"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 9th Sep 2021
WHO urges rich countries to hold off on booster shots until 2022 - The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on wealthy countries with large supplies of coronavirus vaccines to refrain from offering booster shots through the end of the year, expanding an earlier request that has been largely ignored. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said he was “appalled” at comments by a leading association of pharmaceutical manufacturers a day earlier who said vaccine supplies are high enough to allow for both booster shots and vaccinations in countries in dire need of jabs but facing shortages.
COVID-19 cases among U.S. minors reach record 250,000 cases, youth account for 25% of active infections - More than 250,000 COVID-19 cases were recorded among children and teens during the week that ended September 2. The new case count is the highest total during the pandemic and 25% higher than the previous week. There have been 444 Covid deaths among children, meaning kids make up less than 0.1% of all deaths in the U.S. More than half of COVID-19 cases among children are in the South in states such as Florida and Texas
Brazilian regulator still unsatisfied with safety of 12 mln Coronavac doses - Brazil's federal health regulator said on Wednesday that documents provided by a Sao Paulo biomedical center attesting to the safety of over 12 million doses of the Coronavac COVID-19 vaccine were insufficient to ensure their safety. Last week, the regulator, known as Anvisa, suspended the use of millions doses of the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, as they were produced in a plant that had not been authorized by the authority.
Australia to support waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines - Trade Minister Dan Tehan says Australia will support an international push to waive intellectual property (IP) protections for COVID-19 vaccines as soaring infection rates across the globe prolong the pandemic and create ripe conditions for new variants. India and South Africa have spearheaded the campaign to change World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in an effort to make it easier for low and middle-income countries to manufacture and sell cheaper generic copies of COVID-19 vaccines produced by multinational pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer.
Coronavirus vaccine passports to be rolled out in October - Australia will begin issuing coronavirus vaccine passports from next month as preparations to restart international jetsetting continue. Travel is not expected to start until vaccination coverage for people aged 16 and over reaches 80 per cent, which is likely months away. The first international immunisation certificates are set to be rolled out in October with the federal government also working with other countries to determine which vaccines will be recognised.
Countries should prioritize pregnant, breastfeeding women for COVID-19 shots -PAHO - Countries in the Americas should prioritize pregnant and lactating women in distribution of COVID-19 shots, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, hailing the ability of the vaccines to protect women and their babies. 'PAHO recommends that all pregnant women after their first trimester, as well as those who are breastfeeding, receive the COVID-19 vaccine,' PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said during the organization's weekly virtual briefing.
UK's Exscientia, Gates Foundation partner to develop variant-resistant COVID-19 drugs - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would make a $35 million equity investment in privately owned Exscientia Ltd to fund the development of antiviral drugs including for the coronavirus, the Oxford-based drug developer said on Wednesday. Exscientia will make a matching contribution and lead the development of up to five therapeutics, which are ready to enter human trials. The program will initially focus on agents against the SARS-CoV-2 and its variants as well as other coronaviruses.
Moderna taps National Resilience's new Canadian manufacturing site for COVID-19 vaccine production duties - Fresh off National Resilience's acquisition of a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Ontario, the fledgling CDMO is putting it to the test with a high-profile partnership. Moderna has tapped National Resilience, founded in November last year, to manufacture mRNA vaccine substance at Resilience’s newly acquired facility in Mississauga, Canada. While sparse on details, Moderna said the substance made at the plant will be delivered globally. The partnership marks Moderna’s most recent foray into Canada and comes as the biotech faces a vaccine contamination scandal in Japan. In late August, Japanese pharma Takeda, which distributes Moderna’s shot in the country, said it suspended three lots—or about 1.63 million doses—after finding tiny black specks in the vials.
Takeda to deliver Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine doses to Japan - Takeda plans to supply the vaccine doses earlier next year on obtaining approval from the country’s MHLW. The Government of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has agreed to procure 150 million doses of Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate produced by Takeda Pharmaceutical in the country on obtaining approval.
