uk Covid-19: Another new variant added to UK watch list Public Health England has designated it as a 'variant under investigation' (VUI), meaning it is on their watch list, but not one they are immediately concerned about. It has a mutation in common with the South Africa and Brazil variants. That change, E484K, may help the virus evade some immunity from vaccination or prior infection, experts believe. The cases were first identified on 15 February by the UK's variant surveillance system. Experts suspect it originated in the UK. All 16 individuals who tested positive, and their contacts, have been traced and advised to isolate. PHE said the cases were geographically spread across the UK. And it confirmed that surge or mass testing would not be necessary - this is only done for variants of concern (VOC), such as the Brazil one. The UK now has 8 variants on its watch list - 4 VUIs and 4 VOCs. eu EU, Italy halt AstraZeneca vaccine shipment to Australia First use of export control system since it was issued in January A shipment of over a quarter million AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines destined for Australia has been blocked from leaving the European Union, in the first use of an export control system instituted by the bloc to make sure big pharmaceutical companies would respect their contracts. The move, affecting only a small number of vaccines, underscores a growing frustration within the 27-nation bloc about the slow rollout of its vaccine drive and the shortfall of promised vaccine deliveries, especially by Anglo-Swedish AstraZeneca. The ban came at the behest of Italy, and the EU did not raise objections to the tougher line Rome has adopted in dealing with vaccine shortages in the bloc since a new government led by Mario Draghi came into power last month. Italy's objections centred both on the general shortage of supplies in the EU and on "the delays in the supply of vaccines by AstraZeneca to the EU and Italy," a Foreign Ministry statement said. It said it also intervened because of the size of the shipment, more than 250,700 doses, that would go to Australia, which it did not consider a vulnerable nation. Italy said it had informed the company on Tuesday. AstraZeneca refused to comment. The Financial Times first reported on the issue late Thursday.

brazil Covid: Brazil's daily deaths reach all-time high Brazil on Wednesday registered its highest daily number of Covid deaths since the pandemic started. The health ministry said 1,910 people had died with Covid in the previous 24 hours, the second day in a row of record deaths. The record was reached as scientists said that a new variant first found in Brazil appears more contagious. Brazil has the second highest coronavirus death toll after the US, at more than a quarter of a million.