April 26 coronavirus news

Fewer new people are getting their first Covid-19 shot than those finishing up their second, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For 10 of the last 11 days, the number of “fully vaccinated” people has risen more than the number of people with “at least one dose” — suggesting that second doses are outpacing first doses when it comes to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

This is the second time the US has seen this happen since the beginning of the US vaccine rollout. The first time was in February, when severe weather caused delays in vaccine shipments around the country.

While the shift began during a pause of the Johnson & Johnson rollout, this single-dose vaccine would be expected to raise both numbers by the same amount. Furthermore, data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported.

Experts told CNN the reason for the trend is not immediately clear, but it could be a reflection of slowing demand.

“I think this is really just hitting the hesitancy wall,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. 

Murray said he expects “we will really start to run out of people willing to be vaccinated for the first time” within the next couple of weeks. 

Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, agreed that the US may have reached a “lull in demand. Hopefully it will rebound.”

Hannan said that there are still people out there who want the vaccine but may not have scheduled an appointment yet. “We’re going to have to make it as easy as possible for them to get the vaccine,” she added.

Hannan said this may be helped by the return of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, walk-up vaccination sites with no appointment needed, and involvement by employers and private doctors’ offices. 

Last week, a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that the US was approaching a “tipping point,” with supply set to outstrip demand within the next two to four weeks.

The Biden administration is expected to announce, as early as tomorrow, several new recommendations for fully vaccinated people, including “unmasking outdoors,” a federal official tells CNN.

The official said the new recommendations “will provide guidelines for activities fully vaccinated people can resume,” suggesting a broader list than simply guidelines on masks.

The recommendations will also provide guidelines for infection control and prevention in health care settings.

What we know: The President will also give remarks on the state of the pandemic tomorrow. The three people familiar with the expected announcement said Biden will announce new CDC guidance on whether vaccinated people need to wear masks outdoors, though the final language of the expected announcement is still unclear.

One of Biden’s top coronavirus advisers, Dr. Anthony Fauci, strongly hinted that the guidance would be updated this week, telling CNN’s Jim Acosta Sunday he didn’t want to get ahead of the CDC, but they “will be coming out with updating their guidelines of what people who are vaccinated can do and even some who are not vaccinated.”

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.

As Covid-19 cases spike in India, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said he has been personally affected by viral spread in the country.

“I happen to also have a lot of family in India, and staying in touch with them and also understanding from their perspective how bad it is has been really concerning,” Murthy said on a Health and Human Services Department Community Corps call on Monday. “Several of my family members in India have died as a result of Covid-19 and many more have actually gotten sick, so this is serious for me personally.”

Murthy said it is in the interest of countries moving forward with vaccination programs, like the United States, to be concerned about spread in other countries.

“We know that this is a global pandemic, which means that the solution is not just to get our population vaccinated, but it’s to make sure that we are reducing rates of infection globally. When cases are running unchecked, and growing at high rates in other countries that means is a greater chance of variants to develop,” he said. “No country will be ultimately safe if we have ongoing uncontrolled spread of virus in other parts of the world.”

On Monday, the White House announced it would be freeing up vaccine-production resources and releasing stockpiled doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines for use in other countries.

A child from southwestern Minnesota has died due to complications from Covid-19, according to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Health. 

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, three Minnesotans under age 18 have died due to Covid-19. Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement that the child had no underlying health conditions.

“It is simply heartbreaking to hear that COVID-19 has taken the life of someone so young,” Walz said in the statement Monday afternoon. “My thoughts are with the Minnesota family grieving the loss of their beloved child. There is no grief more profound than the loss of family.” 

The child was a first-grader at Park Side Elementary School, Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Williams told CNN in an email Monday afternoon.

“I recognize this is scary and concerning for many,” Williams wrote in a letter to district parents, obtained by CNN. “We encourage you to continue to watch your students for any signs of COVID. If your student begins to show symptoms, please bring them in to be tested right away.”

District schools will continue to follow protocols from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Minnesota Department of Health, including wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and frequent handwashing, he said. Crisis team members are also on-hand to support teachers, staff and students, according to Williams.

Heather Mueller, the state’s education commissioner, called on all Minnesotans to continue to take coronavirus seriously.

“As a mom and a former teacher, I am devastated to hear about the loss of one of our students to COVID-19. My heart is with the family, fellow students, and school staff who will forever be missing a child, a classmate, and an important member of their school community,” Mueller said in a statement.