Covid Mu variant: 53 cases of coronavirus strain detected in the UK with fears it may resist vaccines - A total of 53 cases of the Mu Covid variant that displays some indications of vaccine resistance have been detected in the UK – but experts have stressed it may not pose a major threat. Public Health England (PHE) figures released today confirmed additional cases of the strain, which was first recorded in Colombia in January and is classed as a “variant under investigation” by UK health authorities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the new variant “has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape” similar to the South Africa-originating Beta variant, though it stressed any impact on vaccine resistance “needs to be confirmed by further studies”.
Idaho moves to start rationing medical care amid surge in covid hospitalizations - For the first time in Idaho’s history, officials in the state on Tuesday moved to start rationing medical care in some overburdened hospitals grappling with a surge in covid-19 patients — a grim reflection of the delta variant’s devastation and a dire warning for other health-care systems pushed to the brink by rising infections.
Officials activated Idaho’s “crisis standards of care” for at least 10 hospitals in two public health districts, saying in a statement that a “massive increase in patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization” had led to a shortage of staff and beds. Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with less than 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated.
In Parts Of The U.S., Delta Covid-19 Surge Is Forcing Hospitals To Ration ICU Beds - When Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) tweeted on Tuesday, September 7th, that “Real America is done with Covid-19” it raises the question whether the Congressman is even aware that the 7-day average of daily Covid-19 deaths is approaching 1,500 (real Americans, by the way), and approximately 100,000 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized nationwide. The Delta surge of Covid-19 is forcing hospitals in parts of the U.S. to plan for or implement rationing of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. On September 6th, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, said that as hospitals in a number of states fill up with Covid-19 patients, doctors will have to make “tough choices” regarding who will get an ICU bed.
Northern Ireland schools “on verge of collapse under strain of Covid-19” as hundreds of pupils sent home - Northern Ireland schools are “on the verge of collapse under the strain of Covid-19, a leading teaching union has warned. Jacquie White, General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union, was speaking as the Education Committee meets today to discuss the significant difficulties across schools at the start of the new term. Health chiefs are under pressure to ramp up coronavirus testing capacity as schools across Northern Ireland continue to send hundreds of pupils home. There is also concern at suggestions a faster form of Covid-19 testing could be used to allow self-isolating students to return to school.
Two London hospitals ban visitors after rise in Covid-19 cases - Two West London hospitals have requested that visitors stop attending after a rise in coronavirus infections in the area. Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge and Mount Vernon hospital in Northwood issued the guidance to people wishing to visit the after a “growing number of positive patients in our hospital.”
Brazilian regulator still unsatisfied with safety of 12 mln Coronavac doses
Brazil's federal health regulator said on Wednesday that documents provided by a Sao Paulo biomedical center attesting to the safety of over 12 million doses of the Coronavac COVID-19 vaccine were insufficient to ensure their safety. Last week, the regulator, known as Anvisa, suspended the use of millions doses of the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, as they were produced in a plant that had not been authorized by the authority.
Number of children and teens with COVID-19 exceeds 250000 for first time since start of pandemic, as mask and vaccination fights continue
The number of children and teens suffering from the coronavirus-borne illness COVID-19 exceeded 250,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic in the week through Sept. 2, a worrying trend coming just as they return to school in person. Data published by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed the number of child cases has been climbing fast through the summer months after declining at the start of the season, with more than 750,000 cases being added between Aug. 5 and Sept. 2. Children accounted for 26.8% of reported cases in the latest week.
