or blood clots.”
Following a series of temporary suspensions across Europe, several countries have now announced plans to resume AstraZeneca vaccinations in light of the EMA’s conclusion, including France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
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CDC updates physical distancing guidelines for students in schools from 6 feet to 3
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
First grade students practice social distancing at the Green Mountain School in Woodland, Washington, on February 18.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its physical distancing guidelines for children in schools from six feet to three feet.
The CDC has previously said schools should try to maintain at least six feet of distance between children, but in light of new data, the agency is now recommending students generally maintain at least three feet of distance.
On Friday, the agency is releasing three new studies it says support distancing of three feet between students, so long as everyone is wearing a mask and other prevention measures are in place.
Another study recently published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found there was no difference in Covid-19 rates between Massachusetts schools that mandated three feet of physical distance compared to six feet, as long as everyone wore masks.
At times when it’s not possible to accommodate masks, such as when eating, the CDC said six feet of distance should be maintained.
The agency recommends keeping student and teachers in distinct groups, or cohorts, throughout the day and maintaining six feet of distance between those groups, when possible. In middle schools and high schools where community transmission is high, CDC advises students to stay six feet apart, if cohorting is not possible.
The CDC also recommends six feet of distance in common areas, like lobbies and auditoriums, and during activities like singing, shouting, band or sport practices. They say it’s better to move those kinds of activities, where increased exhalation occurs, outdoors or to well-ventilated spaces.
In classrooms, the CDC says layout changes, like removing nonessential furniture and facing desks in the same direction, can help maximize distance between students. On school buses, the agency recommends seating students one child per row, skipping rows and opening windows to increase ventilation.
What about adults? When it comes to adults, including teachers and staff, the agency says it’s better to stick to six feet of distance, both with other adults and with children.
The CDC says screening testing can provide additional protection for sports and in schools that use less than six feet of distancing between students in classrooms.
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Denmark says it will provide update on AstraZeneca vaccine pause next week
From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen and Duarte Mendonca
Citizens wait in line for a Covid-19 vaccination in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 18.
Ole Jensen/Getty Images
The Danish National Board of Health announced Friday it will give an update on the pause to the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country next week, while a wide range of Danish experts in blood clots, immune diseases, hormonal diseases and the like will further analyze it.
The Director of the National Board of Health, Søren Brostrøm, shared the same views of the Danish Medicines Agency and insisted that Denmark would continue its suspension based on a “precautionary principle”, despite “kind of” agreeing with the EMA assessment.
“It is important for me to say that we do not dismiss the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Brostrøm.
According to Brostrøm, the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine already delivered will be stored at hospital pharmacies, where they can then be used later if approved.
Brostrøm went on to add that it was the very unusual cases of possible side effects that caused the National Board of Health to react.
“It was different blood clots that we saw. These were unusual conditions in younger and healthy people”, Brostrøm said, adding later they were a “very rare condition.”
The Director of the National Board of Health is adamant that the latest decision by the Danish health authorities give the country more leeway to make further decisions to be on the “safe side”.
“It may be that we resume AstraZeneca without worries. We may resume it with some changes to audiences or precautions. It could be that we extend the break, and it could theoretically also be that we say we will not continue to use it at all”, Brostrøm said.
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US Chamber of Commerce praises Biden’s Covid-19 response and warns against tax hikes
From CNN’s Matt Egan
The US Chamber of Commerce applauded the Biden administration’s efforts to end the pandemic by accelerating the rollout of vaccines.
Bradley added that the Chamber of Commerce is pleased with the White House’s efforts to reform the immigration system and rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure.
“The president’s focus on infrastructure is right on target. Our economy is being held back by a deteriorating infrastructure system. That has been laid bare by the pandemic,” he said, pointing to the need for broadband.
However, the Chamber of Commerce expressed worry about how to pay for Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure program. The White House is laying the groundwork for the first major business tax hike since 1993.
“Coming out of the pandemic, raising taxes – especially to the degree the Biden administration is proposing – would hobble any economic recovery,” Bradley said. “If you add [tax hikes] to an infrastructure bill, all you’ve done is defeat the infrastructure bill.”
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Italy says AstraZeneca pause was a "setback" in its vaccination rollout
From CNN’s Valentina DiDonato, Hada Messia and Duarte Mendonca
People queue to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in Rome, Italy, on March 19.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
Italy hopes to pick up pace in vaccinating its population after the country’s temporary pause in administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Italian Health Institute said on Friday.
