Thailand will start using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday after a brief delay due to concerns over its safety, officials said, with the prime minister and his cabinet due to be the first to receive it. Thailand was on Friday the first country outside Europe to suspend use of the AstraZeneca shot. Authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands suspended their use of the vaccine over blood clotting issues. Natreeya Thaweewong of the spokesperson’s office of government house told reporters in a text message that the delayed inoculations of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his ministers would take place on Tuesday morning. AstraZeneca said on Sunday it had undertaken a “careful review” of data from more than 17 million people vaccinated in the UK and European Union, which showed “no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia.” In Thailand, vaccine inequality fears grow as private hospitals eye profits Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said many countries had confirmed there were no blood clot issues from the AstraZeneca shot. “The prime minister had expressed his intention and that he was ready to be given a vaccine to build confidence for the people,” Anutin said in a statement. He said an expert panel had agreed it should be administered and some senior medical professors would also receive it on Tuesday to demonstrate their confidence in the vaccine. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s health minister said on Monday the country will delay the administering of AstraZeneca’s vaccine and would await a review from the World Health Organization (WHO). Duterte’s spokesman tests positive for Covid-19 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ’s spokesman, who also has been the country’s leading voice on dealing with the pandemic, has tested positive for the coronavirus amid alarm over an infection spike that has forced key cities to reimpose curfews and lockdowns. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque held a regular televised news conference on Monday where he disclosed that he has been infected but showed no symptoms. He was last with Duterte in a provincial trip four days ago but said he tested negative on the eve of the visit and did not endanger the 75-year-old leader. Roque’s infection is noteworthy because he has been leading a high-profile campaign for the public to do everything to beat back the virus. “The lesson is you can get infected however careful you are … so, be extra careful all the time.” The Department of Health has been reporting a surge in infections for more than a week, adding to concerns over a sluggish start of a vaccination campaign that has faced supply problems and public reluctance. The Philippines has reported more than 621,000 confirmed Covid-19 infections, with 12,829 deaths. Where did the Philippines’ pandemic response go wrong? Japan PM Suga to get vaccine on Tuesday Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will receive his first shot of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday as part of preparations to visit the US next month, a government official said. Suga is slated to get the second shot three weeks later before departing on the trip, in which he will be the first world leader to meet with US President Joe Biden in person. Japan has prioritised vaccinating health care workers before expanding the roll-out to the rest of its population. Government officials had previously said Suga, 72, would receive his shots along with other people aged 65 years or older, who become eligible from mid-April. India logs worst daily spike in cases India recorded 26,291 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its highest single-day spike this year, taking the total caseload to 11,385,339, according to official data. The number of deaths increased to 158,725 with 118 more fatalities being recorded in the day, the federal Health Ministry update said. The western state of Maharashtra, which has been a virus hotspot since the outbreak last year, accounted for 16,620 new infections. India which has the largest virus caseload after the US and Brazil, saw a downward trend in infections at the end of 2020, but the numbers have been rising again in recent weeks. The number of infections on Monday was the highest daily rise in 85 days since December 20 when as many as 26,624 new infections were recorded, according to data on the Johns Hopkins University website. Besides Maharashtra, which imposed partial lockdowns and restrictions to contain infections, four more states including Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu were reporting an upwards trend in cases. India expanded its Covid-19 vaccination drive from March 1 to cover people over 60 years of age, after launching the campaign mid-January by inoculating frontline workers and health care staff. Almost 30 million doses have been administered so far, but experts say the pace of vaccinations needs to be accelerated to meet the government’s target of inoculating 300 million people by early August. South Korea to expand vaccine drive South Korea said it will start administrating coronavirus vaccines to adults 75 years or older next month as it expands a mass immunisation programme that aims to deliver the first doses to 12 million people during the first half of the year. Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said on Monday that school nurses, prison workers and people at facilities for the disabled and homeless will also be among groups that will receive their first shots in April. She said South Korea will use its next available doses of Pfizer vaccines to inoculate some 3.64 million people who are over 75 and live in communities. Separately, the country will use AstraZeneca shots to vaccinate some 377,000 people over 65 who live or work in long-term care settings later this month. People between the age of 65 and 74 who live in communities will receive their first AstraZeneca shots in May or July, she said. South Korea reported 382 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, which brought its caseload to 96,017, including 1,675 deaths. Reporting by Reuters, AP, Kyodo, DPA