WHO seeks COVID-19 vaccines for poor nations, 'not empty promises'
The World Health Organization on Wednesday said low-income countries were ready to run effective COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and it was now down to manufacturers and rich countries to deliver the pledged doses to ease global health inequalities. About 80% of the 5.5 billion vaccines doses that have been administered globally went to high and upper-middle income countries, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing on Wednesday
COVID-19 cases among minors reach record 250,000 cases, youth account for 25% of active infections
More than 250,000 COVID-19 cases were recorded among children and teens during the week that ended September 2. The new case count is the highest total during the pandemic and 25% higher than the previous week. There have been 444 Covid deaths among children, meaning kids make up less than 0.1% of all deaths in the U.S. More than half of COVID-19 cases among children are in the South in states such as Florida and Texas
WHO urges rich countries to hold off on booster shots until 2022
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on wealthy countries with large supplies of coronavirus vaccines to refrain from offering booster shots through the end of the year, expanding an earlier request that has been largely ignored. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said he was “appalled” at comments by a leading association of pharmaceutical manufacturers a day earlier who said vaccine supplies are high enough to allow for both booster shots and vaccinations in countries in dire need of jabs but facing shortages.
Judge: Florida can't enforce ban on school mask mandates
A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that the state cannot enforce a ban on public schools mandating the use of masks to guard against the coronavirus, while an appeals court sorts out whether the ban is ultimately legal. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper lifted an automatic stay of his decision last week that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials exceeded their authority by imposing the blanket ban through executive order and tagging defiant pro-mask local school boards with financial penalties.
Coronavirus vaccine passports to be rolled out in October
Australia will begin issuing coronavirus vaccine passports from next month as preparations to restart international jetsetting continue. Travel is not expected to start until vaccination coverage for people aged 16 and over reaches 80 per cent, which is likely months away. The first international immunisation certificates are set to be rolled out in October with the federal government also working with other countries to determine which vaccines will be recognised.
UK decision on Covid vaccine boosters expected on Thursday
The UK’s vaccines watchdog is expected to decide on Thursday about a Covid booster vaccine programme, with ministers hopeful that approval for vaccinations for 12- to 15-year-olds could follow imminently. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is scheduled to meet on Thursday to examine interim results from the Cov-Boost study, which looks at the impact of one of seven different vaccines as a third dose, on top of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines.
Covid-19: Further push to vaccinate students in 'jabbathon'
There is to be a further push to vaccinate more students at campuses in Northern Ireland. The health minister Robin Swann announced details of the plan on Wednesday. The initiative - termed "jabbathon" - will involve 60 walk-in clinics across 30 campuses giving first jabs to students in universities and Further Education colleges.
Australia to support waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines
Trade Minister Dan Tehan says Australia will support an international push to waive intellectual property (IP) protections for COVID-19 vaccines as soaring infection rates across the globe prolong the pandemic and create ripe conditions for new variants. India and South Africa have spearheaded the campaign to change World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in an effort to make it easier for low and middle-income countries to manufacture and sell cheaper generic copies of COVID-19 vaccines produced by multinational pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer.
Queensland detects no new cases of COVID-19, sets new vaccination record and announces football hub plan
Queenslanders will be able to get their COVID-19 jab at the football from this weekend with the government trialling a stadium pop-up vaccination hub.The announcement comes as the Queensland government steps up its attacks on the federal government's rhetoric about vaccine distribution, on a day the state recorded no new COVID-19 cases.
S.Korea planning to live 'more normally' with COVID-19 after October
South Korea is drawing up a plan on how to live more normally with COVID-19, expecting 80% of adults to be fully vaccinated by late October, health authorities said on Wednesday.
Covid-19 Australia: Last health restrictions lifted under Federal Government National reopening plan
Epidemiologist predicts masks and large gathering bans will be last restrictions
Professor Catherine Bennett said workplaces will return as lockdowns ease
Restrictions are gradual and attuned to community outbreak transmissions
Bennett warns patchy vaccine uptake may mean health restrictions until 2022
COVID-19 boosters are coming but who will get them and when?