“We were vaccinating about 200,000 people in Italy per day, and so this has been a setback,” Giovanni Rezza, director general of Prevention at Italy’s Ministry of Health, said.
Italy, like many other European countries, decided to take a cautious approach in regards to the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine — after it raised some concerns— which has been promptly reviewed.
“The benefits of the vaccine AstraZeneca far outweigh the risks, and the vaccine is safe and efficient for any age group. It is not associated with an increase of thromboembolic risks neither are there problems related to any batches,” the director of Italy’s medicines regulator, AIFA, Nicola Magrini, said on Friday – revoking the ban on its use.
Magrini went on to add that there is no need to take blood-thinners, which have been described on several reports as potential medication that could help prevent cases of blood-clouting.
Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi is expected to make further updates at 12.30 p.m. ET.
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BioNTech "turning every stone" to scale up Covid-19 vaccine production, co-founder says
From CNN's Fred Pleitgen,Claudia Otto and Niamh Kennedy
The makers of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine are “turning every stone” to scale up production capacity as Europe continues to suffer from a deficit in vaccine supply.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, BioNTech co-founder and chief medical officer Özlem Türeci said the company is “continuously reevaluating how the target we have already set could be even overperformed.”
Despite certain limitations such as the fact that they “cannot train people very fast” the company is focusing on finding partners “who can compliment pieces of this pretty large network” of vaccine supply.
The company is also being kept busy by the continuous need to test the robustness of their vaccine against new variants of the virus.
Based on their analysis the current vaccine has been found to be effective against the variant first detected in the UK and the variant first detected in South Africa, with Türeci stressing that the company’s main priority is ascertaining “which variant is of real concern.”
A great deal of resources are directed into being “prepared for tomorrow in case such a variant of concern would occur: the processes with which we can adapt to a new variant,” Türeci added.
The company uses its “fast and adaptable” mRNA platform to exchange the old sequence against that of the new variant according to Türeci. Blueprint clinical trials whereby the company pre-discusses with regulators the switch in sequence, are also being deployed.
Although emerging variants are something BioNTech has to take “seriously,” Türeci told CNN that there is “no reason for fear currently.”
Türeci also spoke of how a “gender balanced team is one of the key success factors” in BioNTech’s work, boosting in particular the problem solving capabilities of the company.
“As scientists we are used — particularly because we have always worked in technology innovation — we are used to solve problems and unknowns in real time. And that was a strength which helped us along this way.”
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has drawn praise from across the globe for its high effectiveness, with a peer reviewed study in Israel showing an effectiveness rate of 94% in preventing asymptomatic Covid-19.
Last week,Pfizer and BioNTech announced that real-world evidence from the Israel Ministry of Health shows that two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine, its effectiveness was at least 97% in preventing symptomatic disease, hospitalizations and death. The analysis also found that the vaccine effectiveness was 94% in preventing asymptomatic Covid-19, where infections show no symptoms
“When we started our development last year in January, our aim was to make a difference for people worldwide and to help end this pandemic,” Dr. Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of BioNTech, said in the announcement. “One year after the declaration of a pandemic by the WHO, we now see that we are on the right track to accomplish our goals.”
See CNN’s exclusive interview:
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People who have been fully vaccinated do not need Covid-19 testing if not showing symptoms, Fauci says
From CNN's Virginia Langmaid
People who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to continue getting tested unless they start to show symptoms of the disease, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS This Morning on Friday.
In response to a question on whether those who have been vaccinated need to continue getting tested, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said “Not necessarily. In fact, I wouldn’t say that that’s something that you should do.”
“If you’ve been fully vaccinated with two doses of the mRNA or one dose of the J&J I would not be considering, unless you develop symptoms that were suggestive, but not if you’re without symptoms,” he said.
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French Prime Minister to receive AstraZeneca shot Friday
From CNN’s Barbara Wojazer in Paris and Rob Picheta in London
French Prime Minister Jean Castex receives the first injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the Bégin Army Hospital in Saint-Mandé, France on March 19.
Eliot Blondet/Abaca/Sipa USA
French Prime Minister Jean Castex will receive a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday, his office said.
The Prime Minister is 55 years old and is not in any priority group, but said he wanted to “show we can have full trust in the vaccine” during a press conference on Thursday, when he announced France would resume using AstraZeneca in its vaccine rollout.