“This sadly reinforces that the pandemic is not over and the precautions that we are taking are not just for our own safety, but for all Minnesotans – including our youngest students who are not yet eligible for the vaccine,” the commissioner added.

People who have just received the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine should keep an eye out for any symptoms of blood clots and be ready to seek immediate medical attention, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance.

While the risk is extremely low, people who suffer persistent, severe headaches or blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain or unusual bruising within three weeks of getting the J&J vaccine should get medical attention quickly, the CDC said in a new posting on its website.

CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration decided on Friday to lift a pause on administering the vaccine after an extensive search turned up only 15 cases of a rare blood clotting syndrome among nearly 8 million people who had received the vaccine. 

“Reports of adverse events following the use of J&J/Janssen vaccine suggest an increased risk of a rare adverse event called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Nearly all reports of this serious condition, which involves blood clots with low platelets, have been in adult women younger than 50 years old,” the CDC said in the new posting. 

“A review of all available data at this time shows that the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks. However, women younger than 50 years old should be aware of the rare but increased risk of this adverse event and that there are other COVID-19 vaccine options available for which this risk has not been seen,” it added.

“For three weeks after receiving the vaccine, you should be on the lookout for possible symptoms of a blood clot with low platelets.”

The FDA updated the fact sheets given to providers and patients with the vaccine to warn of the possible blood clot risk, and the CDC has now added language pointing out the specific risk to women 50 and younger.

France will begin sending medical aid to India by the end of this week, according to a news release from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. 

Eight medical oxygen production units, each of which will be able to make an Indian hospital autonomous in oxygen for 10 years, will be part of the shipment. Liquefied oxygen containers and “specialized medical equipment,” in particular 28 respirators and their specific supplies, will also be part of the shipments, the release said. 

“In response to the needs expressed by the country’s authorities, this material is intended to respond to the emergency but also to significantly and sustainably strengthen the capacities of Indian hospitals to treat the sick and fight the pandemic,” the French foreign ministry said.

The support is also part of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (MPCU), the release added.

“France and India have always stood in solidarity with each other in difficult times. This solidarity is at the heart of our strategic partnership and of the friendship between the French and Indian peoples,” it concluded.

For the past two weeks in India, medical facilities have been running out of oxygen and intensive care unit beds, with patients left to die at home and outside hospitals waiting for care.

The number of global Covid-19 cases has risen for the ninth consecutive week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing Monday.

“Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to intensify,” he said. “Cases have now increased for the ninth straight week, and deaths have increased for the sixth straight week.”

Tedros said he was pleased to see small declines in cases and deaths in several regions, but said many countries are still experiencing intense transmission. 

India’s plight is “beyond heartbreaking,” he said, adding that WHO is providing critical equipment and supplies, including thousands of oxygen concentrators, prefabricated mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies to the country.

WHO has also redeployed more than 2,600 staff to support the response in India and to provide support for surveillance, technical advice and vaccination efforts.

Nearly 54% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

In 10 states, at least 60% of adults have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. These are the leading states:

The bottom 10 states have vaccinated 45% or less of their adult population: 

Overall, 230,768,454 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered, about 79% of the 290,692,005 doses delivered, according to CDC data. 

That’s about 2.1 million more doses reported administered since Sunday, for a seven-day average of about 2.7 million doses administered per day. 

Nearly 141 million people in the US have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and nearly 96 million people are fully vaccinated. 

Note: Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Monday that the United States plans to share American-made AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine doses with other countries.

“Today we announced that the administration is looking at options to share American-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses during the next few months. Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the United States has already authorized and … that is available in large quantities, including two two-dose vaccines and one one-dose vaccine, and given that AstraZeneca is not authorized for use in the United States, we do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against Covid over the next few months,” Psaki said during the White House press briefing.

Psaki said the US Food and Drug Administration will conduct a safety review of doses before they leave the country and that the US plan to distribute the vaccine is still being developed.

“Before any AstraZeneca doses are shipped from the United States, the FDA will confirm any such doses meet its expectations for product quality. This is being done in the context of the FDA’s ongoing review of all doses made at the plant where these AstraZeneca doses were produced. And I anticipate in the near future, our team will share more details about our planning and who will be receiving doses from here. But we’re in the planning process at this point in time,” Psaki added. 