COVID-19 booster shots may be coming for at least some Americans but already the Biden administration is being forced to scale back expectations — illustrating just how much important science still has to be worked out. The initial plan was to offer Pfizer or Moderna boosters starting Sept. 20, contingent on authorization from U.S. regulators. But now administration officials acknowledge Moderna boosters probably won’t be ready by then — the Food and Drug Administration needs more evidence to judge them. Adding to the complexity, Moderna wants its booster to be half the dose of the original shots.
US COVID-19 cases top 40 million; Biden to deliver new plan
In 2 days President Joe Biden will announce a new six-point plan to battle the current surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant and an uneven vaccination campaign that has left only half of the nation fully protected from the novel coronavirus. The speech will come as America faces two milestones: Over the holiday weekend, the country topped 40 million cases of the virus, the largest tally in the world, and the number of hospitalized Americans is now double what it was last Labor Day. Yesterday, almost 100,000 (99,823) Americans were in hospitals because of COVID-19 infections.
British man with Covid-19 faces eight years in a Polish jail over 'faked test certificate'
The 39-year-old man was detained by border guards trying to fly to Nottingham
Officials discovered he had faked the test result at passport control in Poland
He had altered his positive test result in a desperate attempt to return home
He was fined £100 and faces between six months and eight years in a Polish jail
Here's how the Covid-19 conversation is changing in the media
It's happening from Fox to CNN, from The New York Times to the Los Angeles Times. And it's happening on two tracks simultaneously. Vaccinated America is learning how to live with mostly mild flare-ups of the Covid-19 virus. Unvaccinated America is grappling with the death and suffering that comes from rejecting the protection of the vaccines. And in places where the two Americas intersect -- schools, shopping malls, cookouts, county fairs -- it feels like two languages are being spoken without a trusted translator.
Covid-19: Not getting vaccine jab was mum's biggest regret
A woman who became critically ill with Covid-19 said not getting the vaccine after listening to anti-vaxxers is her "biggest regret". Emily Burrows, 47, was admitted to hospital with dangerously low oxygen levels and tested positive on 23 July. She pleaded with staff to give her the jab but was it was too late and instead she was put on a ventilator. The mum-of-six, from the Forest of Dean, spent two weeks in an induced coma. She is still in hospital.
W.H.O. Warns of Dire Threat of Covid During Pregnancy in Latin America
The coronavirus pandemic could “wipe away 20 years of hard-fought gains” in reducing maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean, and countries in the region should prioritize those who are pregnant and those who have recently given birth in their vaccination campaigns, officials at the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday. “So far, more than 270,000 pregnant women have become sick with Covid in the Americas and more than 2,600 of them — or 1 percent of those infected — have died from the virus,” Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, a division of the W.H.O., said at a news conference.
Novavax begins early-stage trial for flu-Covid combo vaccine
Vaccine developer Novavax Inc said today it has initiated an early-stage study to test its combined flu and Covid-19 vaccine. The trial, to be conducted in Australia, will enrol 640 healthy adults between the ages of 50 and 70 years and who have either been previously infected with the coronavirus or given an authorized Covid-19 vaccine at least eight weeks prior to the study.
Countries should prioritize pregnant, breastfeeding women for COVID-19 shots -PAHO
Countries in the Americas should prioritize pregnant and lactating women in distribution of COVID-19 shots, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, hailing the ability of the vaccines to protect women and their babies. "PAHO recommends that all pregnant women after their first trimester, as well as those who are breastfeeding, receive the COVID-19 vaccine," PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said during the organization's weekly virtual briefing.
EU lists rare nerve disorder as possible side-effect of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Europe's medicines regulator has added an extremely rare nerve-damaging disorder, Guillain-Barré syndrome, as a possible side-effect of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, regular safety updates from the watchdog showed on Wednesday. The European Medicines Agency said a causal relationship between GBS and the AstraZeneca shot, known as Vaxzevria, was a "at least a reasonable possibility" after 833 cases of GBS were reported out of 592 million doses of the vaccine given worldwide by July 31.
