"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 8th Sep 2021
Israel's Covid Surge Shows the World What's Coming Next - Epidemiologists say cases among the over 30s are already declining thanks to the boosters and restrictions on bars and restaurants to the fully vaccinated. The highest rate of new cases in recent weeks is among children under the age of 12, according to Ran Balicer, chair of the expert advisory panel to the government. There’s also a record level of testing. “Waning immunity is a real challenge that every country needs to prepare a contingency plan to tackle,” said Balicer, who is also chief innovation officer for Israeli health maintenance organization Clalit. The data coming from Israel in the coming weeks will allow the world to assess the efficacy of the booster shot program, he said.
Boris Johnson faces a battle to achieve buy-in for vaccine passports - The pandemic is far from over. The UK is in the throes of a wave that could overwhelm the NHS if hospitalisations rise too rapidly. Newly reported Covid cases are running above 35,000 a day, with daily patient admissions close to 1,000 every 24 hours. The optimists hope that the wave is peaking and will eventually fizzle out. The pessimists fear worse is to come. Discussions in Whitehall focus on how to get through the winter under the combined pressure of coronavirus, flu and long NHS waiting lists. The mooted idea of an October “firebreak” lockdown to ease the pressure has “almost zero chance”, says one minister. If the situation worsens, Johnson would first try everything else, starting with mandatory masks, then social distancing, then restrictions on indoor gatherings.
U.K. Is Among First Western Nations to Increase Taxes to Cover Covid-19 Costs - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday announced tax increases to support the country’s state-funded National Health Service as it struggles to manage a backlog of millions of patients in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the announcement, Mr. Johnson is renouncing an election pledge not to raise payroll taxes, a move that sparked criticism from within his own Conservative Party and underscored the pressure the pandemic has put on governments to find funding for social services stretched by Covid-19 and aging populations.
Biden to outline plan to curb coronavirus Delta variant as cases grow - White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters traveling with Biden aboard Air Force One that he will lay out the six-pronged strategy 'working across the public and private sectors to help continue to get the pandemic under control.' Asked about possible new mandates, Psaki said the White House would offer more details later about the plan and acknowledged that the federal government cannot broadly mandate that Americans get vaccinated.
CEPI warns of major hurdle to developing new Covid-19 vaccines and studying best booster approaches - The world still needs more — and better — Covid-19 vaccines. But a major hurdle stands in the way of the development of new vaccines, as well as the critical studies needed to determine the best way to use these important tools, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) warned in a letter published Tuesday in the journal Nature.
Covid in Scotland: 'I'm double-vaccinated but can't show the proof' - A woman who was vaccinated in England and Scotland says she cannot get an accurate vaccination certificate because of issues with data-sharing across health services. Maura McGoldrick, 21, received her first dose in London and her second in Glasgow, where she lives. However, her vaccination record only shows her having received one dose. The fourth-year student at the University of Edinburgh is concerned others may be similarly affected.
Covid-19 Australia: Victoria's coronavirus crisis worsens as 246 new cases are recorded - Victoria recorded 246 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday - one more than Monday's figure - as the state rushes to vaccinate its Year 12 students before their end-of-year exams begin. The state's Department of Health on Tuesday morning said only 90 of the 246 cases were linked to known cases and outbreaks and 156 are still under investigation. Victoria is aiming to get all students in their final year of high school injected with at least one vaccination dose before their final exams, as part of a 10-day priority access scheme beginning on Tuesday
In Vietnam’s COVID epicentre, ‘everyone is struggling to survive’ - Home to nine million people, Ho Chi Minh City has been under a total lockdown since August 23, with residents forbidden from leaving their homes even to shop for food. With the restrictions set to last until September 15, newly elected Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered mass testing for the city’s residents and deployed soldiers to enforce the stay at home orders and help with the delivery of food. But despite the strict measures, the number of infections continue to rise in Ho Chi Minh City and more than 200 people are dying every day. On Monday, the city reported more than 7,000 new cases and 233 deaths, rising from a caseload of 5,889 a week ago.
Nigeria's Delta region oil hub may need new COVID lockdown, governor says - The governor of Rivers State in Nigeria's oil-producing Delta region said he may be forced to reimpose COVID-19 lockdown measures if residents did not comply with prevention protocols amid a rise in cases. Governor Nyesom Wike implored residents to get vaccinated and comply with safety and social distancing rules amid a consistent rise in COVID-19 infections over the past two weeks.
Getting a Covid-19 Vaccine Can Still Save Your Life - News stories tend to freak people out by focusing on “breakthrough cases,” in which people get Covid despite vaccines. Most official data cover the whole period since vaccinations began, so they obscure the more recent effect of delta. Just looking at the share of vaccinated among the hospitalized and dead isn’t great, either: If everyone were vaccinated, it would be 100%. In the absence of good data, the message about vaccines keeps getting foggier. The information that filters through often ends up providing fodder for anti-vaxxers. What people hear is, don’t bother getting vaccinated because you can still get Covid and even die.
Getting a Covid-19 Vaccine Can Still Save Your Life
News stories tend to freak people out by focusing on “breakthrough cases,” in which people get Covid despite vaccines. Most official data cover the whole period since vaccinations began, so they obscure the more recent effect of delta. Just looking at the share of vaccinated among the hospitalized and dead isn’t great, either: If everyone were vaccinated, it would be 100%. In the absence of good data, the message about vaccines keeps getting foggier. The information that filters through often ends up providing fodder for anti-vaxxers. What people hear is, don’t bother getting vaccinated because you can still get Covid and even die.
U.K. Is Among First Western Nations to Increase Taxes to Cover Covid-19 Costs
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday announced tax increases to support the country’s state-funded National Health Service as it struggles to manage a backlog of millions of patients in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the announcement, Mr. Johnson is renouncing an election pledge not to raise payroll taxes, a move that sparked criticism from within his own Conservative Party and underscored the pressure the pandemic has put on governments to find funding for social services stretched by Covid-19 and aging populations.
Vaccines Versus Covid-19: The Great Immunity Debate
There’s emerging evidence that getting sick provides better protection than at least one brand of shots. That’s scientifically significant. But it’s not an excuse to avoid the jab.
Israel's Covid Surge Shows the World What's Coming Next
Epidemiologists say cases among the over 30s are already declining thanks to the boosters and restrictions on bars and restaurants to the fully vaccinated. The highest rate of new cases in recent weeks is among children under the age of 12, according to Ran Balicer, chair of the expert advisory panel to the government. There’s also a record level of testing. “Waning immunity is a real challenge that every country needs to prepare a contingency plan to tackle,” said Balicer, who is also chief innovation officer for Israeli health maintenance organization Clalit. The data coming from Israel in the coming weeks will allow the world to assess the efficacy of the booster shot program, he said.
Biden's Covid booster shot plan mired in confusion amid regulatory hold-ups
The Biden administration’s plans to widely administer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots later this month have become mired in confusion over regulatory approvals, eligibility and logistics, in the latest blow to its efforts to curb the pandemic. US health officials announced last month that they planned to start offering Americans another round of Covid jabs from September 20, following evidence that the effectiveness of some vaccines starts to wane after a few months.
Boris Johnson faces a battle to achieve buy-in for vaccine passports
The pandemic is far from over. The UK is in the throes of a wave that could overwhelm the NHS if hospitalisations rise too rapidly. Newly reported Covid cases are running above 35,000 a day, with daily patient admissions close to 1,000 every 24 hours. The optimists hope that the wave is peaking and will eventually fizzle out. The pessimists fear worse is to come. Discussions in Whitehall focus on how to get through the winter under the combined pressure of coronavirus, flu and long NHS waiting lists. The mooted idea of an October “firebreak” lockdown to ease the pressure has “almost zero chance”, says one minister. If the situation worsens, Johnson would first try everything else, starting with mandatory masks, then social distancing, then restrictions on indoor gatherings.
Sweden to lift most remaining restrictions this month
Sweden will push ahead with easing Covid-19 restrictions at the end of this month, removing most curbs and limits on public venues such as restaurants, theatres and stadiums, the government said. With most adults vaccinated, Sweden has gradually eased some restrictions during a summer lull in the pandemic. While it has seen infections mount in recent weeks amid the rapid spread of the more contagious Delta variant, deaths from the disease have remained low.
Malaysia will start treating Covid as 'endemic' around end-October, trade minister says
Malaysia will start treating Covid-19 as an endemic disease around the end of October, said International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali. More than 75% of Malaysia’s adult population is expected to be fully vaccinated by then, said Azmin. Malaysia’s Southeast Asian neighbors including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines have also experienced a resurgence in Covid cases caused by the more transmissible delta variant.
