World Coronavirus Dispatch: Pause on J&J vaccine could be lifted soon

France sets outreopening timeline, Britons could get Covid passports for foreign trips by May 17, and other-pandemic related news across the globe

Johnson & Johnson pause could be lifted soon

US federal health officials are leaning toward lifting their recommended pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine after finding only a limited number of additional cases of a rare blood clotting disorder among recipients. Instead, the drug regulator is likely to attach a warning to the vaccine’s label to inform health practitioners — and the public — about the exceedingly uncommon, but dangerous possible side effect. Officials are waiting to act until they hear from a committee of outside experts who advise the CDC The committee is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss whether to recommend lifting, extending or modifying the pause that was initiated on April 13. Read here:

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 142,114,445

Global deaths: 3,030,299

Nations with most cases: US (31,738,228), India (15,320,972), Brazil (13,973,695), France (5,357,229), Russia (4,657,509).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center 

France lays out a reopening timeline as vaccinations pick up speed

The French government outlined plans to gradually reopen the country starting in early May, raising hopes that life might finally return to something close to normal after more than a year of on-and-off pandemic restrictions. The Prime Minister said that primary school students would be allowed to return to classrooms on Monday, followed by middle and high school students the following week. Travel restrictions will be lifted on May 3. Depending on how things are going at that point, retail stores, outdoor dining, and certain cultural and sporting activities could start to reopen in mid-May. Read here:

One dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces Covid infection rate by 65%: Study

One shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine reduces coronavirus infections by nearly 65 per cent and protects older and more vulnerable people as much as younger, healthy individuals, a study has found. The results from Oxford University are a welcome boost to the vaccination programme and the first to show the impact on new infections and immune responses in a large group of adults in the general population. The researchers analysed Covid test results from more than 350,000 people in the UK between December and April. They found that 21 days after a first jab – the time it takes the immune system to mount a decent response – new Covid infections dropped by 65 per cent. Read here:

UK people could get Covid passports for foreign travel by May 17

Millions of people in England could be provided with so-called coronavirus passports by May 17 to let them take holidays abroad this summer and potentially avoid quarantine when they reach their destination, according to a report the Guardian. The documents – likely to be different from domestic Covid certificates, which the UK government is working on separately – are still under development but should be made available before restrictions on international travel lift next month, the report noted. Read here: