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Coronavirus pandemic - World News
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Test Captain
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Test Captain
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Test Captain
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Test Captain
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A new factory in Abu Dhabi will start manufacturing Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine later this year.
The production will be under a joint venture between the Chinese pharmaceutical giant and Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 (G42).
The production will be under a joint venture between the Chinese pharmaceutical giant and Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 (G42).
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Test Captain
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- Mar 30, 2016
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- 47,619
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Test Captain
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- Mar 30, 2016
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South Asia surpasses grim milestone of 15 million COVID-19 cases: Reuters tally
(Reuters) - Coronavirus infections in the South Asia sub-region surpassed the grim milestone of 15 million on Saturday, a Reuters tally shows, led by India’s record daily infections and vaccine shortages.
South Asia - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka - accounts for 11% of global cases and almost 6% of deaths. The region accounts for 23% of the world’s population of 7.59 billion people.
India, the country with the third-highest coronavirus total, accounts for over 84% of South Asia’s cases and deaths.
The world’s second-most populous country reported 145,384 new cases on Saturday, the fastest climb in the world and the country’s fifth record this week, as well as 794 deaths. The government blames the current spike on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks.
India is accounting for one in every six reported infections in its current surge.
While ramping up its vaccination drive, inoculating about 4 million people a day, several states said they were rationing doses as the federal government was not refilling stocks in time.
India’s western neighbour Pakistan, the second-hardest hit in the region, is in its third wave, recording more than 700,000 cases and 15,000 related deaths.
It has seen a sharp rise in cases in the past 10 days. Officials say there are now more people in intensive care than at any other point during the pandemic.
Bangladesh, India’s eastern neighbour, is reporting about 7,000 cases a day, totalling some 678,937 cases.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Bangladesh 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
At least 94.1 million people had received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose in southern Asia by Friday, according to figures from Our World in Data.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...on-covid-19-cases-reuters-tally-idUSKBN2BX08B
(Reuters) - Coronavirus infections in the South Asia sub-region surpassed the grim milestone of 15 million on Saturday, a Reuters tally shows, led by India’s record daily infections and vaccine shortages.
South Asia - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka - accounts for 11% of global cases and almost 6% of deaths. The region accounts for 23% of the world’s population of 7.59 billion people.
India, the country with the third-highest coronavirus total, accounts for over 84% of South Asia’s cases and deaths.
The world’s second-most populous country reported 145,384 new cases on Saturday, the fastest climb in the world and the country’s fifth record this week, as well as 794 deaths. The government blames the current spike on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks.
India is accounting for one in every six reported infections in its current surge.
While ramping up its vaccination drive, inoculating about 4 million people a day, several states said they were rationing doses as the federal government was not refilling stocks in time.
India’s western neighbour Pakistan, the second-hardest hit in the region, is in its third wave, recording more than 700,000 cases and 15,000 related deaths.
It has seen a sharp rise in cases in the past 10 days. Officials say there are now more people in intensive care than at any other point during the pandemic.
Bangladesh, India’s eastern neighbour, is reporting about 7,000 cases a day, totalling some 678,937 cases.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Bangladesh 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
At least 94.1 million people had received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose in southern Asia by Friday, according to figures from Our World in Data.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...on-covid-19-cases-reuters-tally-idUSKBN2BX08B
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- Mar 30, 2016
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- 47,619
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,980
Europe tops one million COVID cases
Europe has surpassed one million deaths from COVID-19 and the situation remains "serious" - with about 1.6 million new cases reported each week in the region, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Greece, Dr Hans Kluge did point to "early signs that transmission may be slowing across several countries" and cited "declining incidence" among the oldest people.
He said the proportion of deaths among people over 80, who have been prioritised for vaccines, had dropped to nearly 30% - the lowest level in the pandemic.
And he echoed the conclusions of the Oxford University study detailed in the previous post.
"For now, the risk of suffering blood clots is much higher for someone with COVID-19 than for someone who has taken the AstraZeneca vaccine," he said.
"Let there be no doubt about it, the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in reducing Covid-19 hospitalisation and preventing deaths," he added, saying WHO recommended its use for all eligible adults.
Europe has surpassed one million deaths from COVID-19 and the situation remains "serious" - with about 1.6 million new cases reported each week in the region, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Greece, Dr Hans Kluge did point to "early signs that transmission may be slowing across several countries" and cited "declining incidence" among the oldest people.
He said the proportion of deaths among people over 80, who have been prioritised for vaccines, had dropped to nearly 30% - the lowest level in the pandemic.
And he echoed the conclusions of the Oxford University study detailed in the previous post.
"For now, the risk of suffering blood clots is much higher for someone with COVID-19 than for someone who has taken the AstraZeneca vaccine," he said.
"Let there be no doubt about it, the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in reducing Covid-19 hospitalisation and preventing deaths," he added, saying WHO recommended its use for all eligible adults.
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
Covid latest: India variant detected in UK; Brazil running out of hospital beds
Britain’s public health authorities have announced that the variant first detected in India and reported to be spreading fast there, has been identified in 77 cases across the United Kingdom (UK), designating it as a "variant under investigation".
Public Health England (PHE), the executive body under the Department of Health and Social Care, said on Thursday evening that the India variant, known as B.1.617, includes a number of mutations including E484Q, L452R, and P681R.
“PHE has identified 77 cases of this variant in the UK and all appropriate public health interventions will be undertaken, including enhanced contact tracing. This variant has been designated VUI-21APR-01. PHE and international partners continue to monitor the situation closely,” it said in a statement.
Covid_19 variant first detected in India found in UK
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 16, 2021
If investigations reveal that the variant is more infectious or more resistant to anti-bodies, it will be designated a ‘variant of concern’, similar to the ones detected in South Africa, Brazil, and Kent (the UK variant).
Currently, ‘surge testing’, which includes door-to-door testing, is being conducted in London neighbourhoods such as Barnet, Lambeth, and Southwark for the South African variant, amidst an overall decline in the number of new infections, hospitalisation, and deaths in the UK in the past few weeks.
Curfews vital to break Germany’s third wave
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged lawmakers on Friday to approve new powers that would allow her to force coronavirus lockdowns and curfews on areas with high infection rates, saying a majority of Germans were in favour of stricter measures.
“The third wave of the pandemic has our country firmly in its grip,” said Merkel, whose speech was interrupted by heckles from lawmakers of the far-right Alternative for Germany party opposed to lockdowns.
“Intensive care workers are sending one distress call after the other. Who are we to ignore their pleas?” Merkel said.
Covid: India extends record rise in cases, election rallies continue
India extended a record daily run of new Covid-19 infections on Friday, spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering, as politicians pushed ahead with election rallies against advice they could worsen the outbreak.
India is battling a massive second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with new restrictions imposed in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities. There are also growing calls for officials to speed up the country’s vaccination programme as hospitals are swamped with patients.
The 217,353 new cases reported by the health ministry on Friday marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took total cases to nearly 14.3 million. India’s case count is second only to the United States, which has reported more than 31 million infections.
Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day rise in seven months, to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.
Experts have raised concerns about the spread of more contagious and deadlier variants of the disease, particularly given widespread participation in religious festivals and political rallies. A Lancet study this month estimated that India’s fatalities could double by June.
Brazil and India running out of sedatives and hospital beds
India reported a record daily increase of 217,353 Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Friday. Hospitals in the capital New Delhi have been hit hard, and at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, one of India’s largest Covid-only facilities with more than 1,500 beds, unrelated patients are sharing beds, while bodies of the recently deceased lie outside the ward before being taken to the mortuary.
In a similar vein, Brazil’s hospitals were running out of drugs needed to sedate Covid-19 patients on Thursday, with the government urgently seeking to import supplies amid reports of the seriously ill being tied down and intubated without effective sedatives. More Brazilians are dying of the virus each day than anywhere else in the world, with South America’s largest country reporting another 3,560 deaths on Thursday.
India shifts from mass vaccine exporter to importer
After gifting and selling tens of millions of Covid-19 vaccine doses abroad, India suddenly finds itself short of shots as new infections surge in the world’s second-most populous country.
Four sources involved in discussions on vaccine supplies and procurement said factors including delays by India and Covax in placing firm orders, a lack of investment in production, raw material shortages and underestimating the coronavirus surge at home had contributed to vaccine shortages.
Need for 1-year booster shots explored
The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against Covid-19, a White House official said on Thursday.
It is also tracking infections in people who have been fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, told the House subcommittee hearing. Walensky said some of these infections occurred because the vaccinated person did not mount a strong immune response. But the concern is that in some cases, they are occurring in people infected by more contagious virus variants.
How New Zealand’s response helped fuel a housing crisis
The number of people seeking emergency housing in New Zealand’s capital Wellington has tripled in the last 12 months, as rents hit record highs and the pandemic disproportionately impacted lower earning jobs.
New Zealand is experiencing what economists call a ‘K-shaped’ recovery, in which those on top benefit while those at the bottom see their prospects deteriorate.
Pandemic-inspired policies have translated into cheaper mortgages, allowing affluent “kiwis” to upsize their homes and build up portfolios of rental investment properties, fuelling a further surge in house prices. The 24% year-on-year increase, on top of a 90% rise in the preceding decade, has locked out first home buyers and low income earners.
Staggered reopening of borders considered in Australia
Australia will consider a staggered reopening of its international borders to allow residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel abroad first, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.
Australian citizens and permanent residents cannot leave the country due to coronavirus restrictions unless they have an exemption, while returning international travellers have to quarantine in hotels for two weeks at their own expense.
Israel to lift outdoor mask mandate
The rules to enforce wearing of masks outdoors in Israel will be lifted starting Sunday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said.
Edelstein said in a statement on Thursday that he had instructed the Ministry's Director-General, Hezi Levi, to sign an order to cancel the restriction, reports Xinhua news agency.
The decision was made on the recommendation by the professionals in the ministry, who said that, due to the low Covid-19 morbidity, there is no longer a need for wearing face masks outdoors in Israel.
In closed places, however, the mask-wearing rules will still apply, the statement noted.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 138.8 million
The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 138.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.98 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Friday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 138,827,781 and 2,984,236, respectively.
Coronavirus: Global Covid-19 cases top 138.8 million
— Khaleej Times April 16, 2021
The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 31,495,164 and 565,283, respectively, according to the CSSE.
In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 14,074,564 cases.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/covid-latest-india-variant-detected-in-uk-brazil-running-out-of-hospital-beds
Britain’s public health authorities have announced that the variant first detected in India and reported to be spreading fast there, has been identified in 77 cases across the United Kingdom (UK), designating it as a "variant under investigation".
