Shipments of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine will be restarted to the European Union after the bloc’s drug regulator said benefits of the shot outweigh the risks of a possible link to cases of rare blood clots.

Hungary, the country with the world’s highest Covid-19 death rate, reported data showing the virus has peaked, according to its chief medical officer. Italy aims to open the country to visitors in mid-May, pledging a range of safety measures as it scrambles to rescue the devastated tourism industry.

Singapore is tightening border measures for travelers from India as that country reels from a deadly wave of cases. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces growing criticism for holding large election rallies, while local vaccine maker Bharat Biotech International Ltd. will ramp up production.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases pass 142.1 million; deaths exceed 3 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 910 million shots given worldwide
• NYC’s once-mighty tourism industry shows first signs of revival
• Covid shows polarized U.S. politics kills, delays pandemic exit
• China suspicion, ‘foreign plot’ fears hamper Africa vaccine plan
• The future of travel in the Covid-19 era

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J&J to Restart EU Vaccine Shipments (12:12 p.m. NY)

Johnson & Johnson will restart shipments of its Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union after the bloc’s drug regulator said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks of a possible link with cases of rare blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency assessment on Tuesday echoed that of the vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc, which has also been linked with the rare clot. In both cases, the regulator said Covid can be fatal and the use of vaccines is crucial to fighting the virus.

Delhi Official Pleads for Oxygen Supplies (10:25 a.m. NY)

The chief minister of India’s capital took to Twitter Tuesday to plead for oxygen supplies from the federal government as the country reels under a ferocious second wave of virus infections.

His deputy, Manish Sisodia, said that several hospitals treating critically ill Covid-19 patients had only a few hours of oxygen supplies left.

“We are getting SOS calls from hospitals for oxygen,” Sisodia said on Twitter. The city reported nearly 24,000 new infections Monday, forcing the government to order a lockdown for the next six days. Kejriwal has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact the city is running out of hospital beds, oxygen and crucial drugs as infections continue to surge.

Israel Warns on India Variant (10:15 a.m. NY)

There are at least eight known cases of the Indian variant in Israel, and two more possible cases, Hezi Levi, health ministry director general, said in a radio interview Tuesday. While the variant seems to have characteristics that make it more resistant to vaccines, the shots will still work against it, though less efficiently, Levi said. Not enough is known about the variant, he added.

Natural History Museum to Become Vaccine Site (10 a.m. NY)

The American Museum of Natural History in New York will operate as a vaccination site starting Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Tuesday each week, offering about 1,000 shots a day.

“The American Museum of Natural History is an iconic monument to science and discovery,” Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said in a statement. “Serving as a setting for our historic vaccination campaign is both exciting and perfectly fitting.”

Priority will be given to residents and staff of public housing complexes; as well as union members and museum workers. The site will also offer appointments for the general public.

Saudi Reports Case Surge Amid Ramadan (9:17 a.m. NY)

Saudi Arabia reported 1,070 new cases on Tuesday, the biggest daily jump in eight months, bringing the total number of infections to 407,010. The kingdom recorded 12 new coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total to 6,846, the health ministry said in a tweet.

A health ministry spokesman said the spike is attributable to gatherings and people not observing virus restrictions in all regions as they celebrate the month of Ramadan, a key Islamic holiday that often involves social gatherings.

Hungary Says Virus Has Peaked (7:37 a.m. NY)

Hungary, the country with the world’s highest death rate from Covid-19, reported data that showed the virus has peaked, according to its chief medical officer.

Hungary reported 1,645 new infections on Tuesday, the lowest level in almost two months. The number of patients being treated in hospitals has dropped by a third from the end of March, and those on ventilators fell below 1,000 for the first time since mid-March, data show.

Scotland to Ease Restrictions (7:24 a.m. NY)

Scotland will proceed with its biggest easing of virus restrictions this year as vaccinations reduce the number of new infections and deaths. Starting next week, non-essential shops, gyms and museums will be able to reopen, while cafes, restaurants and pubs can resume the sale of food and drink outdoors, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

A ban on travel between Scotland and England and Wales will also be lifted. More than 60% of Scotland’s adult population has now received a first dose, according to government data.

Tokyo to Seek State of Emergency: Mainichi (7:25 a.m. NY)

Tokyo has decided to ask the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency, Mainichi newspaper reported, as authorities step up restrictions to contain a surge in infections ahead of an Olympics just three months away.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has told ruling Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai she plans to seek the designation for the capital, the report said, without saying where it obtained the information. The city will make the final decision after a virus panel meeting on Thursday, it said. Cases in the city have in recent days surged to levels not seen since late January, when the capital was under its second state of emergency.

Romania Reports Record Deaths (7:10 a.m. NY)

Romania reported 237 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, a daily record. The country’s intensive-care units in Covid-19 hospitals have been consistently full for the past few weeks, according to the government’s virus taskforce. The number of daily infections has stabilized at around 3,000, after more than 2.6 million people received a vaccine and amid a partial weekend curfew in the most-affected towns.

The country plans to allow private companies to open vaccination centers for inoculating employees and family members, Prime Minister Florin Citu said. The country seeks to inoculate about 5 million people by June.

Singapore to Tighten Rules for India Travelers (7:07 a.m. NY)

Singapore is reducing entry approvals and extending isolation measures for travelers from India amid an escalation of Covid-19 cases in the country.

At the same time, the city-state eased measures for travelers from Hong Kong, and lifted entry restrictions for travelers from the U.K. and South Africa. The government is also making it easier for people who have been fully vaccinated to travel to high-risk regions.

Iran to Allocate More Funds to Speed Inoculations (6 a.m. NY)

Iran aims to speed up its inoculation program by allocating a further $100 million to buying vaccines, the Central Bank governor, Abdolnaser Hemmati, said in a statement. The new funding will facilitate Iran’s payment for a deal worth $178 million with the World Health Organization to import 16.8 million jabs through the Covax initiative.

The number of daily cases in Iran rose by 25,492 over the last 24 hours, just shy of a record 25,582 infections set on Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported. The death toll rose by 395 to a total of 67,525.

Earlier, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said at a press conference that Iran had allocated part of its funds trapped in Iraq due to U.S. sanctions for buying Covid-19 vaccines, without specifying an amount.

Italy Targets Mid-May Opening for Tourism (5:53 p.m. HK)

Italy is aiming to open the country to tourists in mid-May, pledging a range of measures to protect visitors as it scrambles to rescue a sector devastated by lockdowns and restrictions on movement.

The government will introduce so-called vaccine passports earlier than the rest of the European Union, Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia said in an interview. “Conditions are right to start the summer season on May 15,” Garavaglia said.

Bharat Biotech to Boost Vaccine Output (5:51 p.m. HK)

Bharat Biotech International Ltd., an Indian vaccine maker, will ramp up production of its Covid-19 shot to about 700 million doses on an annual basis.

The planned expansion comes after India’s government last week gave the firm a 650 million rupee ($8.7 million) grant. New Delhi has pushed Bharat Biotech to double its output by June and churn out nearly 100 million doses of its inactivated Covaxin shot per month by September.

Task Force Cites Evidence of Vector Clot Link (4:21 p.m. HK)

A European scientific group found increasing evidence that an “extremely rare,” potentially lethal blood clot in vaccinees is linked specifically to adenovirus-vectored shots, especially in younger people.

Such a link would mean that side effects can also be expected from Sputnik V, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases’ emerging infections task force said in a newsletter Monday. The condition known as “vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopaenia” may occur so infrequently that it is unlikely to have been seen in clinical trials, it said.

“It is not known if similar problems have been observed in other vaccines already in use based on adenovirus vectors, such as Ebola vaccines, and the implications for development of other vaccines remain uncertain,” the group said.

Kenya in Talks for Pfizer, J&J Doses (2:51 p.m.)

Kenya is in advanced negotiations to buy Pfizer’s and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines for delivery later this year, the Star newspaper reported, citing Willis Akhwale, head of the country’s Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Taskforce.

South Korea in Talks With U.S. on Vaccine Swap (2:35 p.m.)

South Korea Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong told lawmakers that Seoul and Washington are in discussions about a “vaccine swap,” without elaborating.

Thailand in Talks With Pfizer for Doses (2:24 p.m. HK)

Thailand remains in talks to find additional vaccines for the nation’s inoculation drive, with the National Vaccine Institute in talks with Pfizer, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said Tuesday.

Thailand may get 5 million to 10 million doses from Pfizer, he said. Thailand also is on course to begin local production of AstraZeneca vaccines and will be able to produce a first lot of shots in June, according to the government. The country on Tuesday reported 1,443 new infections and four deaths.

India’s Covid Variants (1:49 p.m. HK)

Want to know more about the virus variant emerging in India? Watch this interview with Stephen Goldstein from the University of Utah on Bloomberg QuickTake.

Pfizer Backs Down From S. Africa Demand (1:22 p.m. HK)

Deliveries of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine to South Africa were delayed by demands from the U.S. drugmaker that it determine the guarantees needed to indemnify the company from any negative effects from the shots.

The condition was resisted by the government and Pfizer eventually backed down, agreeing to supply 30 million doses of the vaccine co-developed with Germany’s BioNTech SE.

China BioNTech Vaccine Approval Expected (11:23 a.m. HK)

China is expected to approve BioNTech SE’s vaccine in June, according to the head of American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Ker Gibbs.

The Shanghai government has told the group, known as AmCham, that it expects the shot to be approved “somewhere in the June time frame,” he said, citing a direct conversation with the Vice Mayor Zong Ming.

Modi Under Fire for Campaigning Amid Deaths (10:20 a.m. HK)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces growing criticism across the political spectrum for holding large election rallies as the country’s health system reels from a deadly wave of Covid-19 cases, forcing citizens to beg for oxygen and hospital beds on Twitter.

Modi avoided wearing a mask at a campaign rally on Saturday, saying “I’ve never seen such huge crowds” at an event in West Bengal. That night he said “India had defeated Covid last year and India can do it again” following a virtual meeting with health officials who spoke of critical shortages of drugs, vaccines and other supplies in a nation that has seen a string of new daily records in the past two weeks.

Leaders of key states lashed out at Modi over the weekend, while the opposition Congress party called off campaigning in West Bengal due to the virus surge.

India has had more than 15 million confirmed virus cases and more than 180,000 related deaths, according to government data. Meanwhile, Pakistan has banned travelers from India over the virus’s spread.

Auckland Border Worker Tests Positive (9:29 a.m. HK)

A border worker at Auckland International Airport has returned a positive test result for Covid-19, the Ministry of Health said in an emailed statement.

The worker was “fully vaccinated, quite early on in the campaign,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters on Tuesday. The person had been tested twice, on April 12 and 19, as part of normal procedure, she said.

— With assistance by Joe Schneider, Andreea Papuc, Jason Scott, Prim Chuwiruch, Jason Gale, Arsalan Shahla, Alastair Reed, Alisa Odenheimer, and Muneeza Naqvi