(Bloomberg) --

The U.K. confirmed seven people had died from blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine. More than 18 million doses have been administered in the country, and the regulator insists the shot is safe.

Weekly U.S. infections hit their highest point since late February, even with vaccinations at record levels. France’s economy will rebound less than previously expected this year due to the latest four-week nationwide lockdown.

The Philippines extended a lockdown in Manila and nearby provinces by at least a week as active coronavirus cases reached the highest in Southeast Asia. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez tested positive after taking a preliminary antigen screening for his fever.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases surpass 130.5 million; deaths exceed 2.8 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 652 million shots given worldwide
• CDC says vaccinated people can travel, should wear masks
• How vaccine nationalism risks prolonging the pandemic
• How pandemics change the course of history: Stephen Mihm

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.

French Lockdown to Slow Rebound (6:21 a.m. HK)

France’s economy will rebound less than previously expected this year due to the latest four-week nationwide lockdown aimed at halting a surge in coronavirus cases.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire cut the country’s 2021 GDP growth forecast to 5% from 6%, following an 8.1% contraction last year. A Bloomberg survey in March showed economists were expecting the economy to expand 5.7%.

U.K. to Issue Digital Covid Pass: Sun (6:05 a.m. HK)

The U.K. government will announce plans Monday for a new app that will confirm whether the holder has had a vaccine, a recent negative test or Covid-19 in the past six months, enabling the person to attend mass gatherings such as festivals, theaters or sports events, the Sun newspaper reported.

Bars and restaurants will be excluded from requiring the certification, effectively a victory for dozens of lawmakers in Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party who had railed against what they called a “divisive and discriminatory” measure.

Pope Prays for Post-Pandemic Renewal (5:22 p.m. NY)

Pope Francis held an early Easter vigil to allow worshippers time to get home as Italy locks down for three days. In his homily at St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope drew parallels between Easter’s message of renewal and a coming rediscovery of the “grace of everyday life,” Reuters reported. He also asked worshippers “to begin anew and never lose hope” amid the dark moments of the pandemic.

Minnesota Cases Accelerate (4:27 p.m. NY)

Minnesota reported a third consecutive day of cases higher than 2,000, one of 34 U.S. states and territories where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infections are accelerating. Even as its vaccination drive hits records, the state has one of the highest numbers of the variant first found in the U.K. and now dominant in parts of the U.S. Another 11 deaths were reported, amid a general decrease in fatalities reflected nationally.

U.S. Reaches 4 Million Doses for Second Day (3:03 p.m. NY)

The U.S. recorded a second consecutive day of vaccinations at about 4 million, as the weekly average hit a record 3.1 million doses a day, according to data compiled by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. At this pace, it will take another three months to cover 75% of the population. A total of 162 million doses have been administered in the U.S. The global tally is 632 million.

Cornell to Require Vaccinations (2:44 p.m. NY)

Cornell University will require vaccinations for students returning to their campuses this fall, it announced on Friday. Exemptions will be “accommodated” for medical or religious reasons. “It is critical for the university to have accurate data on the extent of community protection from Covid-19 in order to make informed decisions about safe campus operations,” the Ivy League university said in a statement.

Colleges and universities around the nation are debating how to open safely and whether to require vaccinations. On March 25, Rutgers University in New Jersey said it would require vaccinations. In Florida, Nova Southeastern University ended its plans to require vaccinations after Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday banned businesses from requiring customers to prove they had been vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.

California Cases Creep Up (2:30 p.m. NY)

California reported 4,877 new cases yesterday, a rate of 5.1 cases per 100,000 compared with the seven-day average of 3.7, the health department’s website said. There were 135 more deaths, for a total of 58,404. The state’s seven-day positive test rate inched up to 1.8%, a 0.1% increase from the previous period. California has administered about 54.9 million vaccines in total. The state’s population is around 40 million.

Vermont Cases Surge (11:56 a.m. NY)

Vermont’s new infections are hitting the highest point of the pandemic, despite administering vaccines at a rate above the national average. New cases have topped 200 on three days since last Friday, and the per capita rate of infection has risen to one of the nation’s highest over the past week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection.

“The seven-day case rate average is, in fact, at an all-time high for the pandemic,” Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, said Friday during a virus press briefing, the Burlington Free Press reported. Almost 35% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

U.K. Says Astra Shot Safe Despite Clot Deaths (9:17 a.m. NY)

The U.K. confirmed seven people had died from rare blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine. The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Saturday that of 30 cases of clotting and low blood platelets identified in people in the U.K. who had received the shot through March 24, seven had died. More than 18 million doses have been administered in the country and the regulator insists the shot is safe.

Australia is also investigating a case of clotting. The country said Saturday that it was cooperating with regulators in the U.K. and the European Union after identifying a case of blood clotting on April 2 in someone who had received the AstraZeneca shot.

U.S. Adds Almost 68,000 New Cases (8 a.m. NY)

The U.S. added almost 68,000 new cases Friday, as weekly infections hit their highest point since late February, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. The upward trend continues even as the U.S. is vaccinating at record levels, with 4 million shots given on Friday, data from the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker show.

Another 949 deaths were reported Friday, after two days above 1,000. Weekly fatalities are at their lowest point since late October, before the national surge in deaths, infections and hospitalizations around the holidays.

Manila Lockdown Extended (7:52 a.m. NY)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a proposal to extend a lockdown in the capital Manila and nearby provinces by at least a week as the country’s active coronavirus cases reached the highest in Southeast Asia.

The national capital region and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal will remain under the enhanced community quarantine from April 5 to 11, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Saturday. The nation’s most stringent movement restriction was originally intended to be in effect only for a week to April 4.

U.K. Bars Kenya Visitors (6 a.m. NY)

The U.K. announced that from 4 a.m. on April 9, visitors who have been in, or transited through Kenya, in the previous 10 days cannot enter the country. British and Irish nationals, and third-country nationals with residence rights in the U.K. arriving in England from Kenya will be required to quarantine in a hotel, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a statement on its website. Different rules shall apply for arrivals into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the agency said.

Vaccinated Britons Face Fewer Curbs (5:27 p.m. HK)

Vaccinated Britons will face fewer Covid tests and could avoid some quarantine measures under U.K. government plans to ease restrictions around overseas summer holidays, according to the Daily Telegraph.

On Monday Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lay out a plan for opening up travel and is expected to reveal a traffic light system under which countries are rated red, yellow or green according to their risk based on vaccination levels, Covid rates and the prevalence of new variants, the newspaper said. All travelers returning to the U.K. will need pre-departure Covid tests irrespective of their vaccination status.

Poland’s Cases Slow (4:56 p.m. HK)

Poland reported 28,073 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data. That compares with 31,757 new cases a week earlier and a record of 35,251 on April 1. The death toll increased to 571 from 448 a week ago and a record of 674 on Nov. 25.

U.K. Official Slams Astra ‘Bickering’(4:47 p.m. HK)

“Bickering” and disputes about vaccine supplies and possible side-effects of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine “needs to stop” as it “just layers uncertainty in people’s minds,” Kate Bingham, who headed and launched the U.K. Vaccine Taskforce, said in a Financial Times interview.

Bingham said that AstraZeneca, whose vaccine safety has been called into question in a number of countries, are “heroes” for picking up an experimental vaccine invented at Oxford University and working out how to test, manufacture and distribute it at low cost around the world. The company has signed more deals to supply low-income countries than any another pharmaceutical rival and have been “caught up in geopolitics,” Bingham told the FT.

Argentine Leader Tests Positive (12:55 p.m. HK)

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said he has tested positive for Covid-19 after taking a preliminary antigen test for his fever.

Fernandez said in a tweet that he is currently isolated while waiting for the results of a polymerase chain reaction test, which is more definitive. The Argentine leader took a first dose of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in a public hospital in Buenos Aires province in January.

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