Public Health England (PHE), the executive body under the Department of Health and Social Care, said on Thursday evening that the India variant, known as B.1.617, includes a number of mutations including E484Q, L452R, and P681R.
“PHE has identified 77 cases of this variant in the UK and all appropriate public health interventions will be undertaken, including enhanced contact tracing. This variant has been designated VUI-21APR-01. PHE and international partners continue to monitor the situation closely,” it said in a statement.
Covid_19 variant first detected in India found in UK
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 16, 2021
If investigations reveal that the variant is more infectious or more resistant to anti-bodies, it will be designated a ‘variant of concern’, similar to the ones detected in South Africa, Brazil, and Kent (the UK variant).
Currently, ‘surge testing’, which includes door-to-door testing, is being conducted in London neighbourhoods such as Barnet, Lambeth, and Southwark for the South African variant, amidst an overall decline in the number of new infections, hospitalisation, and deaths in the UK in the past few weeks.
Curfews vital to break Germany’s third wave
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged lawmakers on Friday to approve new powers that would allow her to force coronavirus lockdowns and curfews on areas with high infection rates, saying a majority of Germans were in favour of stricter measures.
“The third wave of the pandemic has our country firmly in its grip,” said Merkel, whose speech was interrupted by heckles from lawmakers of the far-right Alternative for Germany party opposed to lockdowns.
“Intensive care workers are sending one distress call after the other. Who are we to ignore their pleas?” Merkel said.
Covid: India extends record rise in cases, election rallies continue
India extended a record daily run of new Covid-19 infections on Friday, spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering, as politicians pushed ahead with election rallies against advice they could worsen the outbreak.
India is battling a massive second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with new restrictions imposed in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities. There are also growing calls for officials to speed up the country’s vaccination programme as hospitals are swamped with patients.
The 217,353 new cases reported by the health ministry on Friday marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took total cases to nearly 14.3 million. India’s case count is second only to the United States, which has reported more than 31 million infections.
Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day rise in seven months, to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.
Experts have raised concerns about the spread of more contagious and deadlier variants of the disease, particularly given widespread participation in religious festivals and political rallies. A Lancet study this month estimated that India’s fatalities could double by June.
Brazil and India running out of sedatives and hospital beds
India reported a record daily increase of 217,353 Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Friday. Hospitals in the capital New Delhi have been hit hard, and at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, one of India’s largest Covid-only facilities with more than 1,500 beds, unrelated patients are sharing beds, while bodies of the recently deceased lie outside the ward before being taken to the mortuary.
In a similar vein, Brazil’s hospitals were running out of drugs needed to sedate Covid-19 patients on Thursday, with the government urgently seeking to import supplies amid reports of the seriously ill being tied down and intubated without effective sedatives. More Brazilians are dying of the virus each day than anywhere else in the world, with South America’s largest country reporting another 3,560 deaths on Thursday.
India shifts from mass vaccine exporter to importer
After gifting and selling tens of millions of Covid-19 vaccine doses abroad, India suddenly finds itself short of shots as new infections surge in the world’s second-most populous country.
Four sources involved in discussions on vaccine supplies and procurement said factors including delays by India and Covax in placing firm orders, a lack of investment in production, raw material shortages and underestimating the coronavirus surge at home had contributed to vaccine shortages.
Need for 1-year booster shots explored
The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against Covid-19, a White House official said on Thursday.
It is also tracking infections in people who have been fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, told the House subcommittee hearing. Walensky said some of these infections occurred because the vaccinated person did not mount a strong immune response. But the concern is that in some cases, they are occurring in people infected by more contagious virus variants.
How New Zealand’s response helped fuel a housing crisis
The number of people seeking emergency housing in New Zealand’s capital Wellington has tripled in the last 12 months, as rents hit record highs and the pandemic disproportionately impacted lower earning jobs.
New Zealand is experiencing what economists call a ‘K-shaped’ recovery, in which those on top benefit while those at the bottom see their prospects deteriorate.
Pandemic-inspired policies have translated into cheaper mortgages, allowing affluent “kiwis” to upsize their homes and build up portfolios of rental investment properties, fuelling a further surge in house prices. The 24% year-on-year increase, on top of a 90% rise in the preceding decade, has locked out first home buyers and low income earners.
Staggered reopening of borders considered in Australia
Australia will consider a staggered reopening of its international borders to allow residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel abroad first, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.
Australian citizens and permanent residents cannot leave the country due to coronavirus restrictions unless they have an exemption, while returning international travellers have to quarantine in hotels for two weeks at their own expense.
Israel to lift outdoor mask mandate
The rules to enforce wearing of masks outdoors in Israel will be lifted starting Sunday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said.
Edelstein said in a statement on Thursday that he had instructed the Ministry's Director-General, Hezi Levi, to sign an order to cancel the restriction, reports Xinhua news agency.
The decision was made on the recommendation by the professionals in the ministry, who said that, due to the low Covid-19 morbidity, there is no longer a need for wearing face masks outdoors in Israel.
In closed places, however, the mask-wearing rules will still apply, the statement noted.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 138.8 million
The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 138.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.98 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Friday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 138,827,781 and 2,984,236, respectively.
Coronavirus: Global Covid-19 cases top 138.8 million
— Khaleej Times April 16, 2021
The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 31,495,164 and 565,283, respectively, according to the CSSE.
In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 14,074,564 cases.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/covid-latest-india-variant-detected-in-uk-brazil-running-out-of-hospital-beds
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,980
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Global covid cases exceeding 750,000 per day and deaths more than 13,000. We are seeing some of the worst numbers since covid started. Our neighborhood in severe crises. Daily deaths in iran more than 300 and India more than 1600. Need for safety precautions greater than ever</p>— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) <a href="https://twitter.com/Asad_Umar/status/1384042927043735563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
WhenSultansBowled
T20I Debutant
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2015
- Runs
- 6,624
Alarming numbers.
Summer 2021 isn't looking good.
Summer 2021 isn't looking good.
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
More worrying is the new strains mutating. Potential for damage is far worse than ever before but unfortunately people are fed up and have become careless. no idea when this will stop
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,980
Oman will bar entry to arrivals from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh starting April 24, as part of measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, Omani state TV reported on Wednesday.
The decision was taken by the country's Supreme Committee to curb the spread of novel coronavirus Covid-19, according to Khaleej Times.
According to a statement, the ban would also be applicable on those passengers as well who transitioned through these three countries during the last 24 hours.
"This will come into effect starting at 6pm on April 24, 2021, until further notice," it added.
The country exempted passenger arriving who are Omani citizens, diplomats, health workers and their families from the ban.
"The exempted groups will undergo the prescribed entry procedures when they reach the Sultanate's land," it further said.
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have seen a surge in coronavirus cases in the recent past — fuelled by new variants of the deadly virus.
India is currently recording more new cases of the novel coronavirus than any other country. The world's second most populous nation reported 295,041 new infections on Wednesday for the world's highest daily rise, stretching its hospitals to breaking point.
Only the United States had a slightly higher one-day rise of 297,430 cases in January, though its tally has since fallen sharply. India's 2,023 deaths were also its highest in the pandemic.
On Wednesday, Bangladesh registered 95 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. With the latest development, the total number of deaths reached 10,683 in the country.
This is the second day in a row when the country recorded below 100 deaths after seeing a huge spike in the past week, Dhaka Tribune reported.
On Tuesday, hospitals in Delhi, the capital, said they had enough oxygen left for just another eight to 24 hours, while some private institutions had enough for only four or five.
The situation was so severe that some people had tried to loot an oxygen tanker, forcing authorities to beef up security.
During the last 24 hours, Pakistan recorded 5,499 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the country's Covid-19 tally to 772,381.
The country's death toll climbed to 16,600 after 147 people succumbed to the deadly disease during the last 24 hours. Most deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The sudden rise of cases prompted the government to consider locking up major cities of the country in order to stem the spread of the virus.
"If the Covid-19 trajectory continues in the same path then strict restrictions would have to be imposed in which major cities could be placed under a lockdown," National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar said during a press conference earlier in the day.
The decision was taken by the country's Supreme Committee to curb the spread of novel coronavirus Covid-19, according to Khaleej Times.
According to a statement, the ban would also be applicable on those passengers as well who transitioned through these three countries during the last 24 hours.
"This will come into effect starting at 6pm on April 24, 2021, until further notice," it added.
The country exempted passenger arriving who are Omani citizens, diplomats, health workers and their families from the ban.
"The exempted groups will undergo the prescribed entry procedures when they reach the Sultanate's land," it further said.
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have seen a surge in coronavirus cases in the recent past — fuelled by new variants of the deadly virus.
India is currently recording more new cases of the novel coronavirus than any other country. The world's second most populous nation reported 295,041 new infections on Wednesday for the world's highest daily rise, stretching its hospitals to breaking point.
Only the United States had a slightly higher one-day rise of 297,430 cases in January, though its tally has since fallen sharply. India's 2,023 deaths were also its highest in the pandemic.
On Wednesday, Bangladesh registered 95 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. With the latest development, the total number of deaths reached 10,683 in the country.
This is the second day in a row when the country recorded below 100 deaths after seeing a huge spike in the past week, Dhaka Tribune reported.
On Tuesday, hospitals in Delhi, the capital, said they had enough oxygen left for just another eight to 24 hours, while some private institutions had enough for only four or five.
The situation was so severe that some people had tried to loot an oxygen tanker, forcing authorities to beef up security.
During the last 24 hours, Pakistan recorded 5,499 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the country's Covid-19 tally to 772,381.
The country's death toll climbed to 16,600 after 147 people succumbed to the deadly disease during the last 24 hours. Most deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The sudden rise of cases prompted the government to consider locking up major cities of the country in order to stem the spread of the virus.
"If the Covid-19 trajectory continues in the same path then strict restrictions would have to be imposed in which major cities could be placed under a lockdown," National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar said during a press conference earlier in the day.
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
Japan firms brace for further hit amid fears of new wave of Covid-19
Japan has so far seen far fewer Covid-19 cases than many Western countries, but concerns about a new wave of infections are rising fast
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese companies think the country will suffer a fourth round of coronavirus infections, with many bracing for a further blow to business, a Reuters monthly poll showed.
Japan has so far seen far fewer COVID-19 cases than many Western countries, but concerns about a new wave of infections are rising fast.
