(Reuters) -Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
India reports coronavirus variant
India has detected a new “double mutant variant” of the coronavirus, the health ministry said on Wednesday, adding to concern as the government struggles with the highest single-day tally of new infections and deaths this year.
Genome sequencing and analysis of samples from Maharashtra state found mutations in the virus that do not match previously catalogued “variants of concern”, the ministry said in a statement.
Maharashtra is one of India’s worst-affected states but the ministry said it was not clear if the new variant was causing an upsurge there or in other states.
Hong Kong halts Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines
Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday halted the use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech citing defective packaging, triggering scenes of confusion in inoculation centres across the city.
The suspension comes as the Asian financial hub has faced a sluggish take-up of vaccines due to dwindling confidence in China’s Sinovac Biotech treatment and fears of adverse reactions.
Inoculation centre staff turned away residents booked to take the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with many Hong Kong-ers unsure as to the reason and asking for explanations.
Merkel calls new talks on German lockdown
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called an unexpected meeting with leaders of the federal states for Wednesday morning to discuss the coronavirus pandemic after they agreed on Tuesday to extend the lockdown to April 18.
At talks on Monday with the leaders of Germany’s 16 states, Merkel had pushed for a tougher stance to fight the pandemic, reversing plans for a gradual re-opening of the economy agreed earlier this month after a sharp rise in the infection rate.
But state premiers pushed back at the talks that ran into the early hours of Tuesday, only agreeing to call on citizens to stay at home for five days over the Easter holidays.
Poland reports daily record new cases
Poland reported a record 29,978 new daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday as the government prepares to toughen restrictions amid a worsening third wave of the pandemic.
The government ordered theatres, shopping malls, hotels and cinemas to close last week after a rise in cases, fuelled by the more contagious variant first identified in Britain.
There have been growing media reports that Poland will have to bring in more curbs ahead of the busy Easter holidays, usually marked by packed church services and family gatherings in the deeply Catholic country.
Capitalism and greed gave UK vaccine success, Johnson says
Capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers in a closed meeting, praising pharmaceutical companies for developing a shot in record time.
The comments, reported by The Sun newspaper, were made by Johnson during a Zoom meeting and could inflame a row with the European Union, which is considering a ban on vaccine exports to Britain.
“The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed, my friends,” The Sun newspaper quoted him as saying during a meeting with Conservative lawmakers to rally them to support coronavirus restrictions.
(Compiled by Linda NoakesEditing by Gareth Jones)
