COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 15 March

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 119.8 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 2.65 million. More than 355.1 million vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

US President Joe Biden is set to name Gene Sperling, an economic adviser to former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, to lead the implementation of the country's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan.

The World Health Organization gave emergency use listing to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Friday. It's the fourth to be given such approval by the WHO.

New COVID-19 cases in France neared 30,000 on Saturday, while the number of people to receive their first vaccine injection topped 5 million.

Italy said on Saturday it was aiming to vaccinate at least 80% of its population by the end of September.

On Saturday, Australia recorded its first local COVID-19 case in more than two weeks after a doctor tested positive. The news triggered restrictions in hospitals and urgent contact tracing.

Facebook has said it will label all posts that discuss the safety of vaccines and will soon label all posts about the vaccines.

2. Countries suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine

The Netherlands and Ireland both suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday over reports of unexpected possible side effects.

The suspensions come after reports from Denmark and Norway of possible serious side effects. Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday.

AstraZeneca said on Sunday a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

The company's Chief Medical Officer, Ann Taylor said: “Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population. The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety.”

3. Australia and Singapore discuss air travel bubble

Singapore and Australia are discussing an air travel bubble that would allow travel between the two countries without the need for quarantine.

The two countries are also discussing the potential mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and the resumption of travel with priority for students and business travellers, Singapore's foreign ministry said.

“We are working with Singapore at the moment, potentially for a bubble in July,” Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who is also transport minister, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.