Norway will lend all of its 216,000 doses of AstraZeneca to neighboring Sweden and Iceland as long as its own government regulator has paused the use of the vaccine. On March 11, Norway followed Denmark in deciding to put on hold jabs by the British-Swedish company after reports of very rare blood clots. Health Minister Bent Hoeie said if the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is resumed, "we will get back the doses we lend as soon as we request it." The European Medicines Agency has said the benefits of being immunized against Covid-19 outweigh the very rare risks of developing the unusual clots with AstraZeneca.
Read morePrime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he has called off his Friday's visit to West Bengal as he will chair high-level meetings in the national capital amid an unprecedented Covid crisis in India. "Tomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing Covid-19 situation. Due to that, I would not be going to West Bengal," Modi tweeted. Elections are under way in West Bengal where PM Modi was slated to hold a rally ahead of the seventh phase polling on April 26.
Read moreTomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would no… https://t.co/79d2zBQhX6
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1619092487000