Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for April 4, 2021

Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg

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Johnson & Johnson, with help from the Biden administration, is taking over a Baltimore vaccine production facility that was the site of a major manufacturing error last month.

This comes as weekly U.S. infections hit their highest point since late February, even with vaccinations at record levels. The U.K. confirmed seven people had died from blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca’s vaccine. More than 18 million doses have been administered in the country, and regulators insist the shot is safe.

India saw its highest number of daily recorded cases in about six months, raising worries of a fresh infection surge and Canada’s virus tally topped the 1 million mark as a third wave of infections swept the country.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases surpass 130.6 million; deaths exceed 2.8 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 652 million shots given worldwide
• U.S. stops vaccination production at plant that ruined does, NYT says
• CDC says vaccinated people can travel, should wear masks
• How vaccine nationalism risks prolonging the pandemic
• How pandemics change the course of history: Stephen Mihm

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.

Australia’s Record Injections (2:11 p.m. HK)

Australia says it has given nearly 80,000 people a virus vaccination to set a new single-day high, boosted by strong stockpiles.

India’s Confirmed Cases Surge (12:30 p.m. HK)

India’s daily tally of new cases reached 93,249, the highest since Sept. 19, as the nation faces a second wave in infections at levels not seen for more than half a year.

Daily cases fell to as low as 8,635 at the start of February, raising prospects that the second-most populous nation had reined in its outbreak. But infections started rising after that. Maharashtra state, home to India’s financial hub of Mumbai, may be headed for another lockdown, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Friday.

J&J Takes Over at Vaccine Plant (12:09 p.m. HK)

Johnson & Johnson, with help from the Biden administration, is taking over a Baltimore vaccine production facility that was the site of a major manufacturing error last month -- and moving production of material for a second company’s shot to minimize risk of another mistake.

J&J announced Saturday that it was “assuming full responsibility regarding the manufacturing of drug substance” at the Emergent BioSolutions Inc. plant. To facilitate that, the Department of Health and Human Services worked with AstraZeneca to move its production out of that plant so it can focus only on J&J, according to an HHS official familiar with the measure, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Canada Virus Tally Passes 1 Million (9:19 a.m. HK)

Recorded Covid-19 cases in Canada breached the 1 million mark as a third wave rippled across the country.

There were 1,001,650 recorded cases since the start of the pandemic as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Canadian Press. Canada, like other nations, is grappling with the spread of new variants that are sending more people to hospital and resulting in stricter lockdown measures.

Yunnan Cases On the Rise (9:10 a.m. HK)

The number of local coronavirus cases climbed in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan, with 10 local confirmed cases and one local asymptomatic case on Saturday, according to the National Health Commission. All of the cases were in Ruili, a city bordering Myanmar and the recent Yunnan cluster started on March 30, when the first local case was reported. Yunnan had 36 cases as of Saturday, the provincial government said, 33 of which were local.

Japan Mulls Expanding Injection System (9:07 a.m. HK)

Japan’s government will consider allowing a broader array of medical professionals, such as dentists, to inject Covid-19 vaccines as it looks to ramp up its shots in the coming weeks, the Nikkei newspaper reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, in an appearance on national public broadcaster NHK, asked people to refrain from trips to the Osaka region. The government placed new virus restrictions on the region in recent days to battle a fresh surge.

Australia Faces Vaccination Delays (7:04 a.m. HK)

The first phase of Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout could end up finishing months behind schedule, the Age reported, citing federal Health Department tenders.

The tenders asking for private companies to provide vaccinations for the phase 1a group include a time frame that suggests the first phase won’t be done until the end of May, according to the report.

French Lockdown to Slow Rebound (6:21 a.m. HK)

France’s economy will rebound less than previously expected this year due to the latest four-week nationwide lockdown aimed at halting a surge in coronavirus cases.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire cut the country’s 2021 GDP growth forecast to 5% from 6%, following an 8.1% contraction last year. A Bloomberg survey in March showed economists were expecting the economy to expand 5.7%.

U.K. to Issue Digital Covid Pass: Sun (6:05 a.m. HK)

The U.K. government will announce plans Monday for a new app that will confirm whether the holder has had a vaccine, a recent negative test or Covid-19 in the past six months, enabling the person to attend mass gatherings such as festivals, theaters or sports events, the Sun newspaper reported.

Argentine President Tests Positive (3:33 a.m. HK)

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez, who received two doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine earlier this year, has tested positive for Covid-19, his doctor said.

Fernandez had earlier said that he was self-isolating after receiving a positive result from an antibody test. A polymerase chain reaction test, which is more definitive, had confirmed the result, according to a statement signed by Federico Saavedra, Fernandez’s long-time personal doctor and now a member of his medical staff. Fernandez is “stable, asymptomatic and with indicators within normal ranges,” Saavedra added.

U.S. Reaches 4 Million Doses for Second Day (3:03 p.m. NY)

The U.S. recorded a second consecutive day of vaccinations at about 4 million, as the weekly average hit a record 3.1 million doses a day, according to data compiled by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. At this pace, it will take another three months to cover 75% of the population. A total of 162 million doses have been administered in the U.S. The global tally is 632 million.

U.K. Says Astra Shot Safe Despite Clot Deaths (9:17 a.m. NY)

The U.K. confirmed seven people had died from rare blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Saturday that of 30 cases of clotting and low blood platelets identified in people in the U.K. who had received the shot through March 24, seven had died. More than 18 million doses have been administered in the country and the regulator insists the shot is safe.

Australia is also investigating a case of clotting. The country said Saturday that it was cooperating with regulators in the U.K. and the European Union after identifying a case of blood clotting on April 2 in someone who had received the AstraZeneca shot.

U.S. Adds Almost 68,000 New Cases (8 a.m. NY)

The U.S. added almost 68,000 new cases Friday, as weekly infections hit their highest point since late February, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. The upward trend continues even as the U.S. is vaccinating at record levels, with 4 million shots given on Friday, data from the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker show.

U.K. Bars Kenya Visitors (6 a.m. NY)