Ireland to give COVID-19 vaccine booster shot to over-80s
Ireland will give COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to elderly people who were fully vaccinated at least six months ago, the health ministry said on Wednesday. People over the age of 80 and those over 65 living in long-term residential care facilities will receive a booster dose of a vaccine such as those made by Pfizer or Moderna, irrespective of what vaccine they received initially, the ministry said in a statement.
Covid booster vaccines to be approved in 'next few days' as work is 'almost done'
A Covid booster vaccine rollout is set to be recommended by the government's advisors in the 'next few days' as the work is 'almost done', the Health Secretary has declared. Sajid Javid said he expected the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to imminently spell out exactly who should get a third dose of the vaccine, how, and in what order. JCVI experts have spent months studying how boosters should be rolled out - including whether different vaccine brands can be 'mixed and matched', and whether the flu jab should be given at the same time.
Vietnam to mix Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines - media
Vietnam's health ministry will offer the coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as a second dose option for people first inoculated with the Moderna vaccine, state media reported on Wednesday. The ministry had approved the mixed regimen, which is due to low supplies of the Moderna vaccine. Both vaccines are of the Messenger RNA (mRNA) type.
Takeda to deliver Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine doses to Japan
Takeda plans to supply the vaccine doses earlier next year on obtaining approval from the country’s MHLW. The Government of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has agreed to procure 150 million doses of Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate produced by Takeda Pharmaceutical in the country on obtaining approval.
Schools don't need to see a big uptick in Covid-19 cases if they follow these measures, Fauci says
Surging Covid-19 cases -- and the increasing proportion reported in children -- are causing many health experts to worry about the outlook as the school year gets underway across the entire country.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci said there shouldn't be a big uptick "if we do it right."
"We've gotta get the school system masked in addition to surrounding the children with vaccinated people," said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "That's the solution."
Novavax begins early-stage trial for combined influenza/COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccine developer Novavax Inc said on Wednesday it has initiated an early-stage study to test its combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine. The trial, to be conducted in Australia, will enroll 640 healthy adults between the ages of 50 and 70 years and who have either been previously infected with the coronavirus or given an authorized COVID-19 vaccine at least eight weeks prior to the study.
UK's Exscientia, Gates Foundation partner to develop variant-resistant COVID-19 drugs
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would make a $35 million equity investment in privately owned Exscientia Ltd to fund the development of antiviral drugs including for the coronavirus, the Oxford-based drug developer said on Wednesday. Exscientia will make a matching contribution and lead the development of up to five therapeutics, which are ready to enter human trials. The program will initially focus on agents against the SARS-CoV-2 and its variants as well as other coronaviruses.
Moderna taps National Resilience's new Canadian manufacturing site for COVID-19 vaccine production duties
Fresh off National Resilience's acquisition of a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Ontario, the fledgling CDMO is putting it to the test with a high-profile partnership. Moderna has tapped National Resilience, founded in November last year, to manufacture mRNA vaccine substance at Resilience’s newly acquired facility in Mississauga, Canada. While sparse on details, Moderna said the substance made at the plant will be delivered globally. The partnership marks Moderna’s most recent foray into Canada and comes as the biotech faces a vaccine contamination scandal in Japan. In late August, Japanese pharma Takeda, which distributes Moderna’s shot in the country, said it suspended three lots—or about 1.63 million doses—after finding tiny black specks in the vials.
Moderna turns to biotech startup to ramp up Covid vaccine manufacturing
Moderna will turn to a biotech startup, National Resilience, to manufacture additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna had previously said it would manufacture 800 million to 1 billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, ramping up to 3 billion doses in 2022. A person familiar with the company said the collaboration might result in hundreds of millions more doses. Currently, the vaccine is given as a two-dose series, though Moderna has said at least some patients may need a third dose given many months later. National Resilience will manufacture mRNA to produce the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at its facility in Mississauga, Ontario, for worldwide distribution. The company is headquartered in San Diego and Cambridge, Mass.
