The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines

Global cases of Covid-19 increased by 10% over the past week, but deaths are declining, according to the weekly epidemiological update from the World Health Organization published Tuesday. 

Globally cases increased 10% over the past week to over three million new reported cases, according to the report. The number of new cases peaked in early January, then declined in the week beginning Feb. 15. They have now increased for the past three weeks. 

All WHO regions have reported a rise in new cases apart from Africa. 

New deaths have continued to decline, the report said. They are now under 60,000, down from a peak of over 95,000 deaths in the week beginning Jan. 18. The last time that deaths were this low was four months ago. 

This week, deaths rose in two WHO regions: the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific. 

Over 80% of the new reported cases and deaths come from the Americas and Europe. 

Brazil reported the highest number of new cases – just over 494,000 – followed by the US, France, Italy and India. 

After several European Union countries temporarily suspended the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the World Health Organization said Wednesday that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks and vaccinations should continue.

The statement follows reports of rare blood clotting disorders in people who have received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. WHO notes that it’s routine for countries to signal potential adverse events during extensive vaccination campaigns, and it doesn’t necessarily mean the events are linked to the vaccination.

The statement said WHO is in regular contact with the European Medicine Agency and regulators around the world, and its Global Advisory Commission on Vaccine Safety is “carefully assessing” the latest safety data.

“Once that review is completed, WHO will immediately communicate the findings to the public,” it said.

Covid-19 cases are rising by more than 10% in 14 states this week compared to last week, with half of those states rising by more than 20%.

While nationally the number of new cases has continued to decline – though at a much slower rate over the past three weeks compared to late January and February – the trend is not down for all states. 

One month ago, on Feb. 17, there were only 3 states showing increases of 10% or more (North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska).

Michigan cases are increasing the fastest, at more than 50% this week compared to last, with Delaware (39%), Montana (34%), Alabama (31%) and West Virginia (29%) in the Top 5.

The 14 states increasing by more than 10% are:

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization released its interim recommendations for the use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for people age 18 and older, based on advice from its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunization, who met on Monday. 

Cravioto said that the fact that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose vaccine is “a regular advantage in the sense of having the capacity to vaccinate more people, but no different in reality in its capacity to protect against severe disease or death or hospitalization than all the other ones that we have already reviewed and recommended.” 

There is currently not enough data on pregnant women to assess the risks of the vaccine to the group, the SAGE recommendations say, but in the interim, pregnant women should receive the vaccine if the benefit of being vaccinated outweighs the potential risks, for example if a pregnant women is a health worker or has comorbidities that place them in a high risk group for severe Covid-19. 

The document also points out that there have been no safety issues identified following the vaccination of more than 1,600 women against the company’s Ebola vaccine which is based on the same platform.  

SAGE recommends that people who have already been infected with SARS-CoV-2 should still be vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but that they wait for up to six months before getting it in order to give others a chance to get their first doses. However, in countries with high circulation of variants of concern, Cravioto said that they recommend that people who have already been infected not wait more than a week or two to be vaccinated. 

As with other vaccines, SAGE recommends that groups who are disproportionately at risk of being infected and who live in environments where the virus circulates at a much wider capacity are vaccinated first, Cravioto said. 

They do not recommend the vaccine for people who are traveling and do not recommend any type of certificate for traveling, he said.  

SAGE has already made recommendations on the Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines. 

The European Commission has unveiled its proposal for a "Digital Green Certificate", or vaccine passport, to allow for safe and free movement within the EU during the pandemic.

The certificate will confirm that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from Covid-19 that can be used across all EU Member States, the Commission announced on Wednesday.

The certificate can also be used in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway as well as Switzerland and will “be open to initiatives being developed globally”, the Commission said in a fact sheet sent to CNN.

The proposal was unveiled as the Commission called on Member States to prepare for a “coordinated approach to a gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions” when the epidemiological situation allows, ahead of a meeting of European leaders on March 25.

“Today we are proposing a common EU approach that will lead us on the way to our goal of re-opening the EU in a safe, sustainable and predictable way. The situation with the virus in Europe is still very challenging and confidence in decisions taken are crucial. It is only through a joint approach that we can return safely to full free movement in the EU, based on transparent measures and full mutual confidence,” Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said in a press release.

The Digital Green Certificate will contain a QR code with a digital signature “to protect it against falsification. When the certificate is checked, the QR code is scanned and the signature verified,” the Commission fact sheet said.

Each issuing body (e.g. a hospital, a test centre, a health authority) has its own digital signature key and all of these are stored in a secure database in each country.

The European Commission will build a gateway where all certificate signatures can be verified across the EU.

Member States should issue vaccination certificates regardless of the type of COVID-19 vaccine, the Commission proposed. And people who have been vaccinated before the Digital Green Certificate is put in place should have the possibility to obtain the necessary vaccination certificate.

No exact end date was given for the certificates, with the Commission saying they will be suspended once the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the international public health emergency caused by COVID-19.

The Commission is working to ensure the certificates are compatible with systems in third countries outside the EU, it said.

Iceland will open its borders to vaccinated visitors, including those from non-Schengen countries, the government said Tuesday in a statement.

The government announced that "all those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to travel to Iceland without being subject to border measures, such as testing and quarantine"

Until now, "this exemption has only applied to those presenting certificates from the EU/EEA Area but will now apply equally to everyone who can provide proof of a full vaccination with a vaccine that has been certified for use by the European Medical Agency as well as requirements defined by the Chief Epidemiologist of Iceland and Icelandic regulations. Certificates from the World Health Organization (WHO) are also accepted for vaccines the WHO has validated."

From March 18, this exemption will apply to citizens outside the Schengen area, including the UK and USA, the government added.

The exemption also applies to those who can provide valid proof of prior infection, it said.

Roberto Speranza, Italy's health minister, has said that "faith in vaccines is not dented" as the country waits to hear from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on whether to start using the AstraZeneca vaccine again.

Italy and other European countries temporarily have suspended the rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns that a small number of patients had developed blood clots post-inoculation.

The EMA assessment of thromboembolic events is expected Thursday.

Speaking on Wednesday in the House of Representatives, Speranza said: "The Italian government considers vaccines the first real key to bringing this period to an end ... The hope is that an answer from EMA will arrive tomorrow. We have the utmost confidence and demand the highest level of safety,” Speranza said.

St. Patrick's Day 2020 was the first major holiday of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US, and we've learned sobering lessons since then.

Young, healthy people who were infected around St. Patrick's Day have suffered long-term complications. And infections have been spread by people with no symptoms.

This St. Patrick's Day, Americans have a new challenge: the spread of the highly contagious variants.

That variant  B 1.1.7. was first detected in the UK but has already spread to at least 48 US states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Research shows that in the US, the variant is 59% to 74% more transmissible than the original novel coronavirus.

Young people definitely aren't immune and the consumption of alcohol adds its problems, as attempts to physically distance and wear masks typically go out the window.

For those trying to find a safe way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the CDC has several suggestions, including outdoor neighborhood parties with everyone at least 6 feet apart and wearing masks.

Read CNN's full report here.

A senior French hospitals official said Wednesday that studies have shown the AstraZeneca vaccine - currently suspended in France - is as efficient as the Pfizer vaccine.

“Maybe people are being overly cautious,” Remi Salomon told BFM TV.

“My fear is that we are in France where many people are vaccine hesitant, I’d almost say defiant, I fear people will not interpret this the right way.” 

Salomon said in order to stop the recent surge in covid-19 cases in the Paris region contact with other people needs to be minimized, but he believes a weekend lockdown will not be enough. 

“If it's a weekend lockdown, during the week, the virus continues to circulate, people continue to see each other at work, people continue to see each other inside shops," Salomon said.

“We need to have measures during the week too,” he added. 

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Tuesday France is experiencing a “third wave” of the coronavirus pandemic.

The country registered 29,975 new cases Tuesday, according to figures from the French health ministry.