(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
AstraZeneca vaccine 76% effective in new analysis of U.S. trial
AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic illness in a new analysis of its major U.S. trial – slightly lower than the 79% level announced this week in a report that was criticised for using outdated information.
The latest data was based on 190 infections among more than 32,400 participants in the United States, Chile and Peru. AstraZeneca said it planned to seek U.S. emergency use authorisation in the coming weeks and the latest data had been presented to the independent trial oversight committee, the Data Safety Monitoring Board.
India delays big AstraZeneca vaccine exports as infections surge
India has put a temporary hold on all major exports of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shot made by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest vaccine-maker, to meet domestic demand as infections rise, two sources told Reuters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet decided this week to widen its inoculation drive by including everyone above 45 from April 1, and many states battling a surge in infections have demanded that all adults be covered.
US says it hopes WHO report on virus origins is “based on science”
The United States expects a World Health Organization (WHO) investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic to require further study, perhaps including a return visit to China, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.
The lengthy report by the team – made up of international experts and their Chinese counterparts – is expected to be issued this week, the WHO says.
UK’s Johnson considers tougher rules for France
Britain might have to toughen restrictions on arrivals from France, including hauliers, to defend against new variants of the COVID-19 virus spreading from the rest of Europe where the situation was difficult, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Asked whether France should be put on a red list, which is a category of countries from which most travel to Britain is banned, Johnson told a parliamentary committee that testing hauliers would have an impact on trade flows.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh)
