Germany To Give AstraZeneca, J&J Shots To All Adults

AP: Germany OKs J&J, AstraZeneca Jabs For All Adults
Germany is making the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine available to all adults as it did with the AstraZeneca vaccine, though the bulk of the expected deliveries is still some way off. Germany has recommended the AstraZeneca shot mainly for over-60s because of a rare type of blood clot seen in an extremely small number of recipients. But amid a push to get as many people inoculated as possible, the government decided to allow doctors’ offices to vaccinate any adults with it -- putting aside a priority system under which the oldest and most vulnerable have been vaccinated first. (5/10)

The Washington Post: E.U. Declines To Reup AstraZeneca Contract While Investing Heavily Into Pfizer 
The European Union is effectively turning away from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, after the Anglo-Swedish manufacturer fell behind on its delivery targets and amid concerns over the vaccine’s efficacy against some variants of the coronavirus. “We did not renew the order after June. We’ll see what happens,” European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said on French radio over the weekend. (Schemm, Hassan and Noack, 5/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Some Countries Shift Guidance On AstraZeneca Vaccine 
Several countries have shifted their guidance in recent days on who should receive the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine, as public-health officials continue to weigh the risk of the vaccine against the prevalence of Covid-19 cases. The AstraZeneca shot hasn’t been cleared for use in the U.S., unlike Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson. But in some wealthy countries where the supply of those vaccines has been more constrained, AstraZeneca doses have been offered to people as young as 30, showing the wide variation even among wealthy countries in vaccination campaigns. (Mackrael, 5/9)

NPR: Ramping Up Its COVID Response, EU Will Buy Up To 1.8B Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine
The European Union and Pfizer-BioNTech have signed a deal for up to 1.8 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bloc's biggest contract to date would cover its entire population, marking a significant ramp up in its fight against the coronavirus. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal in a tweet, writing it is for a " for guaranteed 900 million doses (+900 million options)." Von der Leyen says other contracts and vaccines are coming for the 27-member bloc with a population of around 450 million. (Held, 5/8)

In other covid news from Europe —

Politico: Spain Rings In End Of Coronavirus Curbs With Boisterous Street Parties 
Spaniards took to the streets during the early hours of Sunday morning to celebrate the end of 202 days of nationwide coronavirus restrictions that had limited travel between regions, largely barred social gatherings and subjected citizens to curfews since last fall. In scenes that recalled pre-COVID New Year’s Eve celebrations, thousands gathered in the central squares of most of the country’s cities to ring in the end of the “state of alarm” measures adopted by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government on October 25 last year. (Hernandez-Morales, 5/9)

Reuters: ‘Cautious Hugging’ And Pints: UK PM Johnson To Ease England’s Lockdown
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out on Monday the next phase of lockdown easing in England, giving the green light to “cautious hugging” and allowing pubs to serve customers pints inside after months of strict measures. Aided by one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world, Britain's daily case and death numbers have dropped sharply - reporting just two fatalities on Sunday - enabling it to emerge from a lockdown imposed in January to tackle a second wave. (Faulconbridge and Holton, 5/10)

Fox News: After Vaccine Rollout Success In UK, COVID Could Be ‘Eradicated’ By Winter, Says Top Scientist
An emeritus professor of bacteriology in the United Kingdom is predicting COVID-19 could be "eradicated" in the country by winter because of the success of the vaccine rollout, according to reports. "I don't see any reason of why we should need to go into lockdown again," Hugh Pennington told The Sun. "We are now getting close to China and Taiwan in effectively eradicating it within our own territory." A total of 1,770 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the United Kingdom on Sunday, with the week’s total of 14,659 cases down by 4.3% compared with the previous week, Reuters reported. (Miles, 5/9)

Axios: European Union Says Vaccine Patents Waiver Is No "Magic Bullet" 
European leaders ramped up their criticism of the United States' support for a proposal to waive certain patent protections for coronavirus vaccines, with European Council President Charles Michel saying Saturday that a waiver is not "the magic bullet,” AP reports. The leaders instead pressed President Biden to lift U.S. export restrictions on vaccines, arguing it would have a greater impact on vaccine production and distribution. (Knutson, 5/8)

CBS News: "Dracula's Castle" In Romania Offering Free Vaccines 
The castle said to have helped inspire Bram Stoker's "Dracula" will now offer COVID-19 vaccines. Bran Castle in Romania, often referred to as Dracula's Castle, will have free Pfizer vaccines for visitors every weekend in May, the BBC reports. (Siese, 5/9)

In other news from Denmark —

The Washington Post: An App That Swiftly Sends CPR Volunteers To Heart Attack Sufferers Has Made A Big Difference In Denmark. Could This Be Copied In The U.S.?
Denmark has seen a dramatic increase in survival from heart attacks after it began recruiting volunteers and arming some of them with smartphone technology that alerts them to nearby cardiac emergencies and helps them locate automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. The volunteers are then asked to enter residences and perform CPR until an ambulance arrives. (Sorensen, 5/9)