Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	123,855,882	+426,143	2,727,462
USA	30,521,774	+39,505	555,314
Brazil	11,998,233	+47,774	294,115
India	11,645,719	+47,009	160,003
Russia	4,456,869	+9,299	95,030
UK	4,296,583	+5,312	126,155
France	4,282,603	+30,581	92,305
Italy	3,376,376	+20,159	104,942
Spain	3,212,332	+6216	72,910
Turkey	3,013,122	+20,428	30,061
Germany	2,670,000	+11,149	75,270
Colombia	2,337,150	+5,963	62,028
Argentina	2,245,771	+4,032	54,545
Mexico	2,193,639	+5,729	197,827
Poland	2,058,550	+21,849	49,300
Iran	1,801,065	+7,260	61,797
Ukraine	1,546,363	+11,145	29,941
South Africa	1,537,852	+1,051	52,111
Czechia	1,469,547	+5,443	24,667
Peru	1,466,326	+5,547	50,198
Indonesia	1,460,184	+4,396	39,550
Netherlands	1,201,545	+6,965	16,275
Canada	933,785	+3,269	22,676
Chile	931,939	+6,850	22,279
Romania	897,115	+4,267	22,208
Belgium	832,751	+4,810	22,684
Israel	827,772	+552	6,092
Portugal	817,530	+450	16,768
Iraq	793,892	+4,502	14,007
Philippines	663,794	+7,757	12,968
Pakistan	626,802	+3,667	13,843
Hungary	571,596	+10,625	18,262
Bangladesh	570,878	+2,172	8,690
Serbia	551,128	+4,232	4,934
Jordan	535,455	+8,789	5,876
Austria	514,153	+2,713	9,074
Morocco	491,709	+246	8,767
Japan	455,638	+1,480	8,812
UAE	440,355	+1,717	1,438
Lebanon	439,568	+2,993	5,757
Saudi Arabia	385,020	+367	6,609
Panama	350,991	+326	6,044
Slovakia	348,869	+925	9,044
Malaysia	333,040	+1,327	1,233
Ecuador	312,598	+1,730	16,451
Belarus	310,445	+1,152	2,157
Bulgaria	303,423	+943	12,019
Georgia	277,480	+262	3,700
Nepal	275,906	+77	3,016
Bolivia	264,411	+603	12,051
Croatia	257,639	+834	5,773
Dominican Republic	249,463	+474	3,272
Azerbaijan	246,304	+814	3,351
Tunisia	245,706	+301	8,546
Greece	237,125	+1,514	7,462
Kazakhstan	231,698	+1,171	2,917
Ireland	230,599	+768	4,587
Denmark	225,505	+657	2,400
Palestine	223,638	+2,247	2,427
Kuwait	219,125	+1,192	1,226
Moldova	215,034	+831	4,559
Lithuania	209,011	+321	3,476
Slovenia	206,026	+516	3,972
Egypt	195,418	+647	11,598
Paraguay	194,122	+1,523	3,730
Guatemala	187,911	+252	6,700
Ethiopia	187,365	+1,724	2,659
Armenia	183,713	+586	3,348
Honduras	181,931	+574	4,430
Qatar	173,709	+503	273
Nigeria	161,737	+86	2,030
Libya	151,605	+1,264	2,506
Venezuela	151,123	+817	1,493
Oman	150,800	+1,665	1,622
Bahrain	135,982	+656	500
Albania	121,200	+659	2,137
Kenya	120,910	+747	2,011
North Macedonia	119,378	+642	3,473
Algeria	116,157	+91	3,057
S. Korea	98,665	+456	1,696
Latvia	97,409	+260	1,826
Estonia	95,401	+1,375	787
Sri Lanka	90,200	+354	546
China	90,099	+12	4,636
Ghana	89,682	+406	725
Kyrgyzstan	87,389	+68	1,490
Montenegro	87,212	+430	1,199
Norway	86,939	+577	648
Zambia	86,449	+176	1,179
Uruguay	81,537	+1,614	792
Uzbekistan	81,339	+118	622
Finland	71,643	+520	805
Cuba	66,758	+796	394
Cyprus	42,218	+336	243
Thailand	27,803	+90	90
Aruba	8,771	+40	82

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-03-22-21/index.html

 

 

 

India battles a second wave of infections along with vaccine skepticism

 

 

A crowded market in Mumbai, India, on Friday. The surrounding state of Maharashtra is at the center of a new coronavirus outbreak.Credit...Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

 

The coronavirus, once seemingly in retreat in India, is again rippling across the country. On Monday, the government reported almost 47,000 new cases, the highest number in more than four months. It also reported 212 new deaths from the virus, the most since early January.

The outbreak is centered in the state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, the country’s financial hub. Entire districts of the state have gone back into lockdown. Scientists are investigating whether a new strain found there is more virulent, like variants found in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.

Officials are under pressure to aggressively ramp up testing and vaccination, especially in Mumbai, to avoid disruptions like the dramatic nationwide lockdown last year, which resulted in a recession.