Some more background: CNN previously reported that the US has tens of millions of AstraZeneca’s vaccine stockpiled but none have been used because it has not yet been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA.

Multiple world leaders have pressed President Biden to share doses as other countries have struggled to ramp up vaccinations. One of those countries is India, which is currently going through one of the worst Covid-19 surges in the world.

Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on Monday, but a readout from the call released by the White House did not mention sharing vaccines.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a country-wide full lockdown in a speech after a cabinet meeting in Ankara on Monday. 

The lockdown will commence at 7 p.m. local time on April 29 and end at 5 a.m. local time on May 17, Erdogan said. 

All intercity travel will be subject to prior permission and there will not be exemptions for hotel reservations, according to the Turkish president. Restaurants will only be allowed to do delivery service, Erdogan said. School exams will be suspended, he said. 

The lockdown will be enforced strictly and details will be available through an interior ministry circular, Erdogan said. 

This is the most comprehensive set of Covid-19 measures Turkey has announced since the beginning of the pandemic. The lockdown will run through the remainder of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al Fitr holiday in May. 

The actual number of Covid-19 cases in India is being significantly underreported, according to the World Health Organization’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan. 

In an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson, Swaminathan said that despite a dramatic increase in testing, it is likely that the true extent of the virus’s spread in the country is much worse. 

“While the testing capacity of India has increased dramatically, they are doing close to two million tests a day, that’s still not sufficient because the national average positivity rate is about 15%, in some cities like Delhi it’s up to 30% or higher,” Swaminathan told CNN Monday. 

“That means there are lots of people out there who are infected and not being detected just because of the capacity of testing… we will know only later how many was really the number of people infected.”

On Monday, India reported 352,991 cases of coronavirus, the fifth consecutive day of reporting more than 300,000 cases in a day, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health.

The country has broken daily Covid-19 case records over the last five days. India’s death toll also continues to break records, with 2,812 deaths reported on Monday 

Swaminathan said that it is very possible that India’s death rate could also be undercounted and that she “expects” that to be the case. 

“As far as deaths are concerned, yes, it’s possible there are also under counting of deaths. Many countries have gone back, looked at their death figures retrospectively and corrected them. This has also happened in some states in India during the first wave. They went back and looked at the number of deaths and corrected them. I expect that the true number of deaths is larger, but it’s hard to see by how much,” she said.

Swaminathan also pointed to national surveys that showed that the amount of people who have actually already had the virus in India is “is at least 20 to 30 times higher than what had been reported” previously. The surveys cited were based on antibody measurements, she said.  

In the face of crisis, the government and India’s Serum Institute have shifted focus from supplying vaccines to COVAX to prioritizing their own citizens at home.

When asked how this will hurt developing countries, Swaminathan said that while “it is clear that India has to prioritize its domestic population and vaccinate as many people as possible to stop what’s happening,” COVAX countries can step up to help. 

“But at the same time we are appealing as COVAX to countries who have enough supplies of vaccines, emergency use approved vaccines that have already vaccinated more than 20 or 30% of their population, to please share their excess doses.” 

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to be in “close contact” with the Indian government around restarting vaccine deliveries from the Serum Institute of India (SII), a WHO spokesperson told CNN when asked whether the SII is currently imposing an export ban on AstraZeneca vaccines.

The SII is the world’s largest vaccine maker, and India typically produces more than 60% of all vaccines sold globally. Its vast manufacturing capability is why the country signed on as a major player in COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing initiative that provides discounted or free doses for lower-income countries. Under the initial agreement announced last year, SII would manufacture up to 200 million doses for up to 92 countries.

However, in the face of India’s devastating second wave, the government and SII have shifted focus from supplying vaccines to COVAX to prioritizing their own citizens at home.

The COVAX Facility has notified participating countries and economies that deliveries of doses from the SII were delayed in March and April due to the increased demand for Covid-19 vaccines in India. This means the originally expected deliveries of 90 million doses out of the SII in March and April to 60 countries will not take place, according to WHO.  

WHO said it remains “hopeful that the ongoing dialogue between COVAX and the Government of India will help us access some of these doses as soon as possible.”

“In the situation where SII is unable to compensate/catch up for the reduced availability during May, this will result in a shortfall of originally projected COVAX vaccine deliveries through May, as communicated to countries,” the spokesperson said. 

According to WHO, COVAX is currently assessing those countries that may be impacted by SII delays to support them wherever possible in ensuring the second dose is administered within the recommended timeframe.

The US has more than 9 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine ready to be administered now that the pause on the one-shot vaccine has been lifted.

On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration said the label will be updated to warn of blood clot risks as they lifted their recommended pause.

CNN’s Polo Sandoval was outside the Javits Center in New York City answering your questions.

Watch more:

Video Ad Feedback

c9c277f0-b846-4883-bfe3-caa2dc2cb39a.mp4

10:46 - Source: cnn

The US will begin sharing millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine with other countries soon, an official confirms to CNN.

The US has tens of millions of AstraZeneca’s vaccine stockpiled but none have been used because it has not yet been granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration. Because President Biden’s officials now feel confident the US has enough doses for its population, they will begin to distribute it to other countries pending a safety review. 

Multiple world leaders have pressed Biden on the issue of sending vaccines abroad as other countries have struggled to ramp up vaccinations. 

The Associated Press was first to report. 

President Biden is expected to hold a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at some point Monday, according to an official, as the country is being ravaged by a coronavirus outbreak.

CNN reported Sunday that the Biden administration will deploy additional supplies and support to India, including raw materials for vaccine production, therapeutics, tests and personal protective equipment. The US has so far declined calls to send unused AstraZeneca vaccine doses to India.

The European Union is seeking to resume “transatlantic travel as soon as it is safe to do so,” and is urging member nations to take a unified approach to opening borders to US citizens. 

EU officials have been “following very closely the progress of vaccination in the United States,” Adalbert Jahnz, spokesperson for the European Commission said at a news conference on Monday, adding that the speedy rollout there is promising in terms of lifting travel restrictions to Americans,

Talks are underway between the EU and the US regarding a possible ‘vaccine passport’ with the European Commission preparing a proposal for member states to “amend the recommendation on the external travel restriction, in order to take into account, the recent developments.”

Jahnz stressed that the lifting of travel restrictions depends on the epidemiological situation in the countries involved. 

“The spread of variants remains a concern which is why from our perspective a coordinated approach on a European level remains essential,” he said. However, the final decision on whether to allow travel to an EU member state will come from each country individually, as decisions about borders are made by the member state, and not the European Commission, according to EU guidelines. 

“This coordinated approach is set out in a Council recommendation, which was agreed by all Member States and it should be followed, which is in the interest of all Member States and of the EU in general, and Member States themselves have underlined the need to have such a common approach,” he said. “Unilateral approaches from our perspective should be avoided.”

Italy welcomed the proposal to open up to non-EU travelers and the tourism minister said in a statement to CNN that it already has plans to start lifting restrictions. Non-EU tourists “will not be obliged to follow the quarantine if they are vaccinated, or immune or with negative swab test, carried out 48 hours prior entry. This rule will become effective very soon,” Massimo Garavaglia said.

The Indian state of Kerala, where the country’s first case of coronavirus was found, announced additional restrictions for curtailing the spread of cases on Monday.

“The state is witnessing an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases in all the districts as part of the second wave of the pandemic,” an order from the government of Kerala said.

As part of the restrictions, movie theaters, malls, gymnasiums, swimming pools and bars, among other venues, will remain shut. Only 50 people will be allowed at weddings and religious places as part of orders that will come into force on Tuesday until further notice.

Kerala is one of the five states currently holding elections in India. Officials on election duty will have to provide either a “final vaccination certificate,” that certifies having received both doses, or a negative RTPCR test report, no older than 72 hours.

The Election Commission last week “noted with anguish that many political parties/candidates are still not adhering to prescribed safety norms,” it said in an order that banned public meetings beyond 500 people.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) limited its rallies to “small public gatherings” of 500 people in the state of West Bengal which is also holding elections. Meanwhile opposition party leader Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress had cancelled rallies in the state. 

Kerala has recorded at least 1,405,655 cases of coronavirus including 5,110 deaths, according to Kerala Health Department’s bulletin on Monday.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the country is canceling an upcoming vaccine shipment from India so that India can instead keep the doses.

He said it’s a show of solidarity with the South Asian nation amid a spiraling coronavirus crisis there, as seen by record cases, a severe oxygen supply shortage, over-extended intensive care units and inadequate vaccine supply.

“We’ve expressed our solidarity, the Foreign Ministry did it last week; we had shown our solidarity to President Modi who has been very supportive with Mexico, even personally when I was affected by Covid, he expressed his solidarity, He’s a very beloved ruler,” Mexico’s President said during his daily briefing Monday. 

“When we had a difficult situation, the second wave, they helped us, they sent us AstraZeneca vaccine doses,” the president continued. “In the contract we signed, they were supposed to send us another amount of vaccines, and we already told that we would not need them, that we understand their situation, so it’s a way to express our solidarity.”

India has been badly affected by their second wave of Covid-19. The country reported 352,991 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the fifth consecutive day, registering over 300,000 cases daily, according to health ministry figures. 

Ireland is to send 700 oxygen concentrators to India as the country continues to grapple with surging coronavirus cases. 

Irish Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced on Twitter Monday that the “emergency donation” is being made from stocks originally purchased by the Irish health service for “use in a field hospital setting, as part of pandemic preparations.”

An onslaught of coronavirus cases have caused many Indian hospitals to run out of precious oxygen supply.

The devices “draw oxygen from the air and deliver it to the patient at over 90% concentration,” Donnelly said in a tweet.

The transportation of the concentrators is being organized through the EU Civil Protection mechanism in cooperation with Ireland’s overseas aid program, Irish Aid and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who is half Indian, said on Twitter Sunday that the Irish government was “assessing a plan to provide oxygen and ventilators to India working with the EU.”

The country is “currently facing a terrible second wave causing suffering beyond our comprehension” Varadkar added.

Brazil recorded more deaths from Covid-19 in the first four months of 2021 than all of 2020. The tipping point was reached Sunday (April 25), according to data from Brazil’s health ministry.

Between Jan. 1 and April 25 of 2021, Brazil recorded 195,848 coronavirus deaths, which exceeds the 194,949 deaths Brazil recorded from March through Dec. 31 of last year. 

Additionally, April of this year is set to be the most lethal in Brazil since the start of the pandemic, with 69,282 confirmed deaths, surpassing the 66,573 in the whole of last month, which had been the deadliest to date.

The surge of new concerning variants in Brazil, the collapse of the health system, the absence of restrictive measures to curb the spread of the disease, the slow pace of vaccination, combined with the lack of coordination by Brazil’s health ministry, are among the multitude of reasons for the severity and worsening of the crisis in the country, according to multiple specialists on the ground, including Brazil’s Fiocruz biomedical research institute. 

Brazil, as of Sunday, surpassed 14.3 million cases and registered 390,797 deaths, the health ministry announced.

Two cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been identified in Italy, a regional governor said Monday.

Luca Zaia, governor of the Northern region of Veneto, said the cases were found in the village of Bassano and are a father and daughter who recently returned from India. 

On Sunday, Italy banned travelers who were in India in the last 14 days from entering the country. 

Italian residents returning from India need to have a Covid-19 test both at departure and arrival in Italy and must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. 

The legislative arm of the European Union has taken legal action against AstraZeneca over delays to the delivery of its Covid-19 vaccines to the bloc.  

In its lawsuit filed on Friday, the European Commission claims the drug maker breached the “terms of the contract or some terms of the contract have not been respected, and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses,” Stefan De Keersmaecker, Health Spokesperson of the European Commission said Monday. 

A statement from AstraZeneca Monday said that the drugmaker “regrets” the EU’s decision to take legal action and believes that “any litigation is without merit.”

AstraZeneca acknowledged the difficulties posed by “very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges” but maintained that they have “fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission.”

Last Friday, Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told the Irish parliament that Ireland had joined a European Commission legal action against AstraZeneca over its “complete failure to meet its delivery and contractual agreements for April, May and June.”

Donnelly’s remarks were quickly rebuffed by De Keersmaecker, who told CNN that the “decision to take legal action has not been taken at this point in time.”

Speaking Monday, De Keersmaecker changed tack, saying that the EU wants “to make sure that there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to, and which have been promised on the basis of the contract.”

All 27 member states are aligned “in support of this procedure” he added. 

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides wrote on Twitter Monday that the EU’s “priority” is ensuring “COVID19 vaccine deliveries take place to protect the health of the European Union.”

India’s capital New Delhi has been reporting acute shortage in oxygen supplies for days as as hospitals and health care infrastructure buckles under a sweeping second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. A Delhi doctor says the situation is “quite bad” due to a “surplus of patients.”

