FILE – In this Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 file photo a police officer receives an AstraZeneca vaccine during a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign at Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain. The Madrid regional government has started vaccinating its emergency services personnel. At least a dozen countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available don’t suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized. Here’s a look at what we know — and what we don’t.
Residents wait 15 minutes after been vaccinated with a Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Regional government have called around 3,700 residents of the city, over the age of 80, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
A healthcare worker injects a woman with a dose of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru vaccination site at the National Stadium in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
People sit and drink, outside a coffee shop, on Ledras street, in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Bars, restaurants, coffee shops reopened Tuesday after three months of closrue, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A woman takes pictures to pigeons in an empty square in front of the Duomo gothic cathedral in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Half of Italy’s regions have gone into the strictest form of lockdown in a bid to curb the latest spike in coronavirus infections that have brought COVID-19 hospital admissions beyond manageable thresholds.
President Joe Biden walks to speak to members of the press on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, before boarding Marine One for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is en route to Pennsylvania.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest Lavrenty receives a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine marketed under the name CoviShield in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots.
A health worker prepares the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for a shot during vaccination for various religious leaders in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
Residents line up against Hong Kong’s business district to get tested for the coronavirus at a temporary testing center for COVID-19 in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 16, 2021, as a new outbreak that has seen infections in the city’s banking and legal sectors prompted fears of a fifth wave. The city’s government on Monday expanded its vaccination campaign to include residents aged over 30 years old.
Stone restoration specialist Stefan Geismeier dusted off the black head of the statue of the Puzur-Ishtar of Mari at the Museum of the Ancient East in Berlin, Germany, Monday, March 15, 2021. Museums throughout Germany closed at the beginning of November as coronavirus cases increased. Under new regulations, some of the collections on Berlin’s Museum Island, one of the city’s cultural highlights and a UNESCO World Heritage site, are now allowed to re-open to visitors.
Religious leaders wait to receive a shot of a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during vaccination for various religious leaders in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
A Hindu priest receives a shot of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during vaccination for various religious leaders in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
FILE – In this Jan. 15, 2021, file photo, a medical worker gives a coronavirus vaccine shot to a patient at a vaccination facility in Beijing. China is aiming to vaccinate 70-80% of its population by mid-2022, the head of the country’s Center for Disease Control said Saturday.
Health worker prepares a Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Regional government have called around 3,700 residents of the city, over the age of 80, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Residents wait to receiving a Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Regional government have called around 3,700 residents of the city, over the age of 80, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
FILE – In this Monday, March 15, 2021 file photo a vial of AstraZeneca vaccine is pictured in a pharmacy in Boulogne Billancourt, outside Paris. At least a dozen countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available don’t suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized. Here’s a look at what we know — and what we don’t.
FILE – In this March 9, 2021, file photo, pharmacist prepares the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy prototype clinic in Halifax. Canada once was hailed as a success story in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, faring much better than the United States in deaths and infections because of how it approached lockdowns. But the trade-dependent nation has lagged on vaccinating its population because it has had to rely on the global supply chain.
A Palestinian women receives the second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Tuesday’s vaccinations were offered to Palestinians who have Israeli residency rights but live in the West Bank.
FILE – In this March 9, 2021, file photo, Louis Moro, 93, receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Vena Anderson at a pharmacy prototype clinic in Halifax. Canada once was hailed as a success story in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, faring much better than the United States in deaths and infections because of how it approached lockdowns. But the trade-dependent nation has lagged on vaccinating its population because it has had to rely on the global supply chain.
FILE – In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Greek singer Sakis Rouvas wears the uniform of the torch relay runners in Athens, Greece, as he holds the torch of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games during a presentation of the torch relay within in Greece. Organizers have talked in detail about plans for the start of next week’s Tokyo Olympic torch relay. The message is simple: exercise extreme caution. The start of the relay on March 25 from northeastern Fukushima prefecture kicks off four months of crisscrossing Japan with the torch. The relay will involve 10,000 runners and the chance of spreading COVID-19 across the country is a real threat.
The exterior of the European Medicines Agency, EMA, is seen in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday March 16, 2021. At least a dozen countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available don’t suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized.
A vaccination record card is shown during a COVID-19 vaccination drive for Spring Branch Independent School District education workers Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Houston. School employees who registered were given the Pfizer vaccine.
FILE— In this Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 file photo, provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state health department addresses the state. Republican senators critical of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic are weighing whether to reject her appointee Hertel to run the state health department, which has issued orders restricting business capacity and gathering sizes to limit COVID-19’s spread.
Jennifer Lira, left, a childcare specialist in the Spring Branch Independent School District, receives a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination shot from nurse Carolyn Roy during a vaccination drive for education workers Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Houston.
Spring Branch Independent School District nurse Carolyn Roy, center, administers a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination shot to teacher Loida Vazquez, left, during a vaccination drive for school education workers Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Houston.
The exterior of the European Medicines Agency, EMA, is seen in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday March 16, 2021. At least a dozen countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available don’t suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized.
In this photo released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, a son of slain scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh receives a Fakhra coronavirus vaccine as Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami, left, and Health Minister Saeed Namaki, second left, look on at a staged event in Tehran, Iran. Iran says that its third homegrown vaccine has reached the phase of clinical trials, even as details about its production remained slim. The Fakhra vaccine, is named after chief Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, shown in a banner at rear, who was killed in a November 2021 attack that Iran blamed on Israel.
In this photo released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami shows a vial of the homegrown Fakhra coronavirus vaccine at a staged event in Tehran, Iran. Iran says that its third homegrown vaccine has reached the phase of clinical trials, even as details about its production remained slim. The Fakhra vaccine, is named after chief Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, shown in a banner at rear, who was killed in a November 2021 attack that Iran blamed on Israel.
FILE – In this Jan. 11, 2021, file photo, pre-kindergarten students listen as their teacher reads a story at Dawes Elementary in Chicago. New evidence that it may be safe for schools to seat students 3 feet apart — half of the previous recommended distance — could offer a way to return more of the nation’s children to classrooms with limited space.
FILE – In this Thursday Feb. 25, 2021, file photo, French Prime Minister Jean Castex speaks during a news conference on the government’s current strategy for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Paris. On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Castex said he wants to boost confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine by getting an injection as soon as his government authorizes its use again.
PARIS — France’s prime minister says he wants to boost confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine by getting an injection as soon as his government authorizes its use again.
France suspended AstraZeneca jabs on Monday while it waits for the European regulator to clear up any doubts about possible side effects.
At age 55 and with no known underlying health problems, French Prime Minister Jean Castex isn’t, strictly speaking, among the groups yet eligible for vaccination in France, which has prioritized injections for the most vulnerable.
But speaking to broadcaster BFM-TV, Castex said Tuesday that he wants to get an AstraZeneca injection to set an example.
“Given what is happening, what has just happened, with AstraZeneca, I told myself, in effect, that it would be wise that I get vaccinated very quickly, as soon as the suspension is, I hope, lifted,” he said.
Castex added that he wants to demonstrate to his fellow citizens “that vaccination is the exit door from this crisis.”
VACCINES: More than 72.1 million people, or 21.7% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 39 million people, or 11.8% of the population, have completed their vaccination.
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