Here's everything you need to know about the Covid pandemic from the last 24-hours: 

  • Second doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the UK have outnumbered first doses for the first time. A total of 270,526 second doses were registered on March 30, compared with 224,590 first doses, according to the latest Government figures. Previously the number of first jabs per day had always exceeded second jabs. A total of 4.1 million people in the UK are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the equivalent of around one in 13 (7.8 per cent) of adults.
  • There is “no evidence” to support restricting the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in any population, the head of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said. The EMA said a causal link between unusual blood clots in people who have had the vaccine is “not proven, but is possible”, adding that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing Covid-19 outweighed the risks of side effects. It comes after it emerged Germany was suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged under 60 due to fears of a link with rare blood clots.
  • The Pfizer Covid-19 jab is “100 per cent effective and well tolerated” among children aged 12 to 15, a new study suggests. Pfizer said it now plans to seek approval for use of the vaccine in this age group from regulators around the world and hopes youngsters will start to receive the jab before the next school year. The pharmaceutical company said it plans to submit the data to the UK regulator – the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – within the next couple of months. Researchers examined the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in a trial of 2,260 teenagers in the US.
  • Key workers are being offered free cruises in recognition of their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. Royal Caribbean announced that 999 rooms will be allocated to personnel from the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces. Workers who want to apply for the voyages must register on the cruise line’s website to enter a ballot. The firm’s Anthem of the Seas ship will begin sailing from Southampton from July 7.
  • Hospitality and retail bosses have warned that the use of vaccine passports or certification for customers entering venues could face “legal concerns” and create enforcement problems for businesses. Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said pubs and other venues could use vaccine passports, before backtracking slightly to clarify that this may only be introduced once all UK adults have been offered a vaccination. Speaking as part of a webinar hosted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality said certification could pose a problem for frontline staff.
  • The Government said a further 43 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 126,713. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 150,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
  • NHS England data shows a total of 4,109,389 first and 588,546 second doses of Covid have been given to people between December 8 and March 30. Government data up to March 30 shows that of the 35,014,074 jabs given in the UK so far, 30,905,538 were first doses – a rise of 224,590 on the previous day. Some 4,108,536 were second doses, an increase of 270,526.
  • The Government also said that, as of 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 4,052 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,345,788. Across the North-East and Yorkshire there have been a further 280 confirmed cases.
  • Here is the breakdown of the total cases in the region: 

County Durham: 37,541 was 37,497

Darlington: 7,379 was 7,366

Gateshead: 13,627 was 13,603

Hartlepool: 8,765 was 8,748

Middlesbrough: 12,309 was 12,296

Newcastle: 23,185 was 23,151

North Tyneside: 12,298 was 12,274

North Yorkshire: 29,233 was 29,206

Redcar and Cleveland: 9,223 was 9,216

South Tyneside: 11,254 was 11,244

Stockton: 15,656 was 15,612

Sunderland: 21,859 was 21,840

York: 12,198 was 12,193

Total increase: 280