Guliani, a pulmonologist, also explained that his hospital is about to run out of oxygen supply this weekend because “the requirement has more than doubled.”

“Many hospitals do not have oxygen plants. So they have to get oxygen. So [the government] is rerouting the industrial oxygen and getting it to us but it does take a few days. So it should be there,” he told CNN.

However, there are Covid-19-positive patients who are staying at home instead of admitting themselves into a hospital and they may find it hard to get an oxygen cylinder because of the spike in demand at hospitals, Dr. Guliani said. 

These patients do not want to go to the hospitals because they are afraid and because emergency rooms are full right now, he added.

Watch the interview:

On Monday, Iran reported the highest single daily Covid-19 death toll since the beginning of the pandemic with 496 new deaths – bringing the country’s death total to 70,070. 

The Ministry of Health also reported 21,026 new daily coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the country’s total case load to 2,417,230. 

At least 5,244 patients remain hospitalized in ICU, it also reported. 

Iran is suffering a 4th wave of coronavirus, according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.  

Around 300 cities and towns across the country have been categorized as ” red zones” and are in semi-lockdown, with non-essential businesses closed.

President Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for wearing masks outdoors, CNN has learned. 

Ahead of his first address to Congress Wednesday, the President will give remarks on the state of the pandemic Tuesday.

Three people familiar with the expected announcement said Biden will announce new CDC guidance on whether vaccinated people need to wear masks outdoors, though the final language of the expected announcement is still unclear. 

One of Biden’s top coronavirus advisers, Dr. Anthony Fauci, strongly hinted to CNN that the guidance would be updated this week, telling CNN’s Jim Acosta Sunday he didn’t want to get ahead of the CDC but they “will be coming out with updating their guidelines of what people who are vaccinated can do and even some who are not vaccinated.”

A November review in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that the odds of viral transmission are 18.7 times greater indoors than out, and less than 10% of Covid-19 infections studied occurred outside. Despite that, several states still have outdoor mask mandates in place. 

All medical personnel from the armed forces who have retired in the last two years are being recalled to work in Covid-19 facilities in India, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s office on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the measures being taken by the armed forces to aid the ongoing fight against Covid-19, the statement added.

The news comes as the country reported 352,991 new cases and 2,812 virus-related deaths on Monday, marking the world’s highest daily caseload for the fifth straight day.

All medical staff deployed at various army and navy headquarters will also be re-deployed to hospitals, and oxygen cylinders available with armed forces will be released for medical use, the Prime Minister was briefed by the Chief of Defense staff.

The Indian Air Force is also helping transport oxygen tanks as a way to help reduce transport time between states, Modi said Friday.

“The CDS (Chief of the Defence Staff) also said that they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and, where possible, military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians,” the prime minister’s office statement also said on Monday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that fully vaccinated Americans would be able to travel to the European Union this summer in a Sunday interview with the New York Times.

However, the final decision on whether to allow travel to an EU member state will come from each country individually, as decisions about borders are made by the member state, and not the European Commission, according to EU guidelines,. 

For example, Greece – who earlier this month lifted quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers and those testing negative for Covid-19 from key tourism markets, including Europe, the UK and the United States – is able to waive its rules because it is within Greece’s powers to do so. 

But other European countries, like Belgium for example, have decided to introduce additional criteria at its external borders for all travelers. 

As it stands, if you are outside the EU and want to make a non-essential journey to an EU country that has opened, there are a few more hurdles to cross: 

Some countries may waive all, or some of these rules, or set stricter criteria.

Plus, while a Digital Green Certificate, or vaccine passport, has been recommended by the European Commission, they have not yet been adopted – and countries will be able to opt out. 

The proposed Digital Green Certificate would allow those with the required armfuls of approved anti-Covid pharmaceuticals or antibodies from having had the virus, to travel freely. Negative tests could also be used to qualify.

The certificates were initially recommended by the commission only for EU citizens travelling within the EU, with a plan to launch them in June. However, EU spokesperson Adalbert Jahnz told CNN that discussions with the US are underway to open the certificates up to US citizens with proof of vaccination to automatically be eligible for one.

The on-going talks are focused around how US citizens would be able to apply for the certificate.  

The question is if people will apply for an individual application with the country they intend to visit, or if they receive a EU wide pass after the EU country recognizes a non-EU country’s vaccine documentation.