A delay in vaccinations versus other Group of Seven advanced countries and a lacking sense of crisis among the public will trigger a new wave of infections, some firms wrote in the poll.
The Corporate Survey found almost all Japanese companies anticipated a new wave of infections in Japan. Many expected it to peak in May, around the time of the Golden Week holidays, which would diminish hope for a domestic demand-led recovery.
If the new wave of infections led Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government to issue a fresh state of emergency, which entails business restrictions and penalty, that would hurt sales at 59% of firms, the April 2-13 survey found.
"Restaurant and tourism industries have been so exhausted that I'm concerned a new wave of infections will deal a body blow," a chemicals maker manager wrote in the survey.
A wholesaler said a new wave of infections and a state of emergency would make companies more cautious about spending and output.
The survey, which was conducted for Reuters by Nikkei Research, canvassed 482 large and midsize non-financial Japanese corporations on condition of anonymity so that they could express opinions freely. About 240 firms responded.
Although global demand and domestic consumption have helped the world's third-largest economy emerge from the slump, hardest-hit industries such as restaurants and hotels remain under pressure.
By sector, nearly two-thirds of non-manufacturers expected sales to decline further if another state of emergency was issued, with many firms at industries such as wholesale/retail, transportation/utilities and other services seeing sales drop.
Underscoring the steady job market despite the pandemic, nearly three quarters of Japanese firms saw no change to their hiring plans for the coming fiscal year starting April 2022.
About one in five would either freeze hiring or cut it in fiscal year 2022, and just one out of 10 intend to increase hiring, the survey found.
Fewer than one in 10 firms were considering layoffs.
"We had a big cut in hiring for this fiscal year. Business results remain hard to recover for the time being so we will curb hiring for the fiscal 2022 as well," a paper/pulp maker manager wrote.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/japan-firms-brace-for-further-hit-amid-fears-of-new-wave-of-covid-19-121041900086_1.html
Japan has so far seen far fewer Covid-19 cases than many Western countries, but concerns about a new wave of infections are rising fast
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese companies think the country will suffer a fourth round of coronavirus infections, with many bracing for a further blow to business, a Reuters monthly poll showed.
Japan has so far seen far fewer COVID-19 cases than many Western countries, but concerns about a new wave of infections are rising fast.
A delay in vaccinations versus other Group of Seven advanced countries and a lacking sense of crisis among the public will trigger a new wave of infections, some firms wrote in the poll.
The Corporate Survey found almost all Japanese companies anticipated a new wave of infections in Japan. Many expected it to peak in May, around the time of the Golden Week holidays, which would diminish hope for a domestic demand-led recovery.
If the new wave of infections led Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government to issue a fresh state of emergency, which entails business restrictions and penalty, that would hurt sales at 59% of firms, the April 2-13 survey found.
"Restaurant and tourism industries have been so exhausted that I'm concerned a new wave of infections will deal a body blow," a chemicals maker manager wrote in the survey.
A wholesaler said a new wave of infections and a state of emergency would make companies more cautious about spending and output.
The survey, which was conducted for Reuters by Nikkei Research, canvassed 482 large and midsize non-financial Japanese corporations on condition of anonymity so that they could express opinions freely. About 240 firms responded.
Although global demand and domestic consumption have helped the world's third-largest economy emerge from the slump, hardest-hit industries such as restaurants and hotels remain under pressure.
By sector, nearly two-thirds of non-manufacturers expected sales to decline further if another state of emergency was issued, with many firms at industries such as wholesale/retail, transportation/utilities and other services seeing sales drop.
Underscoring the steady job market despite the pandemic, nearly three quarters of Japanese firms saw no change to their hiring plans for the coming fiscal year starting April 2022.
About one in five would either freeze hiring or cut it in fiscal year 2022, and just one out of 10 intend to increase hiring, the survey found.
Fewer than one in 10 firms were considering layoffs.
"We had a big cut in hiring for this fiscal year. Business results remain hard to recover for the time being so we will curb hiring for the fiscal 2022 as well," a paper/pulp maker manager wrote.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/japan-firms-brace-for-further-hit-amid-fears-of-new-wave-of-covid-19-121041900086_1.html
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
Hong Kong to reopen bars, nightclubs for vaccinated residents
Staff and customers must have had received at least a first vaccine dose for the venues to open their doors
Hong Kong will ease social-distancing restrictions by allowing bars, nightclubs and karaoke parlors to re-open and operate past midnight only for vaccinated residents starting Thursday, as the government intensifies efforts to boost the city’s lackluster inoculation drive.
Staff and customers must have had received at least a first vaccine dose for the venues to open their doors, Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan told a briefing on Tuesday. Patrons will need to sign in using Hong Kong’s LeaveHomeSafe app.
The new rules will allow bars and nightclubs to remain open until 2am, she said. Tables will be limited to just two people, with four people allowed in karaoke rooms.
The government is also studying a new mobile app venues can use identify customers’ vaccination status, Chan said.
“This vaccine bubble is a very important public health measure,” Chan said. “We can have a safe relaxation. But on the other hand, we can also mitigate the risk associated with the relaxation.”
MORE FROM THIS SECTION
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with India.
France to send 8 oxygen generators along with ventilators, says Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron
France's Macron expected to announce easing of Covid-19 rules in coming days
As of Monday, Washingtons daily infection rate has dropped to 14 cases per 100,000, the lowest number since last fall.
Washington DC to loosen Covid-19 restrictions this weekend amid fall in cases
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has proposed combating corporate tax-reduction strategies with a global minimum rate of 21%.
France, Germany support US 21% tax plan for corporations
While vaccine supply is abundant in Hong Kong, only about 11% of the population has gotten vaccinated with at least one dose, amid public distrust of the government and concerns about the efficacy of Chinese vaccines. The low inoculation rates could hamper the city’s efforts to reach the herd immunity crucial to fully reopening, prompting authorities to expand access to all adults and come up with measures favoring the inoculated to encourage more people to get jabs.
Restaurants will also be allowed to relax table limits and operating hours if staff are vaccinated, said Chan, but only in designated “zones” for inoculated customers.
Eateries whose staff have all received their first vaccine doses will be allowed to extend their dine-in hours to 12am and have up to six customers per table in the zones.
Patrons will be required to sign in via LeaveHomeSafe.
Capacity will be limited to 50%.
Measures will be further relaxed for restaurants whose staff have had both vaccine doses and a waiting period afterward of 14 days, Chan said.
Those eateries can operate until 2 am and allow up to eight diners per table in the zones.
Customers must be vaccinated with at least one dose and register to dine using LeaveHomeSafe.
Capacity will be limited to 75%.
Capacity at companies’ annual general meetings with shareholders will also be relaxed to 50 people at indoor venues and 100 people at outdoor sites, Chan said. Participants aged 16 and above have to have completed their first vaccine doses, she said.
Pubs have been ordered shut since November but some have managed to operate until 10 p.m. by getting a license to serve food, while nightclubs have stayed closed. The ease in measures for those vaccinated comes after Hong Kong announced its long-awaited plans to introduce a quarantine-free travel bubble with Singapore next month.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/hong-kong-to-reopen-bars-nightclubs-for-vaccinated-residents-101619513225791.html
Staff and customers must have had received at least a first vaccine dose for the venues to open their doors
Hong Kong will ease social-distancing restrictions by allowing bars, nightclubs and karaoke parlors to re-open and operate past midnight only for vaccinated residents starting Thursday, as the government intensifies efforts to boost the city’s lackluster inoculation drive.
Staff and customers must have had received at least a first vaccine dose for the venues to open their doors, Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan told a briefing on Tuesday. Patrons will need to sign in using Hong Kong’s LeaveHomeSafe app.
The new rules will allow bars and nightclubs to remain open until 2am, she said. Tables will be limited to just two people, with four people allowed in karaoke rooms.
The government is also studying a new mobile app venues can use identify customers’ vaccination status, Chan said.
“This vaccine bubble is a very important public health measure,” Chan said. “We can have a safe relaxation. But on the other hand, we can also mitigate the risk associated with the relaxation.”
MORE FROM THIS SECTION
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with India.
France to send 8 oxygen generators along with ventilators, says Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron
France's Macron expected to announce easing of Covid-19 rules in coming days
As of Monday, Washingtons daily infection rate has dropped to 14 cases per 100,000, the lowest number since last fall.
Washington DC to loosen Covid-19 restrictions this weekend amid fall in cases
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has proposed combating corporate tax-reduction strategies with a global minimum rate of 21%.
France, Germany support US 21% tax plan for corporations
While vaccine supply is abundant in Hong Kong, only about 11% of the population has gotten vaccinated with at least one dose, amid public distrust of the government and concerns about the efficacy of Chinese vaccines. The low inoculation rates could hamper the city’s efforts to reach the herd immunity crucial to fully reopening, prompting authorities to expand access to all adults and come up with measures favoring the inoculated to encourage more people to get jabs.
Restaurants will also be allowed to relax table limits and operating hours if staff are vaccinated, said Chan, but only in designated “zones” for inoculated customers.
Eateries whose staff have all received their first vaccine doses will be allowed to extend their dine-in hours to 12am and have up to six customers per table in the zones.
Patrons will be required to sign in via LeaveHomeSafe.
Capacity will be limited to 50%.
Measures will be further relaxed for restaurants whose staff have had both vaccine doses and a waiting period afterward of 14 days, Chan said.
Those eateries can operate until 2 am and allow up to eight diners per table in the zones.
Customers must be vaccinated with at least one dose and register to dine using LeaveHomeSafe.
Capacity will be limited to 75%.
Capacity at companies’ annual general meetings with shareholders will also be relaxed to 50 people at indoor venues and 100 people at outdoor sites, Chan said. Participants aged 16 and above have to have completed their first vaccine doses, she said.
Pubs have been ordered shut since November but some have managed to operate until 10 p.m. by getting a license to serve food, while nightclubs have stayed closed. The ease in measures for those vaccinated comes after Hong Kong announced its long-awaited plans to introduce a quarantine-free travel bubble with Singapore next month.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/hong-kong-to-reopen-bars-nightclubs-for-vaccinated-residents-101619513225791.html
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
Kenya’s top scientist warns the world of new ‘super variants’ as India halts vaccine supply
In early March, a study suggested that different virus variants of concern appear to be converging through mutations towards a “super variant” that would make the fight against Covid-19 difficult.
A top Kenyan scientist has issued a stark warning for the world as the vaccine supply in the African nation is facing a crunch after India halted vaccine export to control the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) catastrophe back home. Kenya has relied solely on Covax, a global alliance aimed at providing equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, for its immunisation program.
Covax provided the African nation with over a million doses of Covidshield, a version of the AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Kenya has used up almost all the available doses and the suspension of vaccine export by India has brought the immunisation drive in the country to a grinding halt.
According to Our World in Data, less than two per cent of the Kenyan population has received one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and with the June delivery under Covax already in doubt, the country is looking to an uncertain future. With having such a low percentage of the Kenyan population received Covid jab, that too with the only dose of two-dose regimen, it is still above the overall percentage of the vaccinated African population, indicating that the situation in other countries is worse
Dr Ahmed Kalebi, a pathologist and founding partner at LancetGroup Laboratories, East Africa, told CNN that the Covid catastrophe in India is a red flag for the whole world. While the third world countries, Kalebi said, struggled to contain previous Covid waves, they might witness “something worse if something is not done”. He urged wealthier nations to rethink their vaccination strategy as they are now moving swiftly to inoculate lower-risk groups, including children and adolescents.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended expanded usage of Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds after the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorisation. Kalebi said that vaccination of teenagers “makes no sense” when vulnerable groups and potential superspreaders across the world haven’t been inoculated.
“These are likely the breeding grounds for new super variants. It is a global village. None of us is safe until all of us are safe,” he warned.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also criticised the vaccination strategy of rich nations, saying the world is witnessing “moral catastrophe”. During a press briefing on Friday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that vaccine supply in lower- and lower-middle-income countries has not been enough to vaccinate even their health care workers.
“I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX,” said Dr Tedros.
In early March, a study suggested that different virus variants of concern appear to be converging through mutations towards a “super variant” that would make the fight against Covid-19 difficult. The researchers from the US, UK, Sweden, and South Africa noted that the emergence and rapid rise in prevalence of three independent SARS-CoV-2 "501Y lineages'' prompted renewed concerns about the “evolutionarily capacity of the virus to adapt to both rising population immunity, and public health interventions such as vaccines and social distancing.”
“[W]e find evidence that a significant portion of the ongoing adaptive evolution of the 501Y lineages also involves further convergence between the lineages,” the study, published as a preprint, said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/kenyas-top-scientist-warns-of-super-variants-as-india-halts-vaccine-supply-101621085044468.html
In early March, a study suggested that different virus variants of concern appear to be converging through mutations towards a “super variant” that would make the fight against Covid-19 difficult.
A top Kenyan scientist has issued a stark warning for the world as the vaccine supply in the African nation is facing a crunch after India halted vaccine export to control the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) catastrophe back home. Kenya has relied solely on Covax, a global alliance aimed at providing equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, for its immunisation program.
Covax provided the African nation with over a million doses of Covidshield, a version of the AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Kenya has used up almost all the available doses and the suspension of vaccine export by India has brought the immunisation drive in the country to a grinding halt.
According to Our World in Data, less than two per cent of the Kenyan population has received one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and with the June delivery under Covax already in doubt, the country is looking to an uncertain future. With having such a low percentage of the Kenyan population received Covid jab, that too with the only dose of two-dose regimen, it is still above the overall percentage of the vaccinated African population, indicating that the situation in other countries is worse
Dr Ahmed Kalebi, a pathologist and founding partner at LancetGroup Laboratories, East Africa, told CNN that the Covid catastrophe in India is a red flag for the whole world. While the third world countries, Kalebi said, struggled to contain previous Covid waves, they might witness “something worse if something is not done”. He urged wealthier nations to rethink their vaccination strategy as they are now moving swiftly to inoculate lower-risk groups, including children and adolescents.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended expanded usage of Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds after the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorisation. Kalebi said that vaccination of teenagers “makes no sense” when vulnerable groups and potential superspreaders across the world haven’t been inoculated.
“These are likely the breeding grounds for new super variants. It is a global village. None of us is safe until all of us are safe,” he warned.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also criticised the vaccination strategy of rich nations, saying the world is witnessing “moral catastrophe”. During a press briefing on Friday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that vaccine supply in lower- and lower-middle-income countries has not been enough to vaccinate even their health care workers.
“I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX,” said Dr Tedros.
In early March, a study suggested that different virus variants of concern appear to be converging through mutations towards a “super variant” that would make the fight against Covid-19 difficult. The researchers from the US, UK, Sweden, and South Africa noted that the emergence and rapid rise in prevalence of three independent SARS-CoV-2 "501Y lineages'' prompted renewed concerns about the “evolutionarily capacity of the virus to adapt to both rising population immunity, and public health interventions such as vaccines and social distancing.”
“[W]e find evidence that a significant portion of the ongoing adaptive evolution of the 501Y lineages also involves further convergence between the lineages,” the study, published as a preprint, said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/kenyas-top-scientist-warns-of-super-variants-as-india-halts-vaccine-supply-101621085044468.html
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,980
Hospitals in Japan's second largest city of Osaka are buckling under a huge wave of new coronavirus infections, running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warn of a "system collapse", and advise against holding the Olympics this summer.
Japan's western region home to 9 million people is suffering the brunt of the fourth wave of the pandemic, accounting for a third of the nation's death toll in May, although it constitutes just 7% of its population.
The speed at which Osaka's healthcare system was overwhelmed underscores the challenges of hosting a major global sports event in two months' time, particularly as only about half of Japan's medical staff have completed inoculations.
"Simply put, this is a collapse of the medical system," said Yuji Tohda, the director of Kindai University Hospital in Osaka.
"The highly infectious British variant and slipping alertness have led to this explosive growth in the number of patients."
Japan has avoided the large infections suffered by other nations, but the fourth pandemic wave took Osaka prefecture by storm, with 3,849 new positive tests in the week to Thursday.
That represents a more than fivefold jump over the corresponding period three months ago.
Just 14% of the prefecture's 13,770 COVID-19 patients have been hospitalised, leaving the majority to fend for themselves. Tokyo's latest hospitalisation rate, in comparison, is 37%.
A government advisory panel sees rates of less than 25% as a trigger to consider imposition of a state of emergency.
By Thursday, 96% of the 348 hospital beds Osaka reserves for serious virus cases were in use. Since March, 17 people have died from the disease outside the prefecture's hospitals, officials said this month.
The variant can make even young people very sick quickly, and once seriously ill, patients find it tough to make a recovery, said Toshiaki Minami, director of the Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital (OMPUH).
Doctor Toshiaki Minami, director at Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital, poses for a photograph at a drug storage at the hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in
"I believe that until now many young people thought they were invincible. But that can't be the case this time around. Everyone is equally bearing the risk."
Minami said a supplier recently told him that stocks of propofol, a key drug used to sedate intubated patients, are running very low, while Tohda's hospital is running short of the ventilators vital for severely ill COVID-19 patients.
Caring for critically ill patients in the face of infection risk has taken a serious toll on staff, said Satsuki Nakayama, the head of the nursing department at OMPUH.
"I've got some intensive care unit (ICU) staff saying they have reached a breaking point," she added. "I need to think of personnel change to bring in people from other hospital wings."
About 500 doctors and 950 nurses work at OMPUH, which manages 832 beds. Ten of its 16 ICU beds have been dedicated to virus patients. Twenty of the roughly 140 serious patients taken in by the hospital died in the ICU.
Yasunori Komatsu, who heads a union of regional government employees, said conditions were dire as well for public health nurses at local health centres, who liaison between patients and medical institutions.
"Some of them are racking up 100, 150, 200 hours of overtime, and that has been going on for a year now...when on duty, they sometimes go home at one or two in the morning, and go to bed only to be awakened by a phone call at three or four."
Medical professionals with firsthand experience of Osaka's struggle with the pandemic take a negative view on holding the Tokyo Games, set to run from July 23 to August 8.
"The Olympics should be stopped, because we already have failed to stop the flow of new variants from England, and next might be an inflow of Indian variants," said Akira Takasu, the head of emergency medicine at OMPUH.
He was referring to a variant first found in India that the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated as being of concern after initial studies showed it spread more easily.
"In the Olympics, 70,000 or 80,000 athletes and the people will come to this country from around the world. This may be a trigger for another disaster in the summer."
REUTERS
Japan's western region home to 9 million people is suffering the brunt of the fourth wave of the pandemic, accounting for a third of the nation's death toll in May, although it constitutes just 7% of its population.
The speed at which Osaka's healthcare system was overwhelmed underscores the challenges of hosting a major global sports event in two months' time, particularly as only about half of Japan's medical staff have completed inoculations.
"Simply put, this is a collapse of the medical system," said Yuji Tohda, the director of Kindai University Hospital in Osaka.
"The highly infectious British variant and slipping alertness have led to this explosive growth in the number of patients."
Japan has avoided the large infections suffered by other nations, but the fourth pandemic wave took Osaka prefecture by storm, with 3,849 new positive tests in the week to Thursday.
That represents a more than fivefold jump over the corresponding period three months ago.
Just 14% of the prefecture's 13,770 COVID-19 patients have been hospitalised, leaving the majority to fend for themselves. Tokyo's latest hospitalisation rate, in comparison, is 37%.
A government advisory panel sees rates of less than 25% as a trigger to consider imposition of a state of emergency.
By Thursday, 96% of the 348 hospital beds Osaka reserves for serious virus cases were in use. Since March, 17 people have died from the disease outside the prefecture's hospitals, officials said this month.
The variant can make even young people very sick quickly, and once seriously ill, patients find it tough to make a recovery, said Toshiaki Minami, director of the Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital (OMPUH).
Doctor Toshiaki Minami, director at Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital, poses for a photograph at a drug storage at the hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in
"I believe that until now many young people thought they were invincible. But that can't be the case this time around. Everyone is equally bearing the risk."
Minami said a supplier recently told him that stocks of propofol, a key drug used to sedate intubated patients, are running very low, while Tohda's hospital is running short of the ventilators vital for severely ill COVID-19 patients.
Caring for critically ill patients in the face of infection risk has taken a serious toll on staff, said Satsuki Nakayama, the head of the nursing department at OMPUH.
"I've got some intensive care unit (ICU) staff saying they have reached a breaking point," she added. "I need to think of personnel change to bring in people from other hospital wings."
About 500 doctors and 950 nurses work at OMPUH, which manages 832 beds. Ten of its 16 ICU beds have been dedicated to virus patients. Twenty of the roughly 140 serious patients taken in by the hospital died in the ICU.
Yasunori Komatsu, who heads a union of regional government employees, said conditions were dire as well for public health nurses at local health centres, who liaison between patients and medical institutions.