The vaccination will take place at 2.35 p.m. (9.35 a.m. ET) at the Begin Military hospital near Paris, according to his office.
Earlier on Friday, French junior budget minister Olivier Dussopt said in an interview on Europe 1 that the vaccine program will cost between 3 and 4 billion euros ($3.6-$4.8 billion).
“If there’s one spending that we really should not restrict, it is spending on vaccination,” Dussopt said. “It’s the best investment for our health, for our economy, and for France.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said he will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday. The UK has stood by the shot while European countries paused their rollouts.
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FDA, CDC advisers say to expect a lot of questions about AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
From CNN Health’s Elizabeth Cohen
In interviews with CNN, several vaccine advisers to the US government said that a lot of questions should be expected when and if AstraZeneca applies to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine.
The advisers did not cast doubt as to whether AstraZeneca’s vaccine would ultimately gain emergency use authorization from the FDA. They did, however, say the company’s application will likely bring up issues that didn’t arise when the three Covid-19 vaccines currently used in the United States – made by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – applied for their own emergency use authorizations.
“It’s clear more questions have been raised about the AstraZeneca vaccine than about any of the other vaccines which are now authorized in the US,” said Dr. Arnold Monto, acting chair of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
More than a dozen European countries have suspended their AstraZeneca vaccine rollouts over worries about blood clots, though many are now restarting the programs after the EU’s medicines regulator said it is safe to use on Thursday.
There have also been concerns about a mistake made in their clinical trial last year and efficacy data that raised questions. Also, South Africa has suspended use the vaccine because health authorities said it wasn’t effective enough against the variant identified there.
“This is the vaccine that’s had one glitch after another,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a liaison member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
As more and more European countries have suspended their AstraZeneca vaccine rollouts, the company, as well as international health agencies, have defended it.
“The safety of all is our first priority,” an AstraZeneca statement said Wednesday. “Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.
The World Health Organization, UK health authorities and the European Medicines Agency have all voiced support for the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying its benefits outweigh any risks.
AstraZeneca expects to ask the FDA to authorize its Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in March or early April, sources with knowledge of the company’s ongoing clinical trial told Reuters last week.
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“Covid to Covid” double-lung transplant successfully completed
From CNN Health’s Christopher Rios
Transplant surgeons at Northwestern Medicine say they have successfully performed one of the first known double-lung transplants on a Covid-19 patient using lungs from a donor who had previously tested positive for Covid-19.
“This is a milestone for lung transplantation,” Dr. Ankit Bharat, the transplant surgeon who performed the procedure, said in a news release.
“To date, 30 million Americans have had Covid-19 and many of them are registered organ donors. If we say ‘no’ to them just because they had Covid-19 in the past, we will drastically reduce the donor pool and there’s already a big supply and demand gap.”
The donor recovered from the virus after experiencing only moderate symptoms but later died from a cause unrelated to Covid-19. The donor’s lungs were not damaged by the virus, making them viable for transplantation, according to the transplant team.
The team tested the donor’s lung fluid for Covid-19 and performed a lung biopsy to check for lung damage before performing the transplant.
The patient who received the lungs, an Illinois man in his 60s, was diagnosed with Covid-19 in May 2020. The patient became so sick that he was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, a machine that does the work of both the heart and lungs. The patient received the transplant at the end of February after spending one week on the transplant list.
“Currently, many transplant centers are worried about the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from donors, particularly for lung transplants, and are unnecessarily discarding these organs,” Dr. Michael Ison, an infectious disease and organ transplant specialist at Northwestern Medicine, said. “This donor clarifies the safety of the use of these donors.”
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Denmark and Sweden join Norway in waiting before restarting AstraZeneca vaccine
From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen and Duarte Mendonca
A syringe prepped for vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine is pictured in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 11.
Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images
Denmark and Sweden announced on Thursday they will not restart their rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine yet, according to statements from their respective health authorities.
The decisions come after Norway also said it wouldn’t restart the use of AstraZeneca for “some time,” while it continues to investigate six cases of severe disease that occurred in the country after vaccination, Steinar Madsen, the Medical Director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told CNN’s Richard Quest.
Despite the results of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) investigation on Thursday, which stated that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks, the Danish Medicines Agency said in a statement “it cannot be ruled out that there may be an association between the vaccine and the rare cases of blood clots, a low level of blood platelets and bleeding.”
