April 7 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Martin Goillandeau and Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

Updated 2:22 AM ET, Thu April 8, 2021
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4:34 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

Belgium pauses AstraZeneca vaccine for people 55 and under

From CNN’s James Frater

People rest after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Brabanthal event center in Heverlee, Belgium, on Wednesday, March 17.
People rest after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Brabanthal event center in Heverlee, Belgium, on Wednesday, March 17. Francisco Seco/AP/FILE

Belgium has paused use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 18 to 55 years old, national and regional health ministers announced in a statement.

They said their decision follows a review by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) earlier today, saying there was a “possible link” between the vaccine and rare blood clots.

In their statement, Belgium's Ministers said that based on recent scientific advice, they “have decided to temporarily replace AstraZeneca with another vaccine for people aged 18 to 55 years.”

“All vaccines continue to be used for people aged 56 and over,” the statement reads, emphasizing that the EMA has said the benefits of AstraZeneca still outweigh any risks. 

“From the age of 56, the demonstrable benefits of vaccination in preventing hospitalization and mortality are undoubtedly much higher than the consequences of the rare side effects,” it adds. 

The Belgian Interministerial Conference on Health will re-evaluate the decision “within 4 weeks.

The statement also adds that Belgium, through the EU conference of health ministers, is requesting that EMA make a more detailed analysis of the benefit-risk analysis per age category and “urgently consider the question regarding the 2nd dose.”

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Wednesday that a particular combination of unusual blood clots with low blood platelet counts should be listed as a side effect of the vaccine, but stopped short of recommending its use be limited.

The benefits of the shot outweigh the risks and Covid-19 is a "very serious disease," the EMA added.

4:47 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

Italy to give people over 60 "preferential route" for AstraZeneca vaccine

From CNN’s Nicola Ruotolo

Italy will give people over 60 a “preferential route” to getting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine since most of the rare adverse events took place in younger people, the president of the Higher Healthcare Council, Franco Locatelli, said on Wednesday.

Speaking during a news conference, Locatelli reiterated that the vaccine is safe and can be given to anyone over the age of 18. He said there was no reason why people under the age of 60 who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should not also take the second dose. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that a particular combination of unusual blood clots with low blood platelet counts should be listed as a side effect of the vaccine, but stopped short of recommending its use be limited. 

3:58 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

Canada's Ontario province issues stay-at-home order as hospitalizations spike 

From CNN’s Paula Newton

The province of Ontario, which includes Canada’s largest city Toronto, will be under a stay-at-home order for at least four weeks beginning Thursday as a third wave of the pandemic threatens to overwhelm hospitals. 

“To boil it down as simple as possible, folks please, unless it’s for an essential reason, please stay home because the situation is extremely serious right now,“ Doug Ford, Ontario’s Premier, said during a news conference today. “What we do before we start achieving mass immunization will be the difference between life and death for thousands of people," he added. 

Hospital admissions in Ontario increased by 20% in the last day alone and intensive care occupancy has already set a pandemic record this week, as the healthcare system relies on surge capacity and patient transfers to keep up with Covid-19 patients. 

“The hospitalizations happening as a result of these variants are taking over our hospitals,” Christine Elliott, Ontario’s health minister, said. 

Non-essential retail stores including malls will close to in-person shopping with only grocery stores, pharmacies and garden centers open to the public. Restaurant dining rooms, personal care services, and gyms were already closed across the province. 

Toronto and the adjacent region of Peel moved student to virtual learning earlier this week just ahead of a previously scheduled spring break. The Ford government says its priority is to keep schools open throughout the province.

Ford also imposed the province’s third state of emergency since the pandemic began, although healthcare experts, including the province’s hospital and medical associations have been calling for more restrictions for at least two weeks saying current measures were "not enough."  

While vaccine doses have been scarce in Canada, the rollout is ramping up now with Ontario saying it had set a record for vaccinations Tuesday, administering more than 100,000 doses.

Ford said the province will begin deploying mobile vaccination teams throughout communities in hotspots like Toronto, including providing vaccines to teachers and other education workers beginning next week. 

Outside of Canada’s Atlantic provinces: the third wave of the pandemic is straining hospitals throughout most of the country. 

“While COVID-19 continues to impact people of all ages in Canada, infection rates are highest among those aged 20 to 39 years of age. As well, we are seeing an increased number of adults, under the age of 60 years being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, including in intensive care units,” Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said in a statement released Wednesday. 

Dr. Tam also underscored the threat of new variants spreading and leading to more infections and severe illness.

