CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE
Michigan urges vaccine surge; South Africa registers 931 new cases
South Africa registered 931 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 1,558,458. A further 66 Covid-19-related deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 53,322.
The federal government needs to urgently surge vaccine doses into the state of Michigan to combat a spike in coronavirus cases there, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said. The rate of new infections across the US was barely changed on Saturday as the country’s vaccination push gathered pace, with daily shots reaching a record 4.6 million.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US economy is at an “inflection point” with stronger growth and hiring ahead but that Covid-19 remains a threat. The UK, set to ease restrictions on Monday, reported the fewest daily cases since September.
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention is considering mixing vaccines to improve the efficacy of its current shots, which is “not high”, a top Chinese health official was quoted as saying. India and Thailand are struggling with a new viral wave.
Key developments
- Global Tracker: Cases pass 135.6 million; deaths 2.93 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 768 million shots given worldwide
- Inflation is the only signal that the post-Covid boom will heed
- Vaccine requirements spread in US, sowing concern on overreach
- UK races toward elusive milestone in quest to curb Covid
- India’s hospitals swamped by second virus wave as shots run low
California deaths approach 60,000
California’s deaths rose by 105 to 59,218, as Covid-19 fatalities edge closer to the 60,000 mark. The state reported 4,954 new cases, bringing the total to 3.6 million.
Like hard-hit Michigan, California has been pushing for more vaccinations to combat the outbreak even as its positive test rate continued to decline, falling to 1.6% as of Sunday. Almost 22.8 million shots have been administered, with more than 70% of those 65 and older having received at least one dose.
Los Angeles is the latest city to open up vaccine appointments to those 16 and older, days ahead of California’s deadline on 15 April.
UK has fewest cases since September
The UK reported 1,730 new cases on Sunday, the lowest since 2 September. Infections have dropped by 30% over the past week. Another seven people died within 28 days of a positive test. Figures are usually lower on Sundays, and fatalities are up 2.4% for the week.
Non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants with outdoor seating and hairdressers in England can open on Monday 12 April for the first time since 5 January. With more than 32 million first vaccine doses given, and almost 7.5 million people fully inoculated, the government is hoping the gradual easing of lockdown won’t lead to an increase in cases.
Michigan governor urges vaccine surge
The federal government needs to urgently surge vaccine doses into the state of Michigan to combat a spike in coronavirus cases there, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said.
More contagious variants, widespread pandemic fatigue and large numbers of people who have never been exposed to Covid-19 have created a critical infection situation in the state, she said in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation.
“We are seeing a surge in Michigan despite that we have some of the strongest policies in place,” Whitmer said.
Gottlieb supports boosting vaccines to hotspots
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb supported calls to send additional vaccine doses to Covid-stricken Michigan, he said on Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been pushing in recent days for a programme that allocates additional vaccines to states that are experiencing surges. The state has reported more than 53,000 cases in the past week, more than any other US state, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We need to get into the habit of trying to surge resources to hot spots,” said Gottlieb. “It’s not just Michigan, it’s the entire Great Lakes Region.”
Ontario hits record cases
Ontario reported a record 4,456 new cases on Sunday and 1,513 admissions to intensive care units. Canada’s most populous province is in the middle of a four-week emergency lockdown imposed on 3 April amid a spread of virus variants and a slow rollout of vaccines across Canada.
Powell says Covid remains a risk
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US economy is at an “inflection point” with stronger growth and hiring ahead thanks to vaccinations and powerful policy support, but that Covid-19 remains a threat.
“The principal risk to our economy right now really is that the disease would spread again. It’s going to be smart if people could continue to socially distance and wear masks,” Powell told CBS’s 60 Minutes in an interview conducted on Wednesday.
Vaccines seized in Colorado
The Colorado National Guard seized thousands of doses of Covid-19 vaccines from a private clinic as health officials launched an investigation into storage, handling and documentation at the facility, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported in Sunday’s edition. The clinic in Colorado Springs was administering Pfizer and Moderna jabs, the newspaper said. Last week, 11 people took ill at a community vaccination site in Commerce City, Colorado, administering the Johnson & Johnson shot, but state officials found no irregularities.
India bans remdesivir export
India has prohibited exports of the drug remdesivir, used to treat Covid-19, as the country registered a record number of daily new coronavirus cases.
The government took the step amid a sudden spike in demand for the injection, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday, adding that “there is a potential of further increase in this demand in the coming days”.
US cases steady at about 67,000
The US added almost 67,000 cases on Saturday, broadly in line with the country’s seven-day rolling average.
Another 728 deaths from Covid-19 were reported nationwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. While this week’s comparisons are skewed by a backlog of data from Oklahoma, the latest death toll compares with several-day series of more than 1,000 deaths as recently as late March.
Daily vaccinations across the US rose to a record of 4.6 million on Saturday.
German spread accelerates
Germany’s fatalities fell on Sunday, the fourth day of consecutive declines. The numbers suggest little lasting letup, however, as Germany is battling a rising wave of infections with the reproduction rate jumping to 1.07 from 0.82 the day before.
French borders to stay closed
“It’s too early to say yet when it’ll be possible to resume travel to Europe,” French Junior Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune said on RTL radio on Sunday.
“Hopefully it’ll be possible this summer. We’re doing everything we can to restore travel within France before the summer to start with, then in Europe, and then more globally, but it’s impossible to give a more precise timetable.”
Iran deaths jump
Iran’s deaths from Covid-19 reached the highest in four months with 258 fatalities over the 24 hours to Sunday. The number of new cases rose by 21,063 overnight, just short of a record 22,586 infections set earlier this week. The country now has 64,490 deaths and more than two million cases.
China vaccine efficiency ‘not high’
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention is considering mixing vaccines to improve the efficacy of current shots, The Paper reported.
The efficacy of vaccines that are available now is “not high,” the report cited Gao Fu, head of the China CDC, as saying at a national vaccine and health conference on Saturday.
Russia deaths slow
Russia reported 337 deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, a two-week low, with the number of new cases little changed at 8,702. Health authorities are keeping a cautious eye as spring temperatures rise and more Russians venture outdoors.
While the country has three domestically developed vaccines, including Sputnik V, people have been wary of getting a jab and only around 4% of the population has been inoculated.
Pakistan deaths surge
Pakistan reported 114 deaths in its latest data, the highest in almost five months. The South Asian nation’s third wave is picking up pace, with more than 5,000 new infections found daily for the past four days.
India record prompts new curbs
India on Saturday registered a record 152,879 new infections, prompting the states to impose various curbs such as night curfews, sealing of borders between neighbouring provinces and limiting capacity at bars, eateries and buses. The surge is also overwhelming hospitals as the availability of critical-care beds is quickly diminishing.
The world’s second-most populous nation has become the “fastest country in the world” to administer more than 100 million vaccine doses, taking 85 days to do so while the US required 89 days and China reached the milestone in 102 days, India’s health ministry said. On Sunday, it began a four-day vaccine festival to intensify the inoculation drive, amid a shortage of doses. DM
— With assistance by Ian Fisher, Manisha Jha, Elisabeth Behrmann, Go Onomitsu, Suttinee Yuvejwattana, Bibhudatta Pradhan, Faseeh Mangi, Alexander Nicholson, Angeline Benoit, Tony Czuczka, Arsalan Shahla, Vincent Del Giudice, Robert Tuttle, Kristen V Brown, Sara Marley, and Linus Chua.
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