Denmark is expected to hold a press conference on Friday to address the ongoing issue.
Similarly, Sweden will refrain from taking a firm position on the vaccine while it gathers more information, the Public Health Agency said.
“Until then, a continued break is recommended for the use of this vaccine in Sweden,” the health authority added.
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UK considering "Covid certificates" for attendees of live events
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden leaves 10 Downing Street on March 17, in London, England.
Hollie Adams/Getty Images
The UK is considering the use of “Covid certificates” to allow people to attend live events such as sports fixtures, its Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Friday.
Dowden told Sky News the UK government will “be testing whether we can use Covid certification to help facilitate the return of sports.”
The plan bears some resemblance to rumoured vaccine passports, a concept that has been ruled out by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but would also allow unvaccinated people to attend venues after receiving a negative test result.
According to Dowden, the certificates could be used “to prove, for example, that you’ve had a vaccine or that you’ve had a successful negative test,” adding “that may be one of the things that could help ensure that we can get more people back into the stadium.”
The UK will be using several high-profile sporting and cultural events as “pilot events” to test a return of crowds, including the FA Cup final on May 15.
During these pilot events the UK will be “looking at how we can ensure an indoor and outdoor setting, how we can get as many people back as we possibly can and get back to the things we really love as a nation,” Dowden said.
The government will also analyze the impact of “one-way systems, things like masks, things like hand hygiene,” with Cabinet minister Michael Gove tasked with overseeing the Covid certification work program.
“(We’re) working with many, many people to see how we can get people back safely in large numbers, because if we don’t manage to do it this summer… I’m really worried about the future of those industries that are so vital not just to our sense of national wellbeing, but to the whole national economy.”
Under the UK’s government roadmap out of lockdown, large scale live events are slated for return on June 21 at the earliest, with Dowden saying it is his “number one mission” for that plan to go ahead.
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Not enough vaccine in Europe to stop third wave, warns German Health Minister
From CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Berlin
German Health Minister Jens Spahn, right, and German public health expert Karl Lauterbach arrive for a news conference on March 19, in Berlin.
Stefanie Loos/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
There is not enough Covid-19 vaccine in Europe to stop the third wave of coronavirus infections, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Friday.
Speaking at a weekly news conference, Sphan warned his country may have to reimpose some restrictions to slow the spread of the virus.
Infections in Germany are rising, as they are across much of Europe.
The country reported 17,482 new cases earlier on Friday. It has resumed its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after pausing its use earlier in the week.
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Seoul City backs off of mandatory testing for foreigners
From CNN’s Gawon Bae in Seoul
Seoul City is backing off a mandate that all foreign workers get tested for Covid-19 following a request from the country’s Health Ministry.
In a news release from the city government, Seoul City says it is now only recommending foreign workers employed at high-risk businesses with dense and unventilated working environments get tested for Covid-19 by March 31.
The city also recommends South Korean people working at the same businesses get tested, the release added.
The change in policy comes after widespread pushback from foreign diplomats and international businesses.
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South Korean Health Ministry requests Seoul to withdraw mandatory testing of foreigners
From CNN's Jake Kwon in Seoul
Migrant workers queue up to take coronavirus tests at a makeshift clinic in Ansan, South Korea on March 16.
Hong Ki-won/Yonhap/AP
The South Korean Health Ministry has officially requested Seoul City’s administration to withdraw mandatory Covid-19 testing for all foreign workers, according to a statement released on Friday.
The statement calls for improvements to prevent discrimination or the violation of human rights of South Korean or foreign nationals in its efforts to prevent Covid-19 from spreading further.
Prior to the ministry’s request, Seoul City had rejected accusations of discrimination against foreign workers.
A number of foreign embassies, including the United States and United Kingdom, earlier said they had raised concerns about the measures with South Korean authorities.
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Germany's Covid-19 cases rise as country resumes AstraZeneca vaccinations
From CNN’s Claudia Otto in Berlin
A doctor waits at the door of a booth in a vaccination center in Nuremberg, southern Germany on March 18.
Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images
Germany reported 17,482 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), said Friday.
The single-day infections are 5,000 more than what was reported one week ago. The country’s total caseload now stands at 2,629,750.
On Friday, 226 virus-related fatalities were reported, bringing the total death toll to 74,358.
A study by the RKI found that over 70% of new Covid-19 cases in Germany involve coronavirus variants.
On Thursday evening, Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn announced the country would resume the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.