"Some of them are racking up 100, 150, 200 hours of overtime, and that has been going on for a year now...when on duty, they sometimes go home at one or two in the morning, and go to bed only to be awakened by a phone call at three or four."
Medical professionals with firsthand experience of Osaka's struggle with the pandemic take a negative view on holding the Tokyo Games, set to run from July 23 to August 8.
"The Olympics should be stopped, because we already have failed to stop the flow of new variants from England, and next might be an inflow of Indian variants," said Akira Takasu, the head of emergency medicine at OMPUH.
He was referring to a variant first found in India that the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated as being of concern after initial studies showed it spread more easily.
"In the Olympics, 70,000 or 80,000 athletes and the people will come to this country from around the world. This may be a trigger for another disaster in the summer."
REUTERS
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- Oct 2, 2004
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- 217,980
Peru has more than doubled its Covid death toll following a review, making it the country with the world's highest death rate per capita, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The official death toll now sits at more than 180,000, up from 69,342.
Prime Minister Violeta Bermudez told reporters that the number was raised on the advice of Peruvian and international experts.
This was in line with so-called excess deaths figures.
Excess deaths are a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected based on the previous few years.
"We think it is our duty to make public this updated information," Ms Bermudez said.
Peru has been one of the worst-hit countries in Latin America, resulting in an overstretched healthcare system and a lack of oxygen tanks.
President of the Peruvian Medical Federation, Godofredo Talavera, said the increased toll was not a surprise.
"There has been no government support with oxygen, with intensive care beds. We do not have enough vaccines at the moment. The first line of care has not been reactivated. All this makes us the first country in the world in mortality," he said.
The official number of Covid deaths now stands at 180,764, a huge increase on the previous official figure of 69,342.
In comparison, neighbouring Colombia has registered 88,282 deaths and Bolivia has reported more than 14,000, while Brazil has one of the world's highest death tolls with more than 460,000.
But Peru now has the highest number of deaths in the world in relation to the size of its population, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Hungary previously had the worst number of deaths per capita at around 300 per 100,000 people. Now Peru stands at more than 500 Covid deaths per 100,000 people.
BBC
The official death toll now sits at more than 180,000, up from 69,342.
Prime Minister Violeta Bermudez told reporters that the number was raised on the advice of Peruvian and international experts.
This was in line with so-called excess deaths figures.
Excess deaths are a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected based on the previous few years.
"We think it is our duty to make public this updated information," Ms Bermudez said.
Peru has been one of the worst-hit countries in Latin America, resulting in an overstretched healthcare system and a lack of oxygen tanks.
President of the Peruvian Medical Federation, Godofredo Talavera, said the increased toll was not a surprise.
"There has been no government support with oxygen, with intensive care beds. We do not have enough vaccines at the moment. The first line of care has not been reactivated. All this makes us the first country in the world in mortality," he said.
The official number of Covid deaths now stands at 180,764, a huge increase on the previous official figure of 69,342.
In comparison, neighbouring Colombia has registered 88,282 deaths and Bolivia has reported more than 14,000, while Brazil has one of the world's highest death tolls with more than 460,000.
But Peru now has the highest number of deaths in the world in relation to the size of its population, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Hungary previously had the worst number of deaths per capita at around 300 per 100,000 people. Now Peru stands at more than 500 Covid deaths per 100,000 people.
BBC
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- Mar 19, 2016
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- 7,910
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
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- 217,980
The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start of winter.
The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures like social distancing.
The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical". Only 15% of adults are fully vaccinated.
Congress is investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.
President Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for not implementing a co-ordinated national response and for his scepticism toward vaccines, lockdowns and mask-wearing requirements, which he has sought to loosen.
The opposition accuses the president of delaying the purchase of vaccines for political reasons, as he has consistently played down the severity of the pandemic.
The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures like social distancing.
The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical". Only 15% of adults are fully vaccinated.
Congress is investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.
President Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for not implementing a co-ordinated national response and for his scepticism toward vaccines, lockdowns and mask-wearing requirements, which he has sought to loosen.
The opposition accuses the president of delaying the purchase of vaccines for political reasons, as he has consistently played down the severity of the pandemic.
Last Monetarist
T20I Debutant
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2016
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- 7,910
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,980
The United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday a travel ban on citizens to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Africa and Nigeria, state news agency (WAM) reported.
The Foreign Ministry and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority stressed that, with the start of the travel season, citizens need to comply with all precautionary and preventive measures related to Covid-19, WAM added.
The UAE last month had extended the travel ban on passengers from Pakistan and other 13 countries until at least July 21.
UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, in a notice issued to Airmen (NOTAM), said flights from Pakistan and 13 other countries, including Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and South Africa, will remain suspended until 23:59 hrs of July 21, 2021.
"Cargo flights, as well as business and charter flights, would be exempted from the restrictions," the notification added.
The UAE had first announced the suspension of entry for travellers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on national and foreign flights on May 12.
The Foreign Ministry and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority stressed that, with the start of the travel season, citizens need to comply with all precautionary and preventive measures related to Covid-19, WAM added.
The UAE last month had extended the travel ban on passengers from Pakistan and other 13 countries until at least July 21.
UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, in a notice issued to Airmen (NOTAM), said flights from Pakistan and 13 other countries, including Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and South Africa, will remain suspended until 23:59 hrs of July 21, 2021.
"Cargo flights, as well as business and charter flights, would be exempted from the restrictions," the notification added.
The UAE had first announced the suspension of entry for travellers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on national and foreign flights on May 12.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
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- 217,980
OMB
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Runs
- 4,288
COVID-19: New Zealand to go into national lockdown for three days over single COVID-19 case
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Delta variant was a "game-changer" for the country, which will be subject to harsh restrictions for three days from Wednesday.
New Zealand will go into lockdown for three days on Wednesday after the country recorded its first coronavirus case in six months.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the nation would be put under strict lockdown after one COVID-19 case was reported in Auckland.
The whole of New Zealand will be in lockdown for three days from Wednesday.
Auckland and Coromandel - a coastal town where the infected person also spent time - will be in lockdown for seven days.
It will mark New Zealand's first nationwide lockdown since the country's initial pandemic response over a year ago. Since then, regionalised alert level changes have been used to control the spread of the virus.
New Zealand has severely restricted international travel to help curb the spread of COVID-19
Under New Zealand's toughest level 4 lockdown rules, schools, offices and all businesses will be closed, with only essential services running.
About 20% of New Zealand's population have been fully vaccinated.
Ms Ardern told a news conference: "Delta has been a game-changer, we're responding to that.
"The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard.
"We have made the decision on the basis that it is better to start high and go down levels rather than to go low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly."
The patient is a 58-year-old man who is believed to have been infectious since last Thursday.
Ms Ardern said the assumption was that the new case was a Delta variant infection, though this is not yet confirmed. The possibility of more cases was also raised.
New Zealand has not reported any community-based cases of COVID-19 since February.
The island nation has followed a "go-hard-and-early" strategy that has seen it virtually eliminate the virus within its borders - which remain largely closed to international visitors.
The strategy has allowed New Zealanders to live without restrictions.
Reported confirmed cases in the country total at around 2,500, with 26 related deaths.
Following news of a nationwide lockdown, the New Zealand dollar fell 1.5% to $0.6926.
The announcement came a day before the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is expected to become the first central back among developed nations to raise interest rates since the pandemic began.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-new-zealand-to-go-into-national-lockdown-for-three-days-over-single-covid-19-case-12383565
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Delta variant was a "game-changer" for the country, which will be subject to harsh restrictions for three days from Wednesday.
New Zealand will go into lockdown for three days on Wednesday after the country recorded its first coronavirus case in six months.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the nation would be put under strict lockdown after one COVID-19 case was reported in Auckland.
The whole of New Zealand will be in lockdown for three days from Wednesday.
Auckland and Coromandel - a coastal town where the infected person also spent time - will be in lockdown for seven days.
It will mark New Zealand's first nationwide lockdown since the country's initial pandemic response over a year ago. Since then, regionalised alert level changes have been used to control the spread of the virus.
New Zealand has severely restricted international travel to help curb the spread of COVID-19
Under New Zealand's toughest level 4 lockdown rules, schools, offices and all businesses will be closed, with only essential services running.
About 20% of New Zealand's population have been fully vaccinated.
Ms Ardern told a news conference: "Delta has been a game-changer, we're responding to that.
"The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard.
"We have made the decision on the basis that it is better to start high and go down levels rather than to go low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly."
The patient is a 58-year-old man who is believed to have been infectious since last Thursday.
Ms Ardern said the assumption was that the new case was a Delta variant infection, though this is not yet confirmed. The possibility of more cases was also raised.
New Zealand has not reported any community-based cases of COVID-19 since February.
The island nation has followed a "go-hard-and-early" strategy that has seen it virtually eliminate the virus within its borders - which remain largely closed to international visitors.
The strategy has allowed New Zealanders to live without restrictions.
Reported confirmed cases in the country total at around 2,500, with 26 related deaths.
Following news of a nationwide lockdown, the New Zealand dollar fell 1.5% to $0.6926.
The announcement came a day before the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is expected to become the first central back among developed nations to raise interest rates since the pandemic began.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-new-zealand-to-go-into-national-lockdown-for-three-days-over-single-covid-19-case-12383565
cricketjoshila
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Covid is raging through USA. More than 250k cases a day. ICU beds running out, oxygen shortages, morgues running out of space.
Yet no newyork times, no washington post are posting pictures of the burials of the dead. No big editorials. Nothing.
They seem to respect the dead, as they should. Yet they didn't hesitate to make a spectacle of the dead bodies in India.
The bias and propoganda is blatant.
Yet no newyork times, no washington post are posting pictures of the burials of the dead. No big editorials. Nothing.
They seem to respect the dead, as they should. Yet they didn't hesitate to make a spectacle of the dead bodies in India.
The bias and propoganda is blatant.
Last Monetarist
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It's nothing to do with respecting the dead, the reaction would have been in wild contrast had Trump still been president.
I agree that the role of the US media is flagrantly perverse.
Can vouch for this. There is not a single news about the situation anywhere on my google news feed. I am learning more the situation through Indian sources. It corroborates with data/stats on worldometer.
cricketjoshila
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NYT meanwhile writes that India's 20 per cent GDP growth is useless.
The left leaning media is trying to control the narrative. Problem is that open internet and social media has made it almost impossible for the left media to do so.
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Brazil's president should be accused of a series of crimes over his handling of the country's Covid-19 pandemic, a draft of a major inquiry report says.
The report is the culmination of a six-month inquiry that has revealed scandals and corruption in government.
President Bolsonaro has been accused of failing to control the virus that has killed more than 600,000 Brazilians.
Excerpts leaked to the media indicate that the panel wants Mr Bolsonaro to face nine charges.
Initial drafts of the report had recommended the president be charged with homicide and genocide against indigenous groups.
But these recommendations have now apparently been dropped from the 1,200 page report, which urges charges of crimes against humanity, forging documents and incitement to crime.
Despite the serious allegations, it is not clear what this means for Mr Bolsonaro, according to the BBC's South America correspondent Katy Watson.
The draft report still needs to be voted on by the Senate commission where it could be vetoed and altered, and there is no guarantee it will lead to criminal charges.
President Bolsonaro has dismissed the Congressional inquiry as politically motivated. He has frequently spoken out against lockdowns, masks and vaccinations.
In March, he told Brazilians to "stop whining" about Covid, a day after the country saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period.
However, Mr Bolsonaro's popularity has already been dented by the pandemic, and this report could make life much harder for him if he wants to run for a second term in Brazil's 2022 elections.
Brazil's confirmed Covid-related death toll is the second-highest in the world - behind only the US.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the report's publication, the inquiry rapporteur, Senator Renan Calheiros, said the panel wanted to punish those who contributed to "this massacre of Brazilians".
The report is the culmination of a six-month inquiry that has revealed scandals and corruption in government.
President Bolsonaro has been accused of failing to control the virus that has killed more than 600,000 Brazilians.
Excerpts leaked to the media indicate that the panel wants Mr Bolsonaro to face nine charges.
Initial drafts of the report had recommended the president be charged with homicide and genocide against indigenous groups.
But these recommendations have now apparently been dropped from the 1,200 page report, which urges charges of crimes against humanity, forging documents and incitement to crime.
Despite the serious allegations, it is not clear what this means for Mr Bolsonaro, according to the BBC's South America correspondent Katy Watson.
The draft report still needs to be voted on by the Senate commission where it could be vetoed and altered, and there is no guarantee it will lead to criminal charges.
President Bolsonaro has dismissed the Congressional inquiry as politically motivated. He has frequently spoken out against lockdowns, masks and vaccinations.
In March, he told Brazilians to "stop whining" about Covid, a day after the country saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period.
However, Mr Bolsonaro's popularity has already been dented by the pandemic, and this report could make life much harder for him if he wants to run for a second term in Brazil's 2022 elections.
Brazil's confirmed Covid-related death toll is the second-highest in the world - behind only the US.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the report's publication, the inquiry rapporteur, Senator Renan Calheiros, said the panel wanted to punish those who contributed to "this massacre of Brazilians".
finalfantasy7
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Report from the guradian - Only 14% of promised Covid vaccine doses reach poorest nations
Only one in seven Covid vaccine doses promised to the world’s poorest countries have been delivered, a report reveals.
Of 1.8bn doses pledged by wealthy nations, just 261m (14%) have arrived in low-income countries, according to the analysis by the People’s Vaccinealliance, a coalition of groups that includes Oxfam, ActionAid and Amnesty International.
Nearly a year after vaccines first became available, only 1.3% of people living in the poorest parts of the world are fully vaccinated.
The UK vowed to send poorer nations 100m doses but has so far delivered 9.6m, fewer than 10%, the report says. Canada has delivered 3.2m (8%) of the 40m doses it pledged. The US has delivered the most doses – nearly 177m. However, this is still less than a fifth (16%) of the 1.1bn jabs promised.
Meanwhile, of 994m doses promised to Covax, a global vaccine distribution system, by Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Oxford/AstraZeneca, and Pfizer/BioNTech, only 120m (12%) have so far been delivered, according to the report.
Robbie Silverman, of Oxfam, said the figures exposed “the failure of rich country donations and the failure of Covax”. He added: “The only way to end the pandemic is to share the technology, and knowhow with other qualified manufacturers so that everyone, everywhere can have access to these lifesaving vaccines.”
he World Health Organization has publicly warned that it must be a global priority to deliver doses to developing countries before the end of this year. However, the report says wealthy nations are instead only working to a timetable of delivering more doses at some point in 2022. That delay, the report warns, will lead to unnecessary deaths.
Maaza Seyoum, of the African Alliance and People’s Vaccine Alliance Africa, said: “Across the world health workers are dying and children are losing parents and grandparents. With 99% of people in low-income countries still not vaccinated, we have had enough of these too little too late gestures.”
This week campaigners protested in Whitehall against the UK’s blocking of a waiver for the patent of the Covid vaccine.
India and South Africa have proposed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) suspend its enforcement of patents for coronavirus vaccines and treatments so that the inoculation could reach poorer countries.
The call has been backed by more than 100 nations, human rights groups including Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, and prominent figures such as Gordon Brown, the UK’s former prime minister. They say nobody is safe from coronavirus until everybody is safe.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also backed a separate but related campaign calling on G7 countries and the European Union to share at least 1bn Covid vaccine doses with those most in need and support calls for a waiver on vaccine intellectual property rights.
But the UK, EU and Switzerland have opposed the move.
Tim Bierley, of Global Justice Now, said the UK and others had “obstructed efforts to scale up the world’s vaccine supply, forcing the global south to rely on donations that are always too little and too late”.
A UK government spokesperson said: “The UK is proud to be playing a leading role in the global effort to create and distribute Covid-19 vaccines.
“The UK wants to push ahead with pragmatic action, including voluntary licensing and technology transfer agreements for vaccines, support for Covax, and solutions for production bottlenecks and supply chain issues.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...each-poorest-nations/ar-AAPM2xE?ocid=msedgntp
Only one in seven Covid vaccine doses promised to the world’s poorest countries have been delivered, a report reveals.
Of 1.8bn doses pledged by wealthy nations, just 261m (14%) have arrived in low-income countries, according to the analysis by the People’s Vaccinealliance, a coalition of groups that includes Oxfam, ActionAid and Amnesty International.
Nearly a year after vaccines first became available, only 1.3% of people living in the poorest parts of the world are fully vaccinated.
The UK vowed to send poorer nations 100m doses but has so far delivered 9.6m, fewer than 10%, the report says. Canada has delivered 3.2m (8%) of the 40m doses it pledged. The US has delivered the most doses – nearly 177m. However, this is still less than a fifth (16%) of the 1.1bn jabs promised.
Meanwhile, of 994m doses promised to Covax, a global vaccine distribution system, by Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Oxford/AstraZeneca, and Pfizer/BioNTech, only 120m (12%) have so far been delivered, according to the report.
Robbie Silverman, of Oxfam, said the figures exposed “the failure of rich country donations and the failure of Covax”. He added: “The only way to end the pandemic is to share the technology, and knowhow with other qualified manufacturers so that everyone, everywhere can have access to these lifesaving vaccines.”
he World Health Organization has publicly warned that it must be a global priority to deliver doses to developing countries before the end of this year. However, the report says wealthy nations are instead only working to a timetable of delivering more doses at some point in 2022. That delay, the report warns, will lead to unnecessary deaths.
Maaza Seyoum, of the African Alliance and People’s Vaccine Alliance Africa, said: “Across the world health workers are dying and children are losing parents and grandparents. With 99% of people in low-income countries still not vaccinated, we have had enough of these too little too late gestures.”
This week campaigners protested in Whitehall against the UK’s blocking of a waiver for the patent of the Covid vaccine.
India and South Africa have proposed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) suspend its enforcement of patents for coronavirus vaccines and treatments so that the inoculation could reach poorer countries.
The call has been backed by more than 100 nations, human rights groups including Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, and prominent figures such as Gordon Brown, the UK’s former prime minister. They say nobody is safe from coronavirus until everybody is safe.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also backed a separate but related campaign calling on G7 countries and the European Union to share at least 1bn Covid vaccine doses with those most in need and support calls for a waiver on vaccine intellectual property rights.
But the UK, EU and Switzerland have opposed the move.
Tim Bierley, of Global Justice Now, said the UK and others had “obstructed efforts to scale up the world’s vaccine supply, forcing the global south to rely on donations that are always too little and too late”.
A UK government spokesperson said: “The UK is proud to be playing a leading role in the global effort to create and distribute Covid-19 vaccines.
“The UK wants to push ahead with pragmatic action, including voluntary licensing and technology transfer agreements for vaccines, support for Covax, and solutions for production bottlenecks and supply chain issues.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...each-poorest-nations/ar-AAPM2xE?ocid=msedgntp
Robert
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Vaccine hesitancy in Russia means that Russians are dying at a rate of 1000 per day.
People there don’t trust the government so are reluctant to take the vaccine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56250456
People there don’t trust the government so are reluctant to take the vaccine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56250456
James
World Star
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<b>BBC — Coronavirus pandemic: Antarctic outpost hit by Covid-19 outbreak.</B>
A Belgian scientific research station in Antarctica is dealing with an outbreak of Covid-19, despite workers being fully vaccinated and based in one of the world's remotest regions.
Since 14 December, at least 16 of the 25 workers at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station have caught the virus.
Officials say cases remain mild so far.
"The situation isn't dramatic," Joseph Cheek, a project manager for the International Polar Foundation, told the BBC.
"While it has been an inconvenience to have to quarantine certain members of the staff who caught the virus, it hasn't significantly affected our work at the station overall," Mr Cheek said.
"All residents of the station were offered the opportunity to leave on a scheduled flight on 12 January. However, they all expressed their wish to stay and continue their work," he added.
The first positive test was recorded on 14 December, among a team who had arrived seven days earlier.
They and others who tested positive were placed in quarantine but the virus continued to circulate.
Staff arriving at the station must be vaccinated and tested for the virus.
There are two emergency doctors at the station and new arrivals to the outpost have been suspended until the virus dissipates.
Princess Elisabeth station is operated by the International Polar Foundation and went into service in 2009.
It isn't the first time research stations in Antarctica have been affected by a coronavirus outbreak.
Last year, a number of Chilean military personnel based at Bernardo O'Higgins research station were infected after sailors on a supply ship tested positive for the virus.
A Belgian scientific research station in Antarctica is dealing with an outbreak of Covid-19, despite workers being fully vaccinated and based in one of the world's remotest regions.
Since 14 December, at least 16 of the 25 workers at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station have caught the virus.
Officials say cases remain mild so far.
"The situation isn't dramatic," Joseph Cheek, a project manager for the International Polar Foundation, told the BBC.
"While it has been an inconvenience to have to quarantine certain members of the staff who caught the virus, it hasn't significantly affected our work at the station overall," Mr Cheek said.
