Covid-19

CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE

New York City shifts school rules; South Africa registers 1,366 new cases

New York City shifts school rules; South Africa registers 1,366 new cases
(Photo: Gallo Images / Die Burger / Lulama Zenzile)

South Africa registered 1,366 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 1,554,975. A further 62 Covid-19-related deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 53,173.

New York City said four or more Covid-19 cases in a school in a week will result in a 10-day closing, up from a two-case rule. The pandemic is erupting anew in youth sports across the US, prompting fresh warnings from President Joe Biden’s health advisers and adding a headwind to his push to reopen classrooms.

Florida said it is suing the federal government to allow cruising to return in the US, more than a year after the industry went on hiatus. The world’s biggest online travel agency is in favour of vaccine passports that would make it safer and easier for people to travel.

India is attempting to boost its capacity to make vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as new cases in the world’s second-most populous nation surged to a record. The EU has exported more than 80 million vaccine doses since the beginning of February, with Japan overtaking the UK as the main destination.

Key developments

Nations seek to limit Astra use

The Netherlands won’t administer the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to people under the age of 60 for the time being, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said, according to a report on Dutch news agency ANP.

The Australian government said earlier it would guide against giving Astra’s vaccine to people under the age of 50, amid warnings of a link to a rare type of blood clots. Meanwhile, Portugal’s Directorate-General for Health said it recommends the Astra vaccine be used only by people over 60 years old.

Colorado vaccination site reopens

A community vaccination site in a Denver suburb that closed on Wednesday after 11 people who received Johnson & Johnson jabs fell ill has reopened. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said there “weren’t any issues” with the vaccines.

“Maybe they were dehydrated or scared of needles,” Polis said at a Thursday news conference. Two people were taken to a hospital for observation. The others received first aid at the site, including swigs of orange juice and water.

Powell cites uneven vaccine roll-out

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said disparate efforts to vaccinate people globally is a risk to progress for the economic rebound.

“The recovery here remains uneven and incomplete,” Powell told a virtual panel on Thursday during the Spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund. The world won’t be able to fully resume economic activity until the virus is controlled everywhere, he said.

Florida sues to restart cruises

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state is suing the federal government to allow cruising to return in the US, more than a year after the industry went on hiatus over the Covid-19 pandemic.

The step is the latest escalation in a squabble between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the major cruise lines, many of which have their corporate headquarters in South Florida.

Russia, Slovakia clash over vaccine

Slovakia and Russia clashed over the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine after the European Union member accused Moscow of delivering shots that were different from those used in a peer-reviewed study.

Russia rejected the allegations and demanded Bratislava return the 200,000 doses it sent. The dispute may set back efforts to use Sputnik widely in Europe. Slovakia was one of a few members of the bloc pushing to use the Russia-developed vaccine to help speed the roll-out of inoculations.

EU has exported 80 million doses

The EU has exported more than 80 million vaccine doses since the beginning of February, a document with updated data circulated among the bloc’s governments and seen by Bloomberg shows. A total of 112 million doses had been delivered to EU member states as of April 5, according to the memo circulated to diplomats in Brussels.

Japan has overtaken the UKas the main export destination, getting 17.7 million shots produced in the EU, versus 13.3 million for shipment to Britain. European governments have been under pressure to curb exports as their rollout lags behind vaccination rates in the US and the UK. However, out of the 534 export requests submitted by drugmakers so far, only one has been refused and two are pending, according to the memo dated April 8.

India seeks to make more vaccines

India is attempting to boost its capacity to make vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as new coronavirus cases in the world’s second-most populous nation surged to a record.

Modi made the comments during a meeting with chief ministers to discuss ways to check the rapid rise of infections in the South Asian nation. Some states have said that they are facing a shortage of vaccines.

France meets vaccine goal

France met its target of inoculating 10 million people with a first dose of vaccine on Thursday, a week ahead of schedule, as the country endures its third lockdown.

France opened mass vaccination centres across the country this week in a bid to further accelerate the roll-out of the shots, in a campaign that started sluggishly after the first vaccine was administered on December 27.

Booking CEO favours vaccine passes

The world’s biggest online travel agency is in favor of vaccine passports that would make it safer and easier for people to travel.

“We need a way that tourists can go to a country but prove that they are safe to travel so that governments are willing to let people come,” said Booking Holdings’ CEO Glenn Fogel in an interview on Bloomberg Television on Thursday. Fogel added that taking a test three days prior to travelling is “not the greatest system” and a “technological solution” is needed.

