COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 12 March

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 118.6 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 2.62 million. More than 328.7 million vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

All remaining restrictions in Auckland, New Zealand have been lifted, after no new locally transmitted cases were reported for two weeks.

Direct deposits from the US's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill could come as early as this weekend.

Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine was 96% effective in preventing cases caused by the original variant of the virus in late-stage trials in the UK. It was 86% effective against the more contagious variant first discovered in the UK.

An expert panel advising the government of Ontario, Canada, has warned that new variants are spreading rapidly and the province risks a third wave of the pandemic.

Hospitals in Brazil's main cities are reaching capacity, health officials have warned, as the country recorded the world's highest COVID-19 death toll over the past week.

Portugal will start to ease strict restrictions from next week, the government said yesterday, two months into the lockdown.

The current COVID-19 situation is Paris is 'especially worrying', France's Health Minister Olivier Veran said yesterday. He warned that extra restrictions might be necessary.

Turkey plans to vaccinate 50 million people against COVID-19 by the autumn, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced yesterday. It comes as the number of daily cases hit their highest level this year.

2. Late-stage trial results from Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine was 96% effective in preventing cases caused by the original variant of the virus in late-stage trials in the UK.

The same trial showed it was 86% effective against the more contagious variant first discovered in the UK, with a combined 90% effectiveness rate overall based on data from infections of both variants.

There were no cases of severe illness or deaths among those who got the two-shot vaccine, the company said.

The company expects to use the data to submit for regulatory authorization in various countries. It is not clear when it will seek US authorization or if regulators will require it to complete an ongoing trial in the United States.

3. EU approves Johnson & Johnson jab

Europe has approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for use, opening the door for the first shots to be delivered in a month.

The vaccine is the fourth to be approved for use in the European Union by the European Medicines (EMA) agency, after the Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna shots.

“With this latest positive opinion, authorities across the European Union will have another option to combat the pandemic and protect the lives and health of their citizens,” EMA’s Executive Director Emer Cooke said after the agency gave its conditional approval.

J&J Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels described it as a “landmark moment” for the US drugmaker.