This post has been updated to more accurately reflect the results of the RKI study.
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Seoul denies mandatory testing for foreign workers is discriminatory, despite concerns
From CNN’s Yoonjung Seo, Jake Kwon, and David Hawley in Seoul, South Korea
The Seoul government has defended its new measure requiring all foreign workers in the city to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests, denying criticism of discrimination.
Song Eun-cheol, an official of the South Korean capital, said in a briefing Friday that the measure was imposed to curb the surge of Covid-19 infections among foreigners.
He said the proportion of foreign residents among confirmed Covid-19 cases in Seoul jumped from 2.2% from late last year to 6.3% currently, and that several large infection clusters in the greater Seoul area are of great concern.
The mandatory testing order was made partly because many foreign workers, especially unregistered ones, are reluctant to be tested, weakening the measures to prevent the virus, he claimed.
He also confirmed the government has heard from multiple foreign embassies in Seoul that are concerned about the order, and will review and consider their points. When asked about the number of countries that have appealed against this decision, he would not specify.
Responses to the measure:
The US Embassy in Seoul has raised concerns with the South Korean government over testing of foreigners but encouraged its citizens in country to abide by mandatory Covid testing of foreign workers.
An Australian Embassy spokesperson told CNN: “We have expressed our concerns to, and are in close contact with, local and national government officials.”
In a video released on Twitter Thursday, UK ambassador to South Korea, Simon Smith, said the British Embassy has made clear to the Seoul and Gyeonggi province governments that it believes the measures are not fair, proportionate or likely to be effective. Smith also said the embassy raised this issue with the Korean National Human Rights Commission as a matter of urgency. But he still advised British workers in Seoul and other areas to get tested to avoid fines while the embassy continues to argue for a review of the decision.
Seoul National University requested cancellation of the mandatory testing order for foreign workers, the school said in a news release Friday. The university said it deems the measure to be a “discriminatory action against foreigners” which “violates constitutional rights for equality.”
Some context: In a briefing Thursday, Seoul city’s top health official Park Yoo-mi said there were about 60,000 registered foreign workers in the city as of the end of 2020 according to the Justice Ministry.
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Sao Paulo reports first Covid-19 patient to die while waiting for an ICU bed
From CNN's Marcia Reverdosa in Sao Paulo
A 22-year-old Brazilian man died from Covid-19 while waiting for an ICU bed in Sao Paulo, the city’s mayor Bruno Covas said during a news conference Thursday.
The man was admitted to a local hospital on the night of March 11 and died from the virus on March 13. The ICU bed became available a day after he died, according to Covas.
Brazil has faced a surge in infections this month. On Thursday, Sao Paulo city reached an ICU occupancy rate of 88%, according to the state’s health authorities. The level is close to what the city saw at the height of its first wave of infections in June 2020.
As of Thursday, 395 people are still waiting for an ICU bed in Sao Paulo, according to Covas.
“The city, which has never stopped, needs to stop. So that we don’t have more cases like this, of people who are not admitted [to the ICU] due to lack of beds,” said Covas.
Lack of medical supplies: Brazil’s recent surge in infections is not only causing a shortage of ICU beds throughout the country, but also leading to a lack of critical supplies and medications for patients in those units.
The National Front of Mayors (FNP) sent a letter to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the Health Ministry Thursday asking for “immediate measures” from the federal government, including sedation medications and oxygen for intubated patients with Covid-19 and other illnesses.
According to FNP, mayors are asking for help to prevent “the tragic and cruel scenes recently witnessed in Manaus.” The largest city in the state of Amazonas experienced major oxygen shortages in January.
The organization of mayors represents 412 cities accounting for 61% of Brazil’s population.
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Coronavirus spread on flight, in hotel corridor, New Zealand study finds
From CNN's Amanda Sealy and Maggie Fox
The coronavirus spread on an international flight, in a hotel corridor and then to household contacts despite efforts to isolate and quarantine patients, New Zealand researchers reported Thursday.
Careful genomic tracing confirmed the spread of the virus among nine patients and shows how people can infect one another despite careful efforts, the researchers reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
One of those infected had spent 14 days in quarantine after being evacuated on a chartered 747 jet from India to New Zealand last September and had tested negative twice.
Others appear to have become infected on the flight, even though it was only a third full and passengers were spaced apart from one another. All passengers were required to wear face masks for the duration of the flight.