"All residents of the station were offered the opportunity to leave on a scheduled flight on 12 January. However, they all expressed their wish to stay and continue their work," he added.
The first positive test was recorded on 14 December, among a team who had arrived seven days earlier.
They and others who tested positive were placed in quarantine but the virus continued to circulate.
Staff arriving at the station must be vaccinated and tested for the virus.
There are two emergency doctors at the station and new arrivals to the outpost have been suspended until the virus dissipates.
Princess Elisabeth station is operated by the International Polar Foundation and went into service in 2009.
It isn't the first time research stations in Antarctica have been affected by a coronavirus outbreak.
Last year, a number of Chilean military personnel based at Bernardo O'Higgins research station were infected after sailors on a supply ship tested positive for the virus.
James
World Star
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<b>BBC — Covid: Thousands protest in France against proposed new vaccine pass.</b>
French authorities say more than 105,000 people have taken part in protests across the country against the introduction of a new coronavirus pass.
A new draft law would in effect ban unvaccinated people from public life.
Demonstrators in the capital, Paris, held placards emblazoned with phrases like "no to vaccine passes".
Interior Ministry officials said 34 people were arrested and some 10 police officers were injured after the protests turned violent in some places.
The bill, which passed its first reading in the lower house of France's parliament on Thursday, would remove the option of showing a negative Covid-19 test to gain access to a host of public venues.
Instead, people would have to be fully vaccinated to visit a range of spaces, including bars and restaurants.
The government says it expects the new rules to come into force on 15 January, although the opposition-dominated Senate could delay the process.
But demonstrators on Saturday accused the government of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally.
Others targeted their anger at the president, Emmanuel Macron, over comments he made earlier this week in relation to unvaccinated citizens, telling Le Parisian newspaper that he wanted to "p*** them off".
One protester, hospital administrator Virginie Houget, told the Reuters news agency that Mr Macron's remarks were "the last straw".
And in Paris, where some 18,000 people marched against the new law, demonstrators responded to his coarse language by chanting: "We'll p*** you off".
TV images showed altercations between protesters and police turning violent in some places. In Montpellier officers used teargas during clashes with the demonstrators.
Turnout for the protests was estimated to be about four times higher than the last major demonstrations on 18 December, when some 25,500 people marched across the country.
But despite the vocal protests, opposition to the new measures is not widespread and recent polling suggests the vast majority of people back the vaccine pass.
France is one of the most highly vaccinated countries in Europe, with more than 90% of over-12s eligible for the shot fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, new coronavirus infections are rising rapidly across France as the new Omicron variant takes hold.
The country recorded more than 300,000 new cases for the second time in a week on Friday and admissions to intensive care wards are rising steadily, putting healthcare systems under strain.
Some hospitals have reported that some 85% of ICU patients are not vaccinated against Covid-19.
— — —
French authorities say more than 105,000 people have taken part in protests across the country against the introduction of a new coronavirus pass.
A new draft law would in effect ban unvaccinated people from public life.
Demonstrators in the capital, Paris, held placards emblazoned with phrases like "no to vaccine passes".
Interior Ministry officials said 34 people were arrested and some 10 police officers were injured after the protests turned violent in some places.
The bill, which passed its first reading in the lower house of France's parliament on Thursday, would remove the option of showing a negative Covid-19 test to gain access to a host of public venues.
Instead, people would have to be fully vaccinated to visit a range of spaces, including bars and restaurants.
The government says it expects the new rules to come into force on 15 January, although the opposition-dominated Senate could delay the process.
But demonstrators on Saturday accused the government of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally.
Others targeted their anger at the president, Emmanuel Macron, over comments he made earlier this week in relation to unvaccinated citizens, telling Le Parisian newspaper that he wanted to "p*** them off".
One protester, hospital administrator Virginie Houget, told the Reuters news agency that Mr Macron's remarks were "the last straw".
And in Paris, where some 18,000 people marched against the new law, demonstrators responded to his coarse language by chanting: "We'll p*** you off".
TV images showed altercations between protesters and police turning violent in some places. In Montpellier officers used teargas during clashes with the demonstrators.
Turnout for the protests was estimated to be about four times higher than the last major demonstrations on 18 December, when some 25,500 people marched across the country.
But despite the vocal protests, opposition to the new measures is not widespread and recent polling suggests the vast majority of people back the vaccine pass.
France is one of the most highly vaccinated countries in Europe, with more than 90% of over-12s eligible for the shot fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, new coronavirus infections are rising rapidly across France as the new Omicron variant takes hold.
The country recorded more than 300,000 new cases for the second time in a week on Friday and admissions to intensive care wards are rising steadily, putting healthcare systems under strain.
Some hospitals have reported that some 85% of ICU patients are not vaccinated against Covid-19.
— — —
James
World Star
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60210863
<b>Lunar New Year: Covid thwarts travel plans for millions</b>
Covid-19 has dampened the travel plans of millions of Chinese for the Lunar New Year for a third straight year.
Pre-pandemic, the celebration would see as many as 3 billion trips made across China, and was the world's largest annual migration of people.
But resurgent virus outbreaks have forced many to cancel their plans.
Chinese officials - still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy - have enforced strict measures with days to go before the 2022 Winter Olympics begin.
The Lunar New Year - also known as the Spring Festival in China - falls on 1 February this year.
Widely regarded as the most important time to be with family, hundreds of millions of people who have carved out a livelihood in cities make their way back to their hometowns to celebrate together.
The Chinese Ministry of Transportation estimates that 1.18 billion trips will be made this year.
While the figure remains a far cry from pre-pandemic numbers, there are still worries that it may turn into a super-spreader event.
Chinese citizens have been placed under strict government surveillance, with a colour-coded system determining whether they can travel.
They are required to display a green health code on their phone - which indicates they have not been in Covid-infected areas - before boarding public transport and passing through highway points.
China's insistence on pursuing a virus elimination policy has seen officials carry out rounds of mass testing and impose sudden lockdowns affecting millions of people in response to sporadic outbreaks across the country.
The Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to kick off on the first day of the Spring Festival, has further intensified pressure on local officials, who have shut down local municipalities and entire towns to battle the spread of the virus.
The measures have been met with dismay.
Migrant workers especially remain the hardest-hit, as the Spring Festival represents the few precious days a year where they can return to see their loved ones back home.
"Is it wrong for a migrant worker who toils day and night, who lives far away from home, to return to his hometown and reunite with his family during his only few days of annual holiday?" wrote a user on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
<b>Lunar New Year: Covid thwarts travel plans for millions</b>
Covid-19 has dampened the travel plans of millions of Chinese for the Lunar New Year for a third straight year.
Pre-pandemic, the celebration would see as many as 3 billion trips made across China, and was the world's largest annual migration of people.
But resurgent virus outbreaks have forced many to cancel their plans.
Chinese officials - still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy - have enforced strict measures with days to go before the 2022 Winter Olympics begin.
The Lunar New Year - also known as the Spring Festival in China - falls on 1 February this year.
Widely regarded as the most important time to be with family, hundreds of millions of people who have carved out a livelihood in cities make their way back to their hometowns to celebrate together.
The Chinese Ministry of Transportation estimates that 1.18 billion trips will be made this year.
While the figure remains a far cry from pre-pandemic numbers, there are still worries that it may turn into a super-spreader event.
Chinese citizens have been placed under strict government surveillance, with a colour-coded system determining whether they can travel.
They are required to display a green health code on their phone - which indicates they have not been in Covid-infected areas - before boarding public transport and passing through highway points.
China's insistence on pursuing a virus elimination policy has seen officials carry out rounds of mass testing and impose sudden lockdowns affecting millions of people in response to sporadic outbreaks across the country.
The Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to kick off on the first day of the Spring Festival, has further intensified pressure on local officials, who have shut down local municipalities and entire towns to battle the spread of the virus.
The measures have been met with dismay.
Migrant workers especially remain the hardest-hit, as the Spring Festival represents the few precious days a year where they can return to see their loved ones back home.
"Is it wrong for a migrant worker who toils day and night, who lives far away from home, to return to his hometown and reunite with his family during his only few days of annual holiday?" wrote a user on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
James
World Star
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- Jan 8, 2006
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- Post of the Week
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<b>Covid deaths probably three times higher than records say</b>
More than 18 million people - three times higher than official records suggest - have probably died because of Covid, say researchers.
Their report comes two years to the day from when the World Health Organization first declared the pandemic.
The Covid-19 excess mortality team at the US's Washington University studied 191 countries and territories for what they call the true global death figure.
Some deaths were from the virus, while others were linked to the infection.
This is because catching Covid might worsen other pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease, for example.
The measure used is called excess deaths - how many more people have been dying than would be expected compared to recent years, before the pandemic hit.
To calculate this, the researchers gathered data through searches of various government websites, the World Mortality Database, the Human Mortality Database, and the European Statistical Office.
Rates of excess deaths are estimated to have varied dramatically by country and region, but the overall global rate calculated in the study is 120 deaths per 100,000 people.
That would mean about 18.2 million deaths have happened because of Covid in the two years between the start of 2020 and the end of 2021 - three times as many as the official 5.9 million that have actually been recorded.
Excess death estimates were calculated for the full study period only, and not by week or month, because of lags and inconsistencies in reporting of Covid death data that could drastically alter the estimates, the investigators stress.
According to the research, which is published in The Lancet, the highest rates were in lower income countries in Latin America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
But deaths were also fairly high in some high-income countries, such as Italy and parts of the US.
For the UK, the estimated total number of Covid-related deaths in 2020 and 2021 was similar to official records at about 173,000, with an excess mortality rate of 130 people per 100,000.
Lead author Dr Haidong Wang, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said: "Understanding the true death toll from the pandemic is vital for effective public health decision-making.
"Studies from several countries, including Sweden and the Netherlands, suggest Covid was the direct cause of most excess deaths, but we currently don't have enough evidence for most locations.
"Further research will help to reveal how many deaths were caused directly by Covid, and how many occurred as an indirect result of the pandemic."
The researchers predict that excess mortality linked to the pandemic will decline, thanks to vaccines and new treatments.
But they warn that the pandemic is not yet over. And new, dangerous variants of the virus could emerge.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-60690251
More than 18 million people - three times higher than official records suggest - have probably died because of Covid, say researchers.
Their report comes two years to the day from when the World Health Organization first declared the pandemic.
The Covid-19 excess mortality team at the US's Washington University studied 191 countries and territories for what they call the true global death figure.
