Johnson & Johnson's single-jab vaccine against Covid-19 will be limited in Belgium to people aged 41 and over, authorities said today following the death of a woman who received the jab.
The country's inter-ministerial health body focused on the pandemic said that restriction will be "provisionally" applied pending further guidance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine.
The move underlined the level of caution EU countries are showing to Covid vaccines, particularly the two adenovirus ones made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.
Those two have suspected links to very rare but very serious instances of blood clots coupled with low platelet levels which were seen in several deaths.
The EMA is continuing to evaluate the safety of all four vaccines it has approved for use in the EU, which also includes the ones from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna.
Last month it drew a link between rare blood clots and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs but stressed that the benefits of the vaccines outweighed the risk.
It maintains a recommendation they be used for all adult ages.
Several EU countries have restricted the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine to older people - in Ireland, it is not given to anyone under the age of 40. Johnson & Johnson is only administered to those aged 50 or over.
Denmark has dropped the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from its national vaccination programme altogether.
Non-EU member Norway, which has dropped AstraZeneca, is offering Johnson & Johnson only to volunteers.
In Belgium, the death of the woman - said to be aged under 40 and vaccinated through her employer outside of the country - was the "only case" identified, the inter-ministerial body said in a statement.
The woman died on Friday after being admitted to hospital with "severe thrombosis and a deficit of blood platelets", it said.
It added that Belgium would keep using the Johnson & Johnson jab to vaccinate elderly people at home and vulnerable groups such as the homeless.
WHO says Indian Covid-19 variant found in at least 53 territories
The coronavirus variant first detected in India has now been officially recorded in 53 territories, a World Health Organization report showed.
Additionally, the WHO has received information from unofficial sources that the B.1.617 variant has been found in seven other territories, figures in the UN health agency's weekly epidemiological update showed, taking the total to 60.
The report said B.1.617 had shown increased transmissibility, while disease severity and risk of infection were under investigation.
Globally over the past week, the number of new cases and deaths continued to decrease, with around 4.1 million new cases and 84,000 new deaths reported - a 14% and two percent decrease respectively compared to the previous week.
The WHO's European region reported the largest decline in new cases and deaths in the past seven days, followed by the southeast Asia region.
The numbers of cases reported by the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, and the Western Pacific region were similar to those reported in the previous week.
"Despite a declining global trend over the past four weeks, incidence of Covid-19 cases and deaths remain high, and substantial increases have been observed in many countries throughout the world," the document said.
The highest numbers of new cases in the past seven days were reported from India (1,846,055 - down 23%); Brazil (451,424 - up 3%); Argentina (213,046 - up 41%), the United States (188,410 - down 20%), and Colombia (107,590 - down 7%).
Japan newspaper sponsoring Tokyo Olympics urges cancellation
Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper, an official Tokyo Olympics sponsor, called for the Games to be cancelled, describing the event as "a threat to health".
In an editorial, the daily urged Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to "make a calm, objective assessment of the situation and make the decision to cancel this summer's Olympics".
The call comes with public opposition growing in Japan, where polls show a majority are against the Games going ahead in July and August.
The editorial said it "cannot accept the gamble" of holding the event, despite organisers insisting it can go ahead safely.
It also accused International Olympic Committee leaders, including vice-president John Coates, of being "self-righteous" and "clearly out of step" with the Japanese public.
When asked last week if the Games could be held even during a virus state of emergency, Mr Coates said "the answer is absolutely yes".
Tokyo and other parts of Japan are currently under a state of emergency, which is expected to be extended this week until 20 June.
"Saying 'yes' without demonstrating any clear grounds for it once again drove home the self-righteous image of the IOC," the Asahi editorial said.
It comes less than two months until the Games are set to begin, and days after the US State Department issued a travel warning for Japan over virus risks.
The White House said yesterday that it supported plans to hold the Games, with press secretary Jen Psaki saying "our position has not changed on the Olympics".
"There are very specific entry and movement rules and procedures which the organisers have laid out in order to ensure the protection of everyone involved," she added.
Cancelling the Games would cost Japan around 1.8 trillion yen, a research institute said.
But the Nomura Research Institute warned that the country could suffer even greater economic damage as a result of holding the Games, if a spike in infections led to a new state of emergency.
UAE mandates Covid-19 vaccines for live events
The United Arab Emirates has said vaccinations against Covid-19 will be mandatory for people attending all "live events" from 6 June, as the country pushes a vaccination campaign which has consistently been one of the fastest in the world.
The policy applies to all sports, cultural, social, arts exhibition, activities and events, a spokeswoman for the ministry of health said. Attendees must also present a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken at least 48 hours before the event.
Trade and tourism hub Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates, last week said Covid-19 vaccinations were required to participate in and attend concerts, sports events, bars, entertainment activities, and for weddings up to 100 people.
The UAE said more than 78.11% of the eligible population over 16 years old had now been vaccinated, and 84.59% of people aged 60 and over, without specifying if this meant two doses or one dose.
Taiwan says China blocked deal with BioNTech for Covid-19 shots
Taiwan has directly accused China for the first time of blocking a deal with Germany's BioNTech SE for Covid-19 vaccines, in an escalating war of words after Beijing offered the shots via a Chinese company.
Taiwan has millions of vaccine doses on order, from AstraZeneca and Moderna, but has received only slightly more than 700,000 to date, and has only been able to vaccinate about 1% of its population as cases surge.
While Taiwan has previously said it had been unable to sign a final contract with BioNTech, it had only implied that Chinese pressure was to blame.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and tries to curtail its international relations.
In comments at a meeting of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, President Tsai Ing-wen said they had "smoothly" booked orders for the AstraZeneca and Moderna shots.
"As for Germany's BioNTech, we were close to completing the contract with the original German plant, but because of China's intervention, up to now there's been no way to complete it," she said.
China has repeatedly denied trying to block vaccines for Taiwan and has offered to provide them itself as a gesture of goodwill.
It has accused Taiwan of putting up political obstacles over the vaccine offer.
