COVID-19: Latest global developments
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis, compiled by AFP.
– J&J verdict due –
Europe’s drug regulator is expected to rule on the safety of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after fears it could be linked to extremely rare blood clots.
– Jabs for all adults –
India, in the grips of a devastating surge in infections, will open is vaccination drive to all adults from May. Until now the country had limited shots to those over the age of 45 but experts have called for a faster rollout.
– Flight cluster –
At least 49 passengers on a flight from New Delhi to Hong Kong test positive, as the financial hub introduces an emergency ban on all flights from India in a crackdown over a new wave of cases.
– Osaka emergency –
Japan’s third most populated region Osaka asks the central government to impose a state of emergency in the prefecture as infections rise just three months before the country hosts the Olympics.
– Travel bubble case –
New Zealand authorities reveal an Auckland airport worker has tested positive, although Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it will not affect the newly opened travel bubble with Australia.
– Rip off tests –
The chief of the International Air Transport Association says airlines are suffering a “scam” as pricey tests are required of people travelling to Britain.
“Nobody will object to having systems in place to protect health and making sure that people can travel safely. But everybody should object when we see evidence of people being ripped off,” says IATA boss Willie Walsh.
– Malaysia ‘dictatorship’ –
Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad delivers a petition to the national palace urging the king to revoke a state of emergency, saying it had transformed the country into a “dictatorship”.
– More than three million dead –
At least 3,031,441 people have died of Covid-19 around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
The United States is the worst-affected country with 567,729 deaths, followed by Brazil with 374,682, Mexico with 212,466, India with 180,530 and Britain with 127,274.