Efforts grow to stamp out use of parasite drug for COVID-19
Health experts and medical groups are pushing to stamp out the growing use of a decades-old parasite drug to treat COVID-19, warning that it can cause harmful side effects and that there’s little evidence it helps. With a fourth wave of infections, more Americans are turning to ivermectin, a cheap drug used to kill worms and other parasites in humans and animals.
UK records 191 COVID deaths and 38975 cases
The United Kingdom recorded a further 191 daily deaths from COVID-19 and 38,975 new cases on Wednesday, official data showed. Infection numbers in the last seven days are up 15.3% on the week before, and the weekly death count is up 26.1%.
Bulgaria, EU's least vaccinated nation, faces deadly surge
Standing outside the rundown public hospital in Bulgaria’s northern town of Veliko Tarnovo, the vaccination unit’s chief nurse voices a sad reality about her fellow citizens: “They don’t believe in vaccines.” Bulgaria has one of the highest coronavirus death rates in the 27-nation European Union and is facing a new, rapid surge of infections due to the more infectious delta variant. Despite that, people in this Balkan nation are the most hesitant in the bloc to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Only 20% of adults in Bulgaria, which has a population of 7 million, have so far been fully vaccinated. That puts it last in the EU, which has an average of 69 % fully vaccinated.
Idaho moves to start rationing medical care amid surge in covid hospitalizations
For the first time in Idaho’s history, officials in the state on Tuesday moved to start rationing medical care in some overburdened hospitals grappling with a surge in covid-19 patients — a grim reflection of the delta variant’s devastation and a dire warning for other health-care systems pushed to the brink by rising infections.
Officials activated Idaho’s “crisis standards of care” for at least 10 hospitals in two public health districts, saying in a statement that a “massive increase in patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization” had led to a shortage of staff and beds. Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with less than 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated.
Covid Mu variant: 53 cases of coronavirus strain detected in the UK with fears it may resist vaccines
A total of 53 cases of the Mu Covid variant that displays some indications of vaccine resistance have been detected in the UK – but experts have stressed it may not pose a major threat. Public Health England (PHE) figures released today confirmed additional cases of the strain, which was first recorded in Colombia in January and is classed as a “variant under investigation” by UK health authorities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the new variant “has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape” similar to the South Africa-originating Beta variant, though it stressed any impact on vaccine resistance “needs to be confirmed by further studies”.
Children make up more than a quarter of the weekly US Covid-19 cases, pediatricians' group says
Children now represent more than a quarter -- or 26.8% -- of weekly Covid-19 cases nationwide, according to data released Tuesday from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The update comes as schools across the US have been in session or are getting into full swing. Experts have encouraged adults to get vaccinated to protect young children returning to the classroom.
"If we want to protect the children, particularly those who are not yet eligible for vaccination, you want to surround the children with people who are vaccinated -- teachers, school personnel, everyone else," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday.
Two London hospitals ban visitors after rise in Covid-19 cases
Two West London hospitals have requested that visitors stop attending after a rise in coronavirus infections in the area. Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge and Mount Vernon hospital in Northwood issued the guidance to people wishing to visit the after a “growing number of positive patients in our hospital.”
Australia's New South Wales reports 1480 COVID-19 cases, 9 deaths
Australia's New South Wales state reported on Wednesday 1,480 locally acquired cases of COVID-19, up from 1,220 a day earlier, as first-dose vaccination rates among the state's adult population topped 75%. Nine new deaths were reported, including a man in his 20s, taking the total number of deaths in the latest outbreak to 148. A total of 1,136 people are hospitalised, with 194 people in intensive care, 78 of whom require ventilation.