“In both cases, the rules for acceptance of proof of vaccination would be the same as for EU nationals: vaccines that have received EU-wide marketing authorization have to be accepted, but Member States can decide to accept other vaccines in addition,” according to the EC’s proposal.

As India faces a devastating second wave of Covid-19 cases, the United States released a statement pledging aid and much-needed medical supplies. However, Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi says it’s a good first step but “not enough,” adding that the Biden administration needs to send its unused stockpile of AstraZeneca to India.

“We have tens of millions of doses of unused AstraZeneca vaccines sitting in warehouses. We’re not going to be using them. And we need to get those out the door to countries like India and other places,” he told CNN.

“It makes no sense whatsoever for these things to be sitting on shelves unused here in the United States. Get them out the door right now so that they can save lives.”

Krishnamoorthi added that it’s not just the right thing to do – but it would also in US “self-interests.”

“The covid fires are raging … and we need to put out the fires where they are or it will come back to burn us here and start another wave of Covid in the United States,” he said Monday.
Of the several mutations of Covid-19 in existence, “it only takes one of them to overpower the vaccines that we have here in the United States,” Krishnamoorthi said, underlining the risk of not helping India in its current Covid-19 crisis.

Some background: India’s second wave of Covid-19 is killing thousands each day, with more than a million new cases recorded in just three days. On Monday, the country reported 352,991 new cases and 2,812 virus-related deaths, marking the world’s highest daily caseload for the fifth straight day.

Watch the interview:

Coronavirus restrictions have been further eased in Scotland and Wales on Monday as the vaccine rollout continues across the UK.

Friends and families will now be able to gather in larger groups across both countries. 

In Scotland:

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon thanked the public for their patience over the last few months, writing on Twitter: “Best wishes to businesses opening up today. Recent months have been tough, but your sacrifices have helped save lives - thank you.”

In Wales:

The move follows England’s much anticipated reopening of outdoor hospitality, non essential retail and personal care and indoor leisure facilities on April 12. 

Northern Ireland – part of the UK – reopened hairdressers and barbers last week, and will reopen non essential retail and outdoor hospitality on April 30.

More than 60% of adults in Scotland have now received their first vaccine dose as of last week, and more than 50% of adults in Wales as of Sunday.

The Indian government has asked Twitter to remove several tweets that have criticized its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement released on Sunday.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it had taken the action, “in view of the misuse of social media platforms by certain users to spread fake or misleading information and create panic about the Covid-19 situation in India by using unrelated, old and out of the context images or visuals, communally sensitive posts and misinformation about Covid-19 protocols.”

The government statement said it asked Twitter to remove around 100 posts or URLs, following recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs, saying: 

“It is pertinent to mention that at a time, when the entire country is putting up a brave and honest effort to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, certain people are misusing social media to create panic in society.”

“The Government welcomes criticisms, genuine requests for help, as well as suggestions in the collective fight against Covid-19, but it is necessary to take action against those users who are misusing social media during this grave humanitarian crisis for unethical purposes,” the statement said.

The move comes as India’s prime minister faces mounting anger as Covid-19 cases and deaths continue to rise, creating a massive public health crisis across the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi only addressed the nation on the situation for the first time last week, having held political rallies and largely downplayed the second wave’s urgency in the weeks before.

India reported 352,991 new cases and 2,812 virus-related deaths Monday, marking the world’s highest daily caseload for the fifth straight day. 

A Twitter spokesperson told CNN on Monday in a statement that it has withheld some of those tweets, following a legal request by the Indian government.

“When we receive a valid legal request, we review it under both Twitter rules and local law,” the spokesperson said, adding:

“If the content violates Twitter’s rules, the content will be removed from the service. If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not in violation of the Twitter rules, we may withhold access to the content in India only.” 

“In all cases, we notify the account holder directly so they’re aware that we’ve received a legal order pertaining to the account,” the Twitter statement added.

The requests to withhold content are published on the Lumen database, a Harvard University project.

Malaysia will roll out AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to people aged 60 and above, according to state media Bernama News Agency.

Health Minister Adham Baba announced the plan on Monday after saying that the vaccine is “safe.”

His comments came after Malaysia received 268,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.

A number of European countries including Spain, Germany and Ireland have limited the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 60 following reports of potentially fatal blood clots predominantly among younger people.

Last week, the European Medicines Agency said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighed the risks, and added they will continue to review the “very rare cases” of blood clots.

