The Evening Report - March 11th
AstraZeneca concerns ripple across Europe as infections continue to rise
🇪🇺
Today the European Medicines Agency has recommended that the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine be given authorization for use across Europe. The E.U. Commission is expected to formally approve it later today.
This would be the fourth corona vaccine approved for use in Europe. However, doses from Johnson & Johnson aren’t likely to arrive anytime soon. The pharmaceutical company has already told E.U. officials it is having manufacturing issues and first shipments likely won’t arrive in Europe until April.
🇩🇰
Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke tweeted today that Denmark has 8.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine under contract when doses begin to arrive. He adds that because it is a one-shot vaccination it will inoculate 8.2 million people.
The Danish National Health Board says the first doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not arrive until April.
🇳🇴
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) has followed Denmark’s lead and also suspended AstraZeneca vaccinations. The agency cites concerns raised by Denmark when it decided to press pause on AstraZeneca vaccinations.
Norwegian FHI Director of Infection Control Geir Bukholm.
“We will wait for information if there is a connection between the vaccine and this case of blood clots.”
Bukholm stressed this is out of an abundance of caution.
“It has not been concluded that there is a connection between the vaccination and the incident in Denmark, but according to a precautionary principle, we choose to put vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine on pause while the investigation is ongoing.”
He says there have been reports of blood clotting post vaccination in Norway but they were among seniors who were dealing with underlying health conditions.
The Norwegian Medicines Agency is now reviewing all side effect reports.
Currently there 121,820 people in Norway vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The health agency says people who had been scheduled to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca will be offered another vaccine.
🇩🇰
The Metro Copenhagen Health Authority (Region Hovedstaden) says a total of 1,700 vaccination appointments were canceled today due to AstraZeneca vaccine use being suspended. All 1,700 were staff in municipalities and regions who were in target group four.
—
Amid all of this, the Staten Serum Institut says AstraZeneca has informed the European Union it will deliver less than half of the vaccine doses it promised in the first half of 2021.
The agency says that for Denmark this will mean a shortfall of 900,000 vaccine doses that had been promised.
SSI Deputy Director Ole Jensen.
“The fact that AstraZeneca is once again downgrading the number of doses delivered to the E.U. and thus Denmark is, of course, both unsatisfactory and a serious challenge.”
—
Denmark is reporting 862 COVID infections and two more coronavirus deaths in the last day.
Yesterday 270,331 COVID tests were done for a positivity percentage of 0.32%.
Hospitalizations(222) are down (-8), ICU numbers (44) crept up (+1), and ventilator numbers (23) are down (-1).
On the vaccination front, 572,040 1st doses (9.8% of the population) have been administered while 224,590 people (3.8%) are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Yesterday a total of 18,504 vaccinations were administered.
—
COVID variants continue to be a huge issue. The Staten Serum Institut is now reporting a third case of the Brazilian P1 corona variant. The first two were linked to each other and both were travel related. We don’t have details about the 3rd infection yet.
The U.K. variant now accounts for 84% of all sequenced positive coronavirus tests.
—
As requested, school administrators in Denmark have received both clarification and some degree of flexibility from the state ahead of a partial return to school next week.
School Leaders Association (Skolelederforeningen) Chair Claus Hjortdal.
"This is exactly the flexibility we need. This makes it possible for the school leaders to organize teaching so that it suits the local conditions.”
Among the clarifications, schools are not required to have COVID testing facilities on school grounds by next week. Rather, they have until classes return after the Easter holidays.
Hjortdal says preparing for a partial return to class requires support from the kommunes.
“It is the responsibility of the municipalities to establish good testing sites at the schools. It is important so that school leaders do not have to spend unnecessary time on administration and coordination on that task.”
—
The Danish Agency for Patient Safety (Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed) says the Brædstrup School in Horsens Kommune has been closed due to a COVID outbreak. All students, staff, and their families are strongly encouraged to get tested.
🇸🇪
Sweden has added 5,300 infections and another 23 corona deaths since yesterday’s update.
To date 722,519 1st vaccine doses (8.8% of the population) have been administered while 327,467 people (4%) are now fully vaccinated.
Swedish Health officials says the country will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying there is not enough evidence to justify suspending its use.
Today the Swedish Royal Court said both Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel have tested positive for COVID.
🇫🇮
Finland has registered 720 infections and suffered another four coronavirus deaths since yesterday’s update.
COVID hospitalizations (219) are up (+6) and ICU numbers (41) are down (-2).
To date, 539,618 1st dose (9.7% of the population) and 85,421 2nd doses (1.5%) have been administered.