In Parts Of The U.S., Delta Covid-19 Surge Is Forcing Hospitals To Ration ICU Beds
When Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) tweeted on Tuesday, September 7th, that “Real America is done with Covid-19” it raises the question whether the Congressman is even aware that the 7-day average of daily Covid-19 deaths is approaching 1,500 (real Americans, by the way), and approximately 100,000 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized nationwide. The Delta surge of Covid-19 is forcing hospitals in parts of the U.S. to plan for or implement rationing of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. On September 6th, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, said that as hospitals in a number of states fill up with Covid-19 patients, doctors will have to make “tough choices” regarding who will get an ICU bed.
Northern Ireland schools “on verge of collapse under strain of Covid-19” as hundreds of pupils sent home
Northern Ireland schools are “on the verge of collapse under the strain of Covid-19, a leading teaching union has warned. Jacquie White, General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union, was speaking as the Education Committee meets today to discuss the significant difficulties across schools at the start of the new term. Health chiefs are under pressure to ramp up coronavirus testing capacity as schools across Northern Ireland continue to send hundreds of pupils home. There is also concern at suggestions a faster form of Covid-19 testing could be used to allow self-isolating students to return to school.
Firebreak lockdown ‘not something we need to consider’ despite cases rising
The government isn’t considering a firebreak lockdown this autumn despite rising cases and deaths. Scientific advisors to the government have discussed the move and described it as ‘on the cards’, according to reports. But speaking to Sky News, health secretary Sajid Javid ruled out the move, saying: ‘I don’t think that’s something we need to consider. ‘I haven’t even thought about that as an option at this point.’
Czech Republic's daily COVID cases highest since May
The Czech Republic on Wednesday recorded 588 new cases of coronavirus, the highest daily tally since May 25, as government officials predict a continued rise in infections.
Australia's NSW reports rise in COVID-19 cases; vaccinations accelerate
Three-quarters of people over the age of 16 in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) have now had at least their first vaccination dose, the state reported on Wednesday, along with the first rise in new infections in three days. Australia has locked down Sydney and Melbourne, its largest cities, after outbreaks from the highly infectious Delta variant in June ended months of little or no community transmission.
New Zealand marks downward trend in new COVID-19 cases
New Zealand reported a further fall in locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, as the largely coronavirus-free nation looks to eradicate an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. New Zealand reported 15 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, down from 21 a day earlier, on the first day of an easing of tough restrictions in all regions outside its largest city Auckland.
COVID-19 surge in the US: The summer of hope ends in gloom
The summer that was supposed to mark America’s independence from COVID-19 is instead drawing to a close with the U.S. more firmly under the tyranny of the virus, with deaths per day back up to where they were in March. The delta variant is filling hospitals, sickening alarming numbers of children and driving coronavirus deaths in some places to the highest levels of the entire pandemic. School systems that reopened their classrooms are abruptly switching back to remote learning because of outbreaks. Legal disputes, threats and violence have erupted over mask and vaccine requirements.
India restricts religious festivals over COVID third wave fears
Indian authorities are restricting major religious festivals that start this week and attract huge crowds, warning that a new COVID-19 wave had already begun in the financial capital, Mumbai. State governments across the country of 1.3 billion people, which saw a devastating coronavirus surge in April-May, are clamping down on mass gatherings.
Czech Republic's daily COVID cases highest since May
Article reports that the Czech Republic on Wednesday recorded 588 new cases of coronavirus, the highest daily tally since May 25, as government officials predict a continued rise in infections. The country, which was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic in earlier waves, has seen low infection rates since the summer months. In the past two weeks, it has reported 25 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 137 in Germany, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Ukraine could tighten lockdown restrictions as COVID-19 picture worsens
A Ukrainian government commission will meet soon to decide whether to tighten coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told a televised government meeting on Wednesday. Ukraine lifted lockdown restrictions as cases dropped over the summer but could impose a nationwide "yellow" code, which restricts mass events, and limits the occupancy rates of gyms, cinemas and other culture venues.