Outbreak hits US youth sports

The pandemic is erupting anew in youth sports across the US, prompting fresh warnings from President Joe Biden’s health advisers and adding a headwind to his push to reopen classrooms.

Several states have faced recent outbreaks linked to sporting events and to a variant of the virus first found in the UK and now dominant in the US. Michigan is an epicentre both of the latest surge and the UK variant, which is regarded as more transmissible than the original strain of the virus and may be deadlier.

Elementary, middle and high schools have driven the outbreak in Michigan more than any other setting, largely through sports such as basketball and wrestling, according to data compiled by the state.

New York City changes school closing rules

New York City said four or more Covid-19 cases in a school in a week will result in a 10-day closing, up from a two-case rule that had drawn criticism from parents.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that the new rule will help provide a “more stable and consistent schedule” as the city tries to get more kids back into classrooms. A majority of New York City’s 1.1 million students continue to choose remote instruction. A final opportunity for them to switch to in-person class ends on Friday.

New wave feared as UK reopens

The UK’s current road map out of lockdown for England could lead to an extra 15,700 deaths by next summer due to another wave of infections, according to modelling estimates from Imperial College London

“The magnitude of this wave is uncertain but should be lower than the previous ones, as long as the vaccine roll-out continues at high pace, with high uptake, and without immune-escape variants,” Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist with the university’s school of public health, said.

Covax delivers 38 million shots

The Covax vaccine facility reached more than 100 countries with more than 38 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, and it expects that the number will grow to at least two billion doses this year. The facility is trying to add manufacturers to its list, which included AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and the Serum Institute of India.

Poland records deadliest day 

Poland suffered its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic after fatalities from the Easter holiday were added to the tally. The number of reported deaths rose to 954.

China faces vaccine shortage

China’s plans to vaccinate 40% of its population by the end of June is facing a supply shortage. According to people familiar with the matter, this was factored into the decision at the end of March to issue guidelines that allow for the interval between the first and second dose to be stretched to as long as eight weeks.

French Open postponed

The Roland-Garros Paris tennis tournament has been postponed by a week due to the epidemic, the organisers announced on Thursday following a decision from the French Tennis Federation. The tournament will now take place from May 24 to June 13.

Germany weighs second shot delay

Germany may recommend extending the time between administering first and second doses of mRNA Covid-19 shots, but needs more information before making a decision, the head of the country’s vaccine commission, Thomas Mertens, said in an interview with ZDF television.

Some health experts in Germany have called for the period between the first and second mRNA vaccine doses to be extended to 12 weeks from six weeks to help speed up the country’s sluggish inoculation drive.

Germany, which is due to hold bilateral discussions with Russia on potentially buying the Sputnik V vaccine, said more data is needed for the shot to gain approval in the European Union. 

“There is partial data, they are already there, but we need all the data,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Italy wants ‘Covid-Free’ islands

Italy’s government is working on a plan to make “Covid-free” islands including Capri, Ischia, Ponza and Elba by the summer in order to save the tourist season, Il Messaggero reported. Vaccinations of local residents will be prioritised, following in the footsteps of Greece, according to the paper.

Tokyo eyes tighter restrictions

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said at a meeting on Thursday that the metropolitan government would ask the central government to designate the capital as an area that requires stricter measures, adding that the number of cases with the N501Y mutation – considered more contagious – was quickly increasing in the Japanese capital. DM

— With assistance by Ian Fisher, Karen Leigh, Iain Rogers, Rieka Rahadiana, Geraldine Amiel, John Liu, Ed Johnson, Yasna Haghdoost, Andreo Calonzo, Jose Orozco, Thomas Mulier, Frank Connelly, Bhuma Shrivastava, Claire Che, David Herbling, Marthe Fourcade, Andra Timu, Elena Popina, Zoe Schneeweiss, Nikos Chrysoloras, and Vincent Del Giudice.

Gallery

"Information pertaining to Covid-19, vaccines, how to control the spread of the virus and potential treatments is ever-changing. Under the South African Disaster Management Act Regulation 11(5)(c) it is prohibited to publish information through any medium with the intention to deceive people on government measures to address COVID-19. We are therefore disabling the comment section on this article in order to protect both the commenting member and ourselves from potential liability. Should you have additional information that you think we should know, please email [email protected]"

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