Johnson & Johnson vaccine vials against the COVID-19 coronavirus are seen at the Klerksdorp Hospital as South Africa proceeds with its inoculation campaign on February 18, 2021.US health authorities on Tuesday recommended pausing the Johnson & Johnson Covid shot over blood clot fears, with the company quickly announcing it would delay its European rollout, in a setback for global immunization campaigns.
US authorities are now carrying out an investigation which could end up leading to tough regulatory choices, such as restricting the J&J shot to subsets of the population. Jeff Zients, President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 response coordinator, said that a huge surplus in the supply of two other vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — meant the country could easily take up the slack.More than 800 million vaccine doses have now been administered globally, according to an AFP tally.
Muslims around the world started Ramadan after religious leaders confirmed the month of fasting would begin on Tuesday, with many countries facing virus restrictions. “This year, I am so happy finally we can go to the mosque to perform tarawih prayers at the mosque, although we are under strict health protocol during the prayer.”
With the country in the grip of a third wave of the coronavirus –- the deadliest so far -– the government urged mosques to only allow prayers in open courtyards and to strictly enforce social distancing.In neighboring India health officials have been battling a huge surge in cases in recent weeks that has prompted night curfews and a clampdown on movement and activities.