Finland’s Pharmaceutical Safety Agency (FIMEA) says it has not received any reports of blood clotting after AstraZeneca vaccinations. The agency says the situation is being “closely monitored.” It also reported that, as of March 10, there have been 22 thrombosis cases reported across the E.U. out of some three-million AstraZeneca vaccinations.
🇳🇴
Norway has added 678 infections and had no new coronavirus deaths since yesterday’s update.
COVID hospitalizations (159) inched down (-2) and ventilator numbers (21) crept up (+1).
To date, 428,995 1st doses (7.99% of the population) and 230,725 2nd vaccine doses (4.3%) have been administered.
🇪🇺
There has been another blow up between the E.U. and Great Britain over vaccine doses as the Brexit divorce turns even more acrimonious. Yesterday, the U.K. accused the European Union of "vaccine nationalism", prompting the E.U. to release the graph below detailing vaccine doses exported out of Europe to nations abroad including to Great Britain.
The U.K, which has refused to share its stockpile of Astra Zeneca doses with Europe, is in a tizzy over Europe’s export control measure which allows it to halt vaccine shipments outside the bloc. The E.U. has exercised the new power just once so far, halting a shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines in Italy that were bound for Australia.
-
The European Medicines Agency has begun a rolling review on two monoclonal antibodies being developed by Eli Lilly to treat COVID patients. The antibodies bamlanivimab and etesemivab can be used in combination but the EMA says it will also review bamlanivimab on its own.
A rolling review is the first step towards determining whether or not the antibodies could be approved for use in Europe.
🇮🇹
Italy has seen the highest number of new infections since November of last year today with 25,673. Corona claimed another 373 lives.
Italy’s health agency has suspended vaccinations using a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of “adverse reactions” and one death. An Italian serviceman died of a heart attack the day after being vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Health officials have now launched an investigation, stressing that, at this point, there does not appear to be a link to the vaccine.
🇵🇱
Poland has also seen the highest number of new infections since November with 21,045. Another 375 lives were lost to the virus.
Poland has placed two regions under lockdown today. One is the Mazowieckie region, which includes the country’s capital Warsaw, and the western region of Lubuskie.
🇨🇿
The Czech Republic is still seeing a high number of new infections with 14,353. Another 110 corona deaths were reported.
As hospitals across the country reach capacity and a record number of corona patients cram ICUs, emergency rescue services are now being overwhelmed. Ambulance paramedics are struggling to determine where they can take a never ending stream of COVID patients.
—
Elsewhere in the E.U. Hungary recorded 8,312 new infections today, its highest ever.
The other countries of concern are Estonia, Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria.
🇩🇪
The German government said today it is expecting the supply of COVID vaccines to rise steadily in the coming months, hitting a peak of almost 10 million doses a week in July. To date, about 5.6 million people in Germany have received a first vaccination dose. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised that everyone who wants a vaccine will have one before Germany’s national elections on September 26th.
🇨🇦
Yesterday, Canada recorded 3,221 new infections and 31 more corona deaths. There are signs that infections may be increasing again.
To date, there have been 2,084,027 1st dose vaccinations (5.48% of the population) while 586,736 people are now fully vaccinated.
The number of COVID variants continues to grow. Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there are 2,641 U.K. variants, an increase of 161 from yesterday. In addition, another 54 South African variant infections and two more cases of the Brazilian P1 have been found.
Tam says the provinces with the highest number of variant infections are Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec, respectively.
-
Today, Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted, “Ontario is reporting 1,092 cases of #COVID19 and over 60,600 tests completed. Locally, there are 293 new cases in Toronto, 199 in Peel and 79 in York Region. As of 8:00 p.m. yesterday, 1,019,407 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.”
Sudbury, Ontario is being put into a corona lockdown.
-
Quebec reported 738 new cases on Thursday and 15 more deaths.
-
In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia reported one new infection while Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador had none.
-
Yesterday, there were 77 new infections and one death in Manitoba.
-
Saskatchewan registered 111 new infections and another virus death yesterday.
-
Alberta saw 399 infections and two deaths.
-
B.C. reported 531 infections and one more corona death. The province saw 51 more variant infections yesterday.
💉
Pfizer says its COVID vaccine is 97% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, severe/critical disease, and death. These were among findings released today from real world vaccinations studies in Israel.
The pharmaceutical company says its vaccine was found to “dramatically lower” COVID incidence rates among fully vaccinated people. The study also suggests the vaccine prevents asymptomatic infections.
Furthermore, the study found that unvaccinated individuals were 44 times more likely to develop symptomatic coronavirus infections and 29 times more likely to die from COVID.
It is also worth noting that, according to the Pfizer study, 80% of test subjects in Israel were infected with the U.K. variant.
🥇
International Olympics Committee chief Thomas Bach said today that competitors at this year's Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games will be offered coronavirus vaccines bought from China.