But less than 3 percent of India’s population of 1.3 billion has received a jab, including about half of health care workers.

The campaign has also been plagued by public skepticism. The government approved a domestically developed vaccine, called Covaxin, before its safety and efficacy trials were even over, though preliminary findings since then have suggested it works.

The other jab available in India is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which was suspended in some countries after a number of patients reported blood clots and strokes, though scientists haven’t found a link between the shots and the patients’ conditions.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/21/world/covid-19-coronavirus/india-battles-a-second-wave-of-infections-along-with-vaccine-skepticism

 

 

 

The pandemic has redefined relationships and self-reliance

 

Restaurants transformed their outdoor dining spaces into areas where people could gather to connect amid isolation.Credit...Sasha Arutyunova for The New York Times

In the year since the pandemic began, people learned to be together while apart and navigated the pain of feeling apart while together. Screens — small and large — became crucial links to the rest of the world.

Activities and routines that commanded crowds — visiting museums, attending concerts, working out, learning, traveling, partying — ceased or found a new life online. Holidays usually celebrated by family gatherings became fraught with consequences.

Memories of a prepandemic world, where people could stand shoulder to shoulder with faces bare, began to feel like dreams — as did moments of unexpected connection.

Couples in quarantine learned a lot about their significant others. In some instances, these revelations were not happy ones: Lawyers and mediators saw an increase in clients looking to divorce as soon as courts reopened.

In other cases, being confined together made couples stronger. Engagements and pregnancy announcements seemed to pop up constantly on social media. And there were plenty of weddings.

For many of those who were single, dating felt impossible in the early months of the pandemic. Sex toy sales increased. Eventually, emotional and physical needs began to weigh heavy, and people across the country found ways to meet and hook up within the confines of their comfort.

In search of safety, stability and support, adult children moved in with parents and parental figures, sometimes without a fixed departure date. In doing so, they rediscovered one another, and experienced the joys of bonding and the suffocation of constant proximity.

Though some Americans were able to hole up at home, their kitchen tables and couches converted into makeshift offices, others continued to work in public spaces. Delivery drivers dealt with health risks, theft and assault. Airline workers who weren’t furloughed had to confront passengers who refused to wear masks.

But things have opened up, slowly, over the past few months, as cases have fallen and people have become inoculated. Last week, President Biden promised that there would be enough vaccine doses for every American adult by May, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that vaccinated people can begin gathering indoors again — a sign that people will soon be finding their way back to one another.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/21/world/covid-19-coronavirus/the-pandemic-has-redefined-relationships-and-self-reliance

 

 

 

Summary

 

Here are the key developments from the last few hours:

· Europe can achieve herd immunity by July: EU commissioner. Europe could have herd immunity against Covid-19 by July, a European Union commissioner has said. The note of optimism comes even as several European countries have started reimposing restrictions as they contend with surging coronavirus infections, and after mixed messaging on the safety of a key jab.

· Germany is considering extending restrictions into April, with a memo suggested it should be lengthened because of rising infection rates driven by virus variants.

· Chile reported its highest daily count of new coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic despite widespread restrictions and widely praised progress on vaccinations.

· South Africa has sold 1m AstraZeneca vaccine doses to the African Union, the health ministry announced on Sunday in a statement reported by AFP, after it suspended its rollout of the jab.

· The EU rebuffed UK calls to ship AstraZeneca vaccines from Europe. The European Union is rebuffing British government calls to ship AstraZeneca Covid vaccines produced in a factory in the Netherlands, an EU official said on Sunday. Former EU member Britain has so far administered many more vaccines than EU countries in proportion to the population.

· Covid cases in Papua New Guinea have tripled in a month as doctors warn of ‘danger days’ ahead. Papua New Guinea has reported a record number of Covid-19 cases over the weekend as doctors warn that the hospital system is in the brink of being overwhelmed and more people could die outside emergency rooms.

· New Zealand to announce start date for quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia on 6 April. The New Zealand government has held off on announcing a start date for quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern says the government intends to announce a start date on 6 April.

· Taiwan began the rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines. Taiwan began administering the AstraZeneca vaccine today after it received nearly 120,000 does doses earlier this month through the World Health Organisation’s Covax problem.

· India reported its highest daily Covid death toll since early January. India reported 212 new Covid deaths on Monday, the most since early January, while infections jumped by 46,951, the highest since early November. Total deaths have now swelled to 159,967 and infections to 11.65 million, the highest in the world after the United States and Brazil.

· Wales to lift ban on supermarkets selling non-essential items. The ban on supermarkets in Wales selling non-essential items is being lifted from Monday as the country slowly moves out of lockdown. All non-essential retail was ordered to close on Christmas Eve last year as Wales entered alert level 4, but shops selling essential items such as food could remain open.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/mar/22/coronavirus-live-news-global-covid-updates-germany-lockdown-chile-record-daily-cases?page=with:block-6058329e8f08131c2e52a2cd#block-6058329e8f08131c2e52a2cd