Biden to outline plan to curb coronavirus Delta variant as cases grow
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters traveling with Biden aboard Air Force One that he will lay out the six-pronged strategy "working across the public and private sectors to help continue to get the pandemic under control." Asked about possible new mandates, Psaki said the White House would offer more details later about the plan and acknowledged that the federal government cannot broadly mandate that Americans get vaccinated.
Profitable Australian companies urged to repay government Covid support
Some of Australia’s biggest companies are under pressure to repay billions of dollars of Covid-19 support provided under a scheme after it emerged that they had made money during the pandemic. The A$98bn (US$73bn) JobKeeper programme was introduced to help companies retain staff during the country’s coronavirus-induced lockdowns. But Australia’s Parliamentary Budget Office in July released data showing that in its first three months of operation, about A$12.5bn went to businesses that were largely unaffected by the pandemic.
South America's Least-Vaccinated Country Gets First Covax Shots
Venezuela received the first shipment of vaccines against Covid-19 purchased through the World Health Organization-sponsored Covax program after months of delays and payment issues hindered the country’s inoculation plan. The shipment of 693,600 Sinovac Biotech Ltd. shots arrived early Tuesday, the Pan American Health Organization said in statement on its website. The country is due to receive a total of 12 million doses through Covax, PAHO said. The first shipment was expected to arrive by the end of July but was delayed for reasons not publicly disclosed. In June, some government payments to Covax were temporarily blocked by banks, the government said at the time.
The Masked Professor vs. the Unmasked Student
Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition, sent out a raw emotional appeal to his students at the University of North Georgia just before classes began: The Covid-19 Delta variant was rampaging through the state, filling up hospital beds. He would teach class in the equivalent of full body armor — vaccinated and masked. So he was stunned in late August when more than two-thirds of the first-year students in his writing class did not take the hint and showed up unmasked.
Hong Kong relaxes Covid quarantine rules for travellers from mainland China
Hong Kong will allow people from mainland China to visit without having to face its quarantine procedures in the city’s first serious relaxation of its strict Covid-19 entry requirements for tourists. But critics of the Hong Kong government’s quarantine policies, which will begin on September 15, said it was another sign the Asian financial centre was prioritising a travel bubble with mainland China over the international links important to executives living in the city.
Covid-19: 'Without the vaccine we would have been on our knees'
BBC News NI is given access to Belfast City Hospital's intensive care unit, where a consultant warns the system is "one step from chaos". Seven patients had Covid-19 - six of the men and women in their 20s, 40s and early 60s were unvaccinated. One of them was double-jabbed. "Without the vaccine we would have been on our knees weeks ago," Dr Gardiner said
Hint on freedoms as vaccine rate soars
Eligible people in NSW who haven’t yet received their coronavirus vaccine are being warned not to be “left behind” as the state races towards reopening. The Premier hinted that pubs and other hospitality venues could reopen by mid-October to those who are fully vaccinated. Nearly three quarters of eligible people in NSW have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Gladys Berejiklian said on Tuesday. The state has reached 74 per cent first-dose vaccinations, with some areas of Sydney recording an even higher rate
NSW records 1,220 COVID-19 cases and eight deaths as police to begin checking vaccination status of residents
NSW residents have been warned police will be checking the vaccination records of anyone enjoying new freedoms next week as the state records 1,220 new COVID-19 cases. A small number of new freedoms around outdoor recreation for the fully vaccinated come into effect next week and Deputy Premier John Barilaro said police would monitor people's vaccination status from Monday. From September 13 those who live in the 12 local government areas of concern will be able to leave home for an hour of recreation (which includes picnics) with their household members.
How to protect children under 12 from Covid-19, according to Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci says there's an important step adults can take to protect children who are too young to be vaccinated against Covid-19. "The way you protect children who, because of their age, cannot get vaccinated yet is to surround the children -- be it friends, family, school teachers, personnel in the school -- surround the children with vaccinated people," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN on Sunday.
CEPI warns of major hurdle to developing new Covid-19 vaccines and studying best booster approaches
The world still needs more — and better — Covid-19 vaccines. But a major hurdle stands in the way of the development of new vaccines, as well as the critical studies needed to determine the best way to use these important tools, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) warned in a letter published Tuesday in the journal Nature.
Get COVID-19 vaccine or please quit, Zimbabwe tells government workers
Government workers in Zimbabwe who do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should resign, its justice minister said on Tuesday. The southern African nation has so far vaccinated 2.7 million people, against a target of inoculating two-thirds of its 15 million population by the end of the year. President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government says it has paid for 12 million COVID-19 doses from China.
Philippines to relax COVID curbs even as cases hit record levels
Caught between a struggling economy and a health emergency, the Philippines is expected to ease COVID-19 restrictions from Wednesday to allow more business activities to resume, even as the country posts record numbers of daily cases and a test positivity rate of almost 30 percent. The Philippines reported a record 22,415 COVID-19 cases on Monday, with a positivity rate of 28.8 percent. At least 103 more deaths were reported, lifting the country’s official death toll to more than 35,000.
Scepticism and fraud hamper Covid vaccine take-up rates in Romania and Bulgaria
Vaccine scepticism is helping to keep Romania and Bulgaria’s Covid-19 vaccination rates the lowest in the EU, exposing the union’s poorest nations to higher risks amid a fourth wave of the pandemic fuelled by the contagious Delta coronavirus variant. Fraud is adding to official frustration in Romania over take-up rates, with instances of doctors allowing people to go without jabs while still issuing them with certificates that help to make it easier to work and travel.
Covid US: Anti-vaxx Georgia councilman urges conservatives to get jabbed after hospitalisation
Jim Sells, 71, urged people not to take the COVID-19 vaccine before he was hit with a bout of the virus that left hospitalized for more than two weeks. Sells is now pushing for others in his community to get vaccinated to ease pressure on the state's hospital system. More than 96% of Georgia ICU beds are currently occupied as the state sees a surge of virus cases. Only 35% of residents of Sells' county are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 60% are totally unvaccinated
New Zealand Covid-19: Anti-masker clashes with New World supermarket worker
New Zealand supermarket workers been praised for dealing with anti-masker. Woman films and posts herself ranting about mandatory masks in shops. States that wearing a mask is a 'breach of her human rights.' Workers calmly offer the woman to wear a mask or leave the store. In level 4 lockdown, masks are mandatory for NZ residents accessing essential services unless they have a medical exemption
‘Cheap shot’: Scott Morrison defends Father’s Day trip to Sydney during lockdown
Scott Morrison has defended a trip to see his family on Father’s Day, arguing he went home to Sydney then returned to Canberra under an essential work exemption. In an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, the prime minister said he understood people’s “frustration” given many Australians are unable to travel but claimed he had been the victim of “misinformation” about the issue.
Covid-19 Australia: Cops swarm Melbourne synagogue after 100 worshippers celebrate Jewish New Year
Significant Covid breaches occurred at a gathering in Ripponlea, Melbourne
Gathering dispersed by Victorian police after fiery confrontations. People in two buildings understood to have gathered for Jewish New Year. Police blocked roads surrounding buildings on Glen Eira Avenue, Ripponlea. Victoria recorded 246 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday and remains in lockdown
Philippines defers new COVID-19 plan, maintains capital curbs
The Philippines capital region will remain under the second strictest coronavirus containment measures, a senior official said on Tuesday, despite a day earlier announcing a relaxation of curbs to spur business activity. Imposition of the more relaxed "general community quarantine" in Metro Manila has been deferred, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said, without giving a reason.
Covid in Scotland: 'I'm double-vaccinated but can't show the proof'
A woman who was vaccinated in England and Scotland says she cannot get an accurate vaccination certificate because of issues with data-sharing across health services. Maura McGoldrick, 21, received her first dose in London and her second in Glasgow, where she lives. However, her vaccination record only shows her having received one dose. The fourth-year student at the University of Edinburgh is concerned others may be similarly affected.
Vaccine makers should supply shots for trials to help spur sector -CEPI
New vaccine trials need established shots for control group-CEPI. Warns against development "standstill" amid lack of vaccines. Companies, countries need to spare 10s of thousands of doses
Third person dies in Japan after taking contaminated Moderna coronavirus vaccine
A third man has died in Japan after receiving an injection from one of three batches of Moderna vaccines since identified as contaminated, though authorities say no causal link has yet been found. The 49-year-old man had his second shot on 11 August and died the following day. His only known health issue was an allergy to buckwheat, the health ministry said on Monday. As with the previous two deaths, the ministry said it had yet to establish if the latest fatality was linked to the vaccine.
EMA begins analysis of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 booster shot data
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has commenced evaluation of an application submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech seeking an update to conditional marketing authorization (CMA) for the use of a booster shot of their Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty. A messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine, Comirnaty was granted a CMA by the European Commission in December last year. The third or booster shot is intended to be administered six months after the second dose in individuals aged 16 years or above, Pfizer noted.
Japan picks three COVID-19 drug candidates to get research funds
Japan has selected three candidates for COVID-19 treatments to receive subsidies for clinical trials, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The drugs are AstraZeneca Plc's antibody treatment AZD7442, Shionogi & Co's protease inhibitor S-217622, and Fujifilm Holding Corp's antiviral favipiravir, known commercially as Avigan.
Indonesia approves J&J, Cansino COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use
Indonesia has approved the single-dose COVID-19 vaccines produced by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, part of Johnson & Johnson, and China's CanSino Biological Inc for emergency use, the country's food and drug agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
New Studies Find Evidence Of 'Superhuman' Immunity To COVID-19 In Some Individuals
Some scientists have called it "superhuman immunity" or "bulletproof." But immunologist Shane Crotty prefers "hybrid immunity." "Overall, hybrid immunity to SARS-CoV-2 appears to be impressively potent," Crotty wrote in commentary in Science back in June. No matter what you call it, this type of immunity offers much-needed good news in what seems like an endless array of bad news regarding COVID-19. Over the past several months, a series of studies has found that some people mount an extraordinarily powerful immune response against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19.
COVID-19: release approved vaccines for trials of new ones
Scientists must develop the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines now, if the world is to meet the challenge of SARS-CoV-2 variants and reduce vaccine inequity by increasing global supply. This can be done only if comparator COVID-19 vaccines — those that have already been approved — are available to support clinical trials. Such comparator vaccines are almost impossible to secure; governments, developers and manufacturers must find a solution to unlock supplies. So far, COVID-19 vaccines have received approval on the basis of data from unvaccinated participants in placebo-controlled efficacy trials. These trials become increasingly difficult to carry out as the number of people who are immunized rises. Comparator vaccines, essentially replacing placebos, are therefore needed for trials that assess whether new candidate vaccines provide comparable levels of protection, including against emerging variants.
How the risk of side effects could change with Covid-19 vaccine boosters
Additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines are likely rolling out in the United States later this year. It raises the question: What will the side effects from a booster shot look like? Is there a higher or lower risk of an adverse event, compared to the earlier regimens? Overall, the Covid-19 vaccines are overwhelmingly safe and remarkably effective. But as the shots went into millions of arms starting late last year, researchers uncovered a handful of sometimes serious side effects, which were so exceedingly rare that the clinical trials that led to the shots’ authorizations — even with tens of thousands of participants — couldn’t capture them.
What we know about the new C.1.2 coronavirus variant
While much of the world’s focus has been on the Delta variant of coronavirus, a new variant has been identified in South Africa. Currently referred to as the C.1.2 variant, it is yet to be called a variant of interest or concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), but is drawing the attention of scientists due to the number and types of mutations it contains and the speed at which the mutations have occurred.
After Moderna contamination mess, Takeda strikes deal with Japan to supply Novavax COVID-19 vaccines
As Moderna faces questions about contaminants found in its COVID-19 vaccines in Japan, the company’s distribution partner in the country, Takeda, is moving forward on its plans with another COVID vaccine developer. On Monday, Takeda said the Japanese government has agreed to purchase 150 million doses of the Novavax shot that it will produce. Takeda and Novavax previously struck a licensing and production deal covering the country. The Novavax shot remains in development, and the partners aim to start the rollout in Japan early next year. The government's purchasing agreement is subject to regulatory approvals.
Covid-19 Testing Is Keeping Some Students in School and Out of Quarantine
Some schools are trying a new plan to keep students safely in the classroom: Rather than quarantining children who have an in-school contact with a positive case, they are testing them. A lot. The method keeps children in school after exposure to a classmate or teacher who tested positive for Covid-19 if they test negative at least every other day. Known as test-to-stay, the approach is a higher transmission risk than keeping exposed students at home, but some public-health experts and educators say the trade-off is worth it to avoid missed days in class.
Britain reports 209 daily deaths from COVID, highest since March
Britain on Tuesday reported 209 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test on Tuesday, the highest daily total since March 9, government statistics showed.
Cases have been rising steadily since the start of August although death totals are impacted by irregular reporting patterns from hospitals over the weekend. Only 45 deaths were reported on Monday. There were 37,489 new cases reported on Tuesday, compared to 41,192 reported on Monday.
