The world is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 95 million people and killed more than 2 million globally since late January.
Recent attempts to revive social life and financial activities have resulted in another surge in cases and hospitalizations, though new drugs and improved care may help more people who get seriously ill survive.
The US death toll from Covid-19 is approaching 400,000, while hospitalizations for the coronavirus surpassed 130,000 last week, new data from the Department of Health and Human Services show. Covid-19 in-patients jumped 7.3 percent to 131,637 from December 29 to January 15, the data show. Texas, Florida, California, Georgia, New York, Arizona, and North and South Carolina recorded the biggest increases. Hospitalizations for Covid-19 declined across the Midwest, with Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota recording 17 percent to 33 percent fewer patients.
California’s health department said it’s concerned the variant first found in the UK is increasingly being identified by viral genomic sequencing in multiple counties across the state. The variant was seen in several large outbreaks in Santa Clara County, it said.
Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the latest wave, said Saturday it identified its first case with the variant and expects the spread within the community to have started. “The reality is that the risk of contracting Covid-19 has increased with the presence of B.1.1.7 here in our community,” Hilda Solis, chair of the county’s board of supervisors, said in a statement on Sunday.
President-elect Joe Biden’s promise of delivering 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in 100 days is “absolutely a doable thing,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he expects Biden not to hesitate to “use whatever mechanisms we can” to speed the production and distribution of the shots.
Key developments:
Norway deaths spark concern in Asia
Norway’s report of several dozen elderly people dying after receiving inoculations of the Pfizer Inc. shot is raising concerns among some Asian nations.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said Thailand “won’t rush to get the vaccines that haven’t been fully tested and refused to be an experimental country.” Thailand has no orders for a vaccine from Pfizer, but has inked deals for Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and AstraZeneca Plc shots.
Australia’s medical regulator said it will seek information from Pfizer and Norwegian health authorities, while the country’s foreign ministry will contact Norway’s government to discuss the issue.
Norway said over the weekend that vaccines may be too risky for elderly people with serious underlying health conditions, after 29 people died in the country a short time after receiving their first dose of the Pfizer shot. Pfizer and BioNTech SE are working with the Norwegian regulator to investigate the deaths.
China reports 93 new cases
China reported 93 confirmed local Covid-19 cases and 104 asymptomatic infections on Monday. Most of the asymptomatic infections were detected in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
Beijing reported two new cases from its southern suburb. A 63-year-old woman was found over the weekend to have been infected, indicating there’s still hidden transmission after authorities brought a cluster on infections on the other end of the city largely under control. China has built temporary quarantine facilities to accommodate villagers living at the center of the outbreak in the northern city of Shijiazhuang that has seen infections hitting nearly 1,000 in less than a month. A total of 1,008 container quarantine modules are ready to accommodate close contacts of Covid-19 patients.
Korea’s Moon sees herd immunity by November
President Moon Jae-in said the country may reach herd immunity by November at the latest, as inoculations may begin in late February or early March.
He said it’s clear the third virus wave has reached its peak. The country reported 389 new cases on Monday, the lowest number since November 29.
“I think that we will become a country that can quickly recover our daily lives and economy by succeeding in quarantining and overcoming the crises ahead of any other country in the world,” Moon said during his annual New Year’s press conference.
UK steps up vaccine program as travel corridors close
The UK will step up its mass vaccination program this week, offering shots to millions more people, as the country shuts its borders to anyone who has not tested negative. Vaccines will be offered to people aged 70 and over, and those deemed “clinically extremely vulnerable” from Monday—the third and fourth priority groups.
The government is considering “all possibilities” to enforce Covid-19 rules for travelers, and won’t rule out setting up quarantine hotels and using GPS trackers to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
Airlines allowed to transit passengers in Singapore: ST
Several foreign airlines have received approval from Singapore to transit passengers at Changi Airport to other destinations, a move to revive the city-state’s air hub after being battered by travel restrictions amid the pandemic, the Straits Times reported.
Under Singapore transit rules, passengers will have to remain in designated facilities in the transit area. But those who come from places that Singapore has unilaterally opened its borders to, such as China and Vietnam, are exempted from the rule.
Brazil approves first vaccines; shots begin
Brazil granted approval for the emergency use of AstraZeneca Plc and Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccines against Covid-19, allowing the country to kick-start deploying shots as the virus roars back in Latin America’s largest economy.
Health regulator Anvisa cleared the vaccines in a Sunday meeting, citing the recent significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Brazil and the lack of alternatives for treatment of the disease.
Ireland hospitalizations not yet at peak, minister says
Ireland expects coronavirus hospitalizations to peak “in the next week or two,” Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told state broadcaster RTE Radio, even as the nation ramps up its vaccination program.
The country has seen one of the worst virus outbreaks in the world since the New Year, with hospitalizations almost double the previous high in April. Daily infections have started to fall, however, and on Sunday, the 2,944 cases reported were the lowest since New Year’s Day, health authorities said.
French minister calls vaccine passports premature
France is “very reluctant” to back any move by the European Union to create vaccination passports that would allow people who have been inoculated against Covid-19 to travel, Clement Beaune, junior minister for European Affairs, told France Info radio on Sunday. “It’s premature” to discuss using a document of this type to allow travel within Europe, at least until the vaccine is widely available, he said.
Image credits: AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez