Coronavirus live news: EU drug agency to respond to AstraZeneca blood clot concerns; Delhi imposes curfew

Drug agency denies already finding causal link between AstraZeneca jab and blood clots; Australia says EU asked it to withdraw Covid vaccine export permit applications; Delhi night curfew in place until 30 April

6.44am BST

The Japanese metropolis of Osaka is to declare a medical emergency as new Covid-19 infections climb to all-time highs, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.

Reuters: New infections will likely exceed 800 a day and authorities in the prefecture are preparing to declare an emergency as the medical system comes under increasing strain, Kyodo reported, citing officials.

A spokesman for the Osaka prefecture could not confirm that infection figure when contacted by Reuters and said an emergency declaration was still being considered.
Health authorities are worried that variants of the coronavirus are causing a fourth wave of infections with just 107 days until the Tokyo Olympics are due to begin and while a vaccination drive is still in its early stages.

The Osaka government reported 719 new cases on Tuesday, the highest since the pandemic began. Some 70% of hospital beds for severe cases are now occupied, according to official data.

6.31am BST

Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada, who is battling Covid, has been put on a ventilator, his son said Tuesday.

AP: The 83-year-old Estrada, the most prominent Filipino politician to test positive for the coronavirus, was hospitalized more than a week ago and initially was recovering well, said his son, former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

But on Monday, “my father’s condition suffered a setback,” he said in a medical bulletin posted on Facebook, adding that doctors decided to put the former president on a ventilator “to improve oxygen delivery as well as to prevent the tiring of his respiratory mechanism.”

“My father has always been a fighter and I hope that with the help of your prayers, he will win this battle,” he said.

Another Estrada son, former Sen. JV Ejercito, also appealed for prayers, saying in a tweet that “Covid is unpredictable.”

Estrada, a former action film star and veteran politician, won the presidency in 1998 with one of the largest margins in Philippine elections. But his six-year term was cut short after he faced allegations of plunder and was ousted in January 2001 during massive military-backed protests. He denied the charges, which he said were fabricated by his opponents.