Queensland records no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, more vaccinations encouraged
Queensland has recorded zero new cases of COVID-19 as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stepped up the state government's push to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible. Ms Palaszczuk said 53.33 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have had their first dose of the COVID vaccine and 34.75 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated — both rates below the national average. The Premier said the government would be sending Queenslanders text messages with important vaccine information
Covid-19 Australia: Victoria's coronavirus crisis worsens as 246 new cases are recorded
Victoria recorded 246 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday - one more than Monday's figure - as the state rushes to vaccinate its Year 12 students before their end-of-year exams begin. The state's Department of Health on Tuesday morning said only 90 of the 246 cases were linked to known cases and outbreaks and 156 are still under investigation. Victoria is aiming to get all students in their final year of high school injected with at least one vaccination dose before their final exams, as part of a 10-day priority access scheme beginning on Tuesday
US reaches 40 million recorded Covid-19 cases -- with 4 million counted in the last 4 weeks
The U.S.'s Covid-19 case rates have generally soared since the start of the summer as the highly contagious Delta variant spread -- and the current average is more than three times higher than it was a year ago. The United States' seven-day average of new cases Monday (137,270 daily) dwarfs the average seen on Labor Day of last year (39,355 daily), according to Johns Hopkins University data. Hospitalizations and daily Covid-19 deaths also have risen lately, and where these counts go from here is "up to us," Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN
India 'prepares for the worst' ahead of possible COVID-19 third wave
As COVID-19 cases and deaths exploded in India in April and May, New Delhi's premier Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and several others ran so short of oxygen that many patients in the capital suffocated. When Reuters visited the hospital on Friday, its last coronavirus patient was readying to leave after recovery - a remarkable turnaround health experts attribute to growing levels of immunity from natural infection and vaccinations. But hospitals have learned from bitter experience during the second COVID wave, when funeral pyres burned non-stop and bodies littered the banks of the holy Ganges river, as India braces for another possible surge in infections around its September-November festival season.
Covid-19 weekly deaths in England and Wales at five-month high
The number of deaths involving Covid registered each week in England and Wales has climbed to its highest level for five months. A total of 668 deaths registered in the week ending August 27 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics. This is up 17 per cent on the previous week, and is the highest number since 719 deaths were registered in the week to March 26. Deaths had dipped as low as 84 in the week to June 11.
Covid-19: UK passes 7 million confirmed Covid cases
More than seven million confirmed cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the UK since the pandemic began, official figures show. It comes as another 41,192 positive tests were reported on Monday, along with 45 Covid-related deaths. But the real number of people infected during the pandemic is likely to be much higher, partly due to the lack of testing in the early stages. Covid-19 has been named on the death certificate of 156,119 people. The most recent figures show that there are 7,606 Covid-19 patients in hospital, with 1,034 on ventilators.
Covid-19: Northern Ireland health system 'one step from chaos'
"Bodies would start piling up" if more people do not get vaccinated, a senior doctor in Northern Ireland has warned. Dr George Gardiner said "they would have been piling up already without the vaccine". "We are now facing winter pressures, Respiratory Syncytial Virus for children, the next wave of flu and Covid. We cannot do all," he added. BBC News NI was given exclusive access inside Belfast City Hospital's Intensive Care Unit. Seven Covid patients were battling the virus - six of the men and women in their 20s, 40s and early 60s were unvaccinated.
In Vietnam’s COVID epicentre, ‘everyone is struggling to survive’
Home to nine million people, Ho Chi Minh City has been under a total lockdown since August 23, with residents forbidden from leaving their homes even to shop for food. With the restrictions set to last until September 15, newly elected Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered mass testing for the city’s residents and deployed soldiers to enforce the stay at home orders and help with the delivery of food. But despite the strict measures, the number of infections continue to rise in Ho Chi Minh City and more than 200 people are dying every day. On Monday, the city reported more than 7,000 new cases and 233 deaths, rising from a caseload of 5,889 a week ago.
Nigeria's Delta region oil hub may need new COVID lockdown, governor says
The governor of Rivers State in Nigeria's oil-producing Delta region said he may be forced to reimpose COVID-19 lockdown measures if residents did not comply with prevention protocols amid a rise in cases. Governor Nyesom Wike implored residents to get vaccinated and comply with safety and social distancing rules amid a consistent rise in COVID-19 infections over the past two weeks.