“Although B.1.1.7 continues to account for the majority of variants of concern in Canada and has likely replaced the original virus in some areas, there has been a concerning rise in P.1 cases in recent weeks. Early evidence suggests that the P.1 variant may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, making it even more important to control its spread,” her statement said. 

3:41 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

Turkey hits record number of Covid-19 deaths in one day

From CNN’s Işıl Sariyuce in Istanbul

Turkey reported at least 276 new deaths over the last 24 hours, the highest number of deaths in one day since the start of the pandemic, according to Turkish health ministry data released on Wednesday.  

The health ministry reported at least 54,740 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours— also a record high in daily cases since the start of the pandemic.

The total number fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic is at least 32,943.

Turkey has reimposed weekend curfews in most cities and announced plans for further restrictions such as a ban on indoor dining during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan set to begin on April 13. 

The country has recorded at least 3,633,925 Covid-19 cases since the health ministry reported the first case on March 11.

2:40 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

Here's how many fourth- and eighth-graders are attending full in-person school

From CNN's Elizabeth Stuart

Mirna Sanchez walks down the halls stocked with a sanitizing station and social distancing markers during the first day of partial in-person instruction at Garfield Elementary School in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, March 30. Garfield Elementary School partially re-opened for students in grades kindergarten through second grade on Tuesday, March 30.
Mirna Sanchez walks down the halls stocked with a sanitizing station and social distancing markers during the first day of partial in-person instruction at Garfield Elementary School in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, March 30. Garfield Elementary School partially re-opened for students in grades kindergarten through second grade on Tuesday, March 30. Jessica Christian/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images

The nation's school districts are making strides in their efforts to reopen, but new data shows that many more students are still learning fully remotely than fully in-person. 

Just 39% of fourth-graders are attending full-time in-person school and just 29% of eighth-graders, according to data released on Wednesday from the Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The data comes from a nationwide survey of school districts, looking at Grade 4 and Grade 8, assessing mode of instruction available, what proportion of students are using each method, a breakdown of instruction method by race, attendance rates, as well as what percentage of teachers have received a Covid-19 vaccine.

About three-quarters of US public schools are open for full time in-person or hybrid learning, but this new data shows that the percentage of students actually attending in-person is still the minority.

Here are some more key findings of the study:

  • For the mode of instruction available to fourth-graders, 51% of schools were open for full-time in-person, and 32% were open for hybrid. 82% of all schools surveyed offered a remote learning program. 
  • The survey said for the month of February 2021, 39% of fourth-graders were attending full in-person, 18% attended hybrid, and 42% were fully remote.
  • For the mode of instruction available to eighth-graders, 46% of schools were open for full-time in-person and 38% were open for hybrid. 78% of schools offered fully remote for those students who chose it.
  • Among eighth-graders, just 29% were attending full in-person, 24% attended hybrid, and 45% were fully remote.

"This is encouraging early data, covering the month of February, and shows progress toward the President's goal to have K through 8th grade schools open five days a week," said Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for Covid-19 response at Wednesday's Covid-19 Response Team briefing.

Regionally, the NAEP's data shows that more districts in the South and Midwest are open for full in-person instruction than those in the Northeast and West.

"These survey results show we are moving in the right direction,” Mark Schneider, the director of IES, the research, statistics, and evaluation arm of the US Department of Education. “There was a decrease in enrollment in remote-only learning and an increase in hybrid instruction at grade 8, providing evidence that more students are walking through school doors again.”

The data also shows the racial divide in students who are attending in-person. "More than half of Black, Hispanic, and Asian fourth-graders learn fully remotely, while nearly half of White fourth-graders learned full-time in-person, in school," according to the study.

“Although White students continue to enroll in full-time in-person instruction at higher rates, we are beginning to see shifts toward full-time in-person learning for other groups,” said Peggy G. Carr, associate commissioner of the assessment division at NCES. “The percentages of Black students at both grades four and eight enrolled in full-time in-person instruction increased between January and February, and more children with disabilities at grade eight also enrolled for in-person full-time learning.”

The data was collected between March 17 and March 30 with 2,200 schools reporting on fourth-grade, and 2,100 schools reporting on eighth-grade. The next update will be in May.

1:45 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

WHO: Link between AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clot risk is "plausible" but rare

From CNN's Richard Greene and Schams Elwazer

The World Health Organization said it was “plausible” there was a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare cases of blood clots.

Having reviewed the latest information from the EU and UK regulators among others, the WHO said “a causal relationship between the vaccine and the occurrence of blood clots with low platelets is considered plausible but is not confirmed.”

