Coronavirus news, updates, hotspots and information for 3-19-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for March 19th, 2021.   It’s back to business for Europe and the AstraZeneca vaccine. A dozen countries will resume its use after the European Medicines Agency said its initial investigation of possible side effects concluded the vaccine is “safe and effective.” However, EMA officials said their inquiry could not rule out a connection between the vaccine and unusual clotting and bleeding disorders.   The latest figures show England's worst Covid hotspot saw new cases rise nearly 50% in just a week. Corby in Northamptonshire is one of 124 places in the country where infections had big jumps in the previous 7 days.   Back to lockdowns in Paris. The French government imposed a month-long lockdown for Paris and parts of northern France after a faltering vaccine rollout and the spread of highly contagious variants. The French President had been trying to avoid another hit to the economy, but the country is in the grip of a third wave.   India and Pakistan also reported a big jump in new infections yesterday. In India, curfews have been extended in 9 districts and other areas are seeking additional vaccine doses as schools and colleges close. In Pakistan, they had the most daily infections since early December and hospital beds are filling fast.   In the U.S. it’s March Madness meets COVID madness. The NCAA said it administered more than 9,100 tests before last night's opening round of the men's basketball tournament, with only 8 total positives among Tier 1, 2 and 3 personnel. Participants include the defending champion Virginia Cavaliers, who had to withdraw from the ACC tournament because of a positive test.   In the United States cases were down 15%, deaths are down 32%, and hospitalizations down 21% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since March 14.    There are now 7,282,611 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Florida, Virginia, and Georgia.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lyon, KY. Concho, TX. Chattahoochee, GA. Webster, WV. Nuckolls, NE. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK. Pittsylvania, VA. Pitkin, CO. Huron, MI. And Missaukee, MI.   The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Alabama.   There have been 539,659 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.82%.   The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Kentucky 448. California 276. Texas 194. New York 85. Florida 83. Georgia 61. Arizona 59. Pennsylvania 44. Michigan 34. And Illinois 32.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Mexico at 30.1%, Alaska at 28.8%, and South Dakota at 28.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Georgia at 16.1%, Alabama at 18.2%, and Tennessee at 19%.   Globally, cases were up 18% and deaths down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5.     There are now back over 21 million active cases around the world at 21,003,371   The five countries with the most new cases: Brazil 87,169. The United States 62,629. India 39,643. France 34,998. And Poland 27,278.   There have now been 2,689,898 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.       Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.