Some deaths were from the virus, while others were linked to the infection.
This is because catching Covid might worsen other pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease, for example.
The measure used is called excess deaths - how many more people have been dying than would be expected compared to recent years, before the pandemic hit.
To calculate this, the researchers gathered data through searches of various government websites, the World Mortality Database, the Human Mortality Database, and the European Statistical Office.
Rates of excess deaths are estimated to have varied dramatically by country and region, but the overall global rate calculated in the study is 120 deaths per 100,000 people.
That would mean about 18.2 million deaths have happened because of Covid in the two years between the start of 2020 and the end of 2021 - three times as many as the official 5.9 million that have actually been recorded.
Excess death estimates were calculated for the full study period only, and not by week or month, because of lags and inconsistencies in reporting of Covid death data that could drastically alter the estimates, the investigators stress.
According to the research, which is published in The Lancet, the highest rates were in lower income countries in Latin America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
But deaths were also fairly high in some high-income countries, such as Italy and parts of the US.
For the UK, the estimated total number of Covid-related deaths in 2020 and 2021 was similar to official records at about 173,000, with an excess mortality rate of 130 people per 100,000.
Lead author Dr Haidong Wang, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said: "Understanding the true death toll from the pandemic is vital for effective public health decision-making.
"Studies from several countries, including Sweden and the Netherlands, suggest Covid was the direct cause of most excess deaths, but we currently don't have enough evidence for most locations.
"Further research will help to reveal how many deaths were caused directly by Covid, and how many occurred as an indirect result of the pandemic."
The researchers predict that excess mortality linked to the pandemic will decline, thanks to vaccines and new treatments.
But they warn that the pandemic is not yet over. And new, dangerous variants of the virus could emerge.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-60690251
James
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RE: the above.
I always thought that the Covid death figures had been exaggerated in some way rather than underreported.
And I still suspect this tbh.
I always thought that the Covid death figures had been exaggerated in some way rather than underreported.
And I still suspect this tbh.
daytrader
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Here are the top 10 Covid-19 developments across the world:
- The United States has recorded more than one million Covid-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a Reuters tally. Reportedly, more than 203,000 children in the United States have lost a parent or caregiver.
- The rate of infection in the United States is rising again due to sub-variants of the coronavirus. According to the country’s health agency, from a low of 25,000 daily cases in March, the country now has a seven-day daily average of around 78,000 cases.
- North Korea has confirmed its first coronavirus infections of the pandemic after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record of keeping the virus out of the country. Kim Jong Un has also ordered a nationwide lockdown after reporting the first Covid-19 case.
- China is witnessing a massive surge in the Covid-19 cases after the 2020 surge - with Shanghai becoming the hotspot. The country’s financial hub reported a total of 1,449 new Covid cases on Wednesday, down slightly from 1,487 on Tuesday.
- Europe is set to remove the face mask mandate at airports and on flights from May 16, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
- South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases has reported 10,017 new COVID-19 cases - the first day since January that the institute has reported more than 10,000 new infections.
- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been diagnosed with COVID-19, a spokesperson for the alliance said.
- India recorded a total of 2,827 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday - 70 cases fewer than the day before.
- Moderna Inc has made all submissions required by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents and children.
- Vaccine developer BioNTech has completed the phase two clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine in China, however, is yet to release its results.
silentkiller187
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North Korea has announced its first COVID death, a day after the country confirmed its first official coronavirus case since the pandemic began.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said 350,000 people have been treated for a fever that has spread "explosively" across the country.
KCNA said five other people have died, but it wasn't immediately clear how many of the total illnesses were from COVID-19.
On Thursday, the country's leader ordered a strict national lockdown, after state media confirmed the first official COVID outbreak from an unspecified number of people in the capital Pyongyang, who contracted Omicron.
KCNA said of the 350,000 people who developed fevers since late April, 162,200 have recovered.
It added that 18,000 people were newly found with fever symptoms on Thursday alone, and 187,800 people are being isolated for treatment.
Mr Kim visited the emergency epidemic prevention headquarters on Thursday and criticised officials for failing to prevent "a vulnerable point in the epidemic prevention system".
He said the spread of the fever has been centered around the capital and underscored the importance of isolating all work and residential units from one another while providing convenience during the lockdown.
It is possible that the spread of the virus was accelerated by a massive military parade in the capital on 25 April, where Mr Kim showcased the most powerful missiles of his military in front of tens of thousands.
An analyst at South Korea's Sejong Institute, Cheong Seong-Chang, said the pace of the fever's spread suggests the crisis could last months and possibly into 2023, causing major disruption in the poorly equipped country.
Yesterday's announcement of the virus outbreak posed concerns over the country's poor health care system and its 26 million people who are believed to be mostly unvaccinated.
North Korea has so far shunned vaccines offered by the UN-backed COVAX distribution scheme, possibly because those have international monitoring requirements.
The country has also closed its border to nearly all trade and visitors for two years, which shocked an economy already damaged by crippling US-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programme.
Some experts say the announcement of the outbreak may signal a willingness to receive outside aid.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday that Beijing was offering North Korea help in dealing with the outbreak.
South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said the South was willing to provide medical assistance and other help to North Korea based on humanitarian considerations.
https://news.sky.com/story/north-ko...reading-explosively-state-media-says-12611800
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said 350,000 people have been treated for a fever that has spread "explosively" across the country.
KCNA said five other people have died, but it wasn't immediately clear how many of the total illnesses were from COVID-19.
On Thursday, the country's leader ordered a strict national lockdown, after state media confirmed the first official COVID outbreak from an unspecified number of people in the capital Pyongyang, who contracted Omicron.
KCNA said of the 350,000 people who developed fevers since late April, 162,200 have recovered.
It added that 18,000 people were newly found with fever symptoms on Thursday alone, and 187,800 people are being isolated for treatment.
Mr Kim visited the emergency epidemic prevention headquarters on Thursday and criticised officials for failing to prevent "a vulnerable point in the epidemic prevention system".
He said the spread of the fever has been centered around the capital and underscored the importance of isolating all work and residential units from one another while providing convenience during the lockdown.
It is possible that the spread of the virus was accelerated by a massive military parade in the capital on 25 April, where Mr Kim showcased the most powerful missiles of his military in front of tens of thousands.
An analyst at South Korea's Sejong Institute, Cheong Seong-Chang, said the pace of the fever's spread suggests the crisis could last months and possibly into 2023, causing major disruption in the poorly equipped country.
Yesterday's announcement of the virus outbreak posed concerns over the country's poor health care system and its 26 million people who are believed to be mostly unvaccinated.
North Korea has so far shunned vaccines offered by the UN-backed COVAX distribution scheme, possibly because those have international monitoring requirements.
The country has also closed its border to nearly all trade and visitors for two years, which shocked an economy already damaged by crippling US-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programme.
Some experts say the announcement of the outbreak may signal a willingness to receive outside aid.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday that Beijing was offering North Korea help in dealing with the outbreak.
South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said the South was willing to provide medical assistance and other help to North Korea based on humanitarian considerations.
https://news.sky.com/story/north-ko...reading-explosively-state-media-says-12611800
daytrader
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China approves the world's first inhaled COVID vaccine for emergency use as a booster
The world's first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine has been approved in China.
The Chinese company CanSino Biologics Inc said on Sunday its inhaled version of a coronavirus vaccine had been approved by the country's drug regulator for emergency use as a booster.
The vaccine, called Convidecia Air, uses the same adenovirus vector technology as its sister injectable version. However, it provides a needle-free option that might convince more people to get boosted as new versions of coronavirus continue to spread.
The inhaled vaccine, which can be self-administered, changes the liquid form of the vaccine into an aerosol using a nebulizer so it can be inhaled through the mouth.
The needle-free vaccine "can effectively induce comprehensive immune protection in response to SARS-CoV-2 after just one breath," CanSino said in a statement.
CanSino's initial jab has proved 66 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus infection, and 92 per cent effective against severe disease in early clinical trials, but outside China, it has struggled to compete with vaccines made by Sinovac and Sinopharm.
Convenient and lower dosage
CanSino says its inhaled vaccine is convenient as it requires only one-fifth of the dosage of the intramuscular version, and can be transported and stored between 2°C and 8°C - unlike some injectable vaccines that require ultra-low temperatures.
About a dozen inhaled coronavirus vaccines are currently in research and development. AstraZeneca, together with the University of Oxford, is among the pharmaceutical companies exploring this avenue.
CanSino said however it was uncertain when its vaccine would be able to go to market, since additional administrative approvals are still needed, while sales would depend on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad, as well as China's vaccination rate.
China has seen a recent flare-up in COVID outbreaks.
The southern tech hub of Shenzhen imposed a weekend lockdown in most parts of the city on Saturday, while the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu put its 21 million people under lockdown on Thursday.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/...-covid-vaccine-for-emergency-use-as-a-booster
The world's first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine has been approved in China.
The Chinese company CanSino Biologics Inc said on Sunday its inhaled version of a coronavirus vaccine had been approved by the country's drug regulator for emergency use as a booster.
The vaccine, called Convidecia Air, uses the same adenovirus vector technology as its sister injectable version. However, it provides a needle-free option that might convince more people to get boosted as new versions of coronavirus continue to spread.
The inhaled vaccine, which can be self-administered, changes the liquid form of the vaccine into an aerosol using a nebulizer so it can be inhaled through the mouth.
The needle-free vaccine "can effectively induce comprehensive immune protection in response to SARS-CoV-2 after just one breath," CanSino said in a statement.
CanSino's initial jab has proved 66 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus infection, and 92 per cent effective against severe disease in early clinical trials, but outside China, it has struggled to compete with vaccines made by Sinovac and Sinopharm.
Convenient and lower dosage
CanSino says its inhaled vaccine is convenient as it requires only one-fifth of the dosage of the intramuscular version, and can be transported and stored between 2°C and 8°C - unlike some injectable vaccines that require ultra-low temperatures.
About a dozen inhaled coronavirus vaccines are currently in research and development. AstraZeneca, together with the University of Oxford, is among the pharmaceutical companies exploring this avenue.
CanSino said however it was uncertain when its vaccine would be able to go to market, since additional administrative approvals are still needed, while sales would depend on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad, as well as China's vaccination rate.
China has seen a recent flare-up in COVID outbreaks.
The southern tech hub of Shenzhen imposed a weekend lockdown in most parts of the city on Saturday, while the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu put its 21 million people under lockdown on Thursday.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/...-covid-vaccine-for-emergency-use-as-a-booster
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