In a statement Wednesday, the WHO reiterated that:

“whilst concerning, the events under assessment are very rare, with low numbers reported among the almost 200 million individuals” who have received the vaccine worldwide.

Earlier Wednesday, the European and British medicines regulators announced a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare cases of blood clots, with the UK announcing it would offer under 30s an alternative vaccine.

1:10 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

Brazil records deadliest day of pandemic as president continues to refuse nationwide safety measures

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Marcia Reverdosa

Cemetery workers wearing protective gear lower the coffin of a person who died from complications related to COVID-19 into a gravesite at the Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, April 7.
Cemetery workers wearing protective gear lower the coffin of a person who died from complications related to COVID-19 into a gravesite at the Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, April 7. Andre Penner/AP

Brazil continues to mark grim milestones in its fight against coronavirus, as the country saw its deadliest day on Tuesday since the start of the pandemic, with a record 4,195 new deaths. 

The month of March was also the deadliest month for the country since the start of pandemic, with at least 66,573 recorded deaths.

With nearly 337,000 total deaths, and total cases surpassing 13 million, Brazil is second only to the US in terms of cases.

It also accounted for approximately one third, about 28%, of the total global deaths since March 21, according to Johns Hopkins University data. 

Intensive care unit occupancy rates in almost all states are at or above 80%, according to local authorities. Yet, only 2.42% of the total population in Brazil has been fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, a coronavirus skeptic since the start of the pandemic, continues to refuse to implement nationwide safety measures. On Wednesday, the day after Brazil reported the record death toll, Bolsonaro again criticized the adoption of restrictive measures to halt the spread of Covid-19 in Brazil and said there won't be a national lockdown. 

"We will look for alternatives, we will not accept the 'stay at home' policy to close everything, to lockdown. The virus will not go away. This virus, like others, is here to stay, and will stay for a lifetime. It is practically impossible to eradicate it," he said.

Bolsonaro on Tuesday dismissed accusations of being “genocidal" for not taking proper measures to address the crisis. “What am I not blamed for here in Brazil?” he said.

A new report by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) released on Tuesday says that only a national lockdown with a minimum duration of two weeks could curb the rapid spread of coronavirus cases across the country. 

"Lockdown measures are a bitter remedy, but they are absolutely necessary in times of crisis and collapse of the health system like the one the country is experiencing now. Only this will prevent more deaths and effectively save lives," says the Fiocruz report.

12:57 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

UK government says AstraZeneca vaccine is "safe" and encourages people to get their second dose

From Natasha Maguder

The UK government said Wednesday that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine “is safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives” and people who have received a first dose of the vaccine should receive a second dose from the same brand.

Earlier Wednesday, the European and British medicines regulators announced a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare cases of blood clots, with the UK announcing it would offer people under 30 an alternative vaccine.

“As the MHRA – the UK’s independent regulator – and the JCVI have said, the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks for the vast majority of adults,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.

“Everybody who has already had a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should receive a second dose of the same brand, irrespective of age, except for the very small number of people who experienced blood clots with low platelet counts from their first vaccination,” the spokesperson added.

“The government will follow today’s updated advice, which sets out that, as a precaution, it is preferable for people under the age of 30 with no underlying health conditions to be offered an alternative vaccine where possible once they are eligible.”

12:27 p.m. ET, April 7, 2021

CDC director believes decreasing number of daily US Covid-19 deaths is "an impact of vaccination"

From CNN's Ben Tinker

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky speaks during a White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, April 7.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky speaks during a White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, April 7. White House

In response to a question about when the United States can reopen more broadly, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, outlined the conditions she believes are needed to reach that point alongside the vaccination of the population.

“In the context of vaccination, we still need to have our case counts be really low to stop circulating virus, to stop the emergence of variants, to stop hospitalizations, and ultimately to stop deaths," she said.

“I’m really encouraged about these decreased numbers of deaths that I believe to be an impact of vaccination, especially the vaccination of our elderly communities,” Walensky said at a White House Covid-19 Response Team briefing. But, she added, current case counts are “way too high to be thinking that we’ve won this race.”

According to the latest CDC data, 19% of the total US population is now fully vaccinated, with 56% of people age 65 and older are fully vaccinated.

The US is currently averaging 785 daily deaths over the last seven days – down 21% since last week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The country is now averaging 64,766 daily cases over the last seven days – down 3% since last week.

“What we will almost certainly see, as we get more and more proportion of the population vaccinated, is that those case count numbers will come down,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the White House briefing. “But we would not recommend doing anything different until we get well below the level where we are right now.”