As India fights a devastating second wave of Covid-19 that is killing thousands each day, international efforts to help tackle the crisis are hastening, with both Britain and the United States pledging aid and much-needed medical supplies.

The second wave, which began in March, has escalated rapidly, with India recording more than a million new cases in just three days. For the past two weeks, medical facilities have been running out of oxygen and ICU beds, with patients left to die at home and outside hospitals waiting for care.

On Monday, India reported 352,991 new cases and 2,812 virus-related deaths, marking the world’s highest daily caseload for the fifth straight day.

The situation is particularly dire in the capital New Delhi, which is under lockdown until May 3. The city is facing severe oxygen shortages. Delhi does not produce its own oxygen and relies on resources supplied by the central government, according to Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Several Delhi hospitals tweeted SOS messages over the weekend appealing for oxygen supplies. On Saturday, at least 20 critically ill patients died after oxygen supply was delayed at one Delhi hospital.

In a tweet Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his administration will set up 551 oxygen generation plants “in every district to ensure adequate oxygen availability.”

The central government has come under fierce criticism within the country for its handling of the outbreak, which has seen overwhelmed hospitals and residents post pleas on social media for more supplies from state and federal officials. Many have turned to the black market in a desperate attempt to save their loved ones.

Modi only addressed the nation on the situation for the first time last week, having held political rallies and largely downplayed the second wave’s urgency in the weeks before.

Read the full story:

A relative of a person who died of COVID-19 is consoled by another during cremation in Jammu, India, Sunday, April 25, 2021. Delhi has been cremating so many bodies of coronavirus victims that authorities are getting requests to start cutting down trees in city parks, as a second record surge has brought India's tattered healthcare system to its knees. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Related article As India breaks another global Covid-19 record and hospitals run out of oxygen, countries pledge assistance and aid

Hong Kong and Singapore are set to begin an air travel bubble on May 26, Hong Kong authorities said in a news release on Monday. 

The scheme will allow visitors to travel between the two cities on dedicated flights without the need for quarantine. 

The plan was first proposed last year but was postponed in November following a rise in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong. 

“The re-launch of the Air Travel Bubble not only meets the aspirations of the people and business communities on cross-border travel, but also signifies that gradual resumption of cross-border travel is achievable through mutual collaborations among different places,” said Edward Yau, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. 

To be eligible for the scheme, visitors must not have travel history outside of Hong Kong or Singapore in the past 14 days, and are required to download the destination city’s official contact tracing app. Hongkongers wishing to travel to Singapore must also take two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, or submit medical proof they are not suitable to take the vaccines.

The travel bubble will automatically be suspended if the number of untraceable local Covid-19 cases in either city reaches more than five in a seven-day period. A more stringent threshold will also be implemented to ensure the scheme can only resume when the number of untraceable cases in either city remains low. 

“Both sides will need to stay very vigilant in the next one month, so that we can launch the first flights smoothly. It is a significant Air Travel Bubble between two aviation and financial services hubs in Asia,” said Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s Minister for Transport. 

Singapore and Hong Kong are not the only two governments to have had trouble implementing an air travel bubble. Australia and New Zealand finally began their two-way quarantine-free travel bubble on April 19 after multiple attempts were hit by minor coronavirus outbreaks.

India reported 352,991 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing its total to more than 17.3 million infections, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health.

The country’s death toll is also growing quickly, with 2,812 fatalities reported Monday – marking the tenth straight day of rising figures.

Monday’s tally represents the highest number of cases recorded in a single day anywhere in the world since the pandemic began, according to a CNN tally of figures from John Hopkins University.

This is the fifth day running that India, with a 1.3 billion population, has added more than 300,000 cases a day and topped the global record of new cases.

India has recorded a total of 17,313,163 cases as of Monday, including 195,123 deaths.

Call for help at medical centers: As cases grow, hospitals in the capital region of Delhi have begun tweeting out SOS messages in the face of severe oxygen shortages.

On Sunday, the Park Group of Hospitals, a private hospital group, tweeted, “Gurugram’s Metro Hospital tweets SOS on oxygen shortage, seeks urgent help. Metro Hospital, Palam Vihar by Park Group of Hospitals is on its last leg.”

“INOX (INOX Air Products) commitment to replenish liquid medical oxygen remain unfulfilled. Only 1.5 hours to go. Please help us urgently,” a second tweet read.