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Covid: India extends record rise in cases, election rallies continue
India extended a record daily run of new Covid-19 infections on Friday, spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering, as politicians pushed ahead with election rallies against advice they could worsen the outbreak.
India is battling a massive second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with new restrictions imposed in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities. There are also growing calls for officials to speed up the country’s vaccination programme as hospitals are swamped with patients.
The 217,353 new cases reported by the health ministry on Friday marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took total cases to nearly 14.3 million. India’s case count is second only to the United States, which has reported more than 31 million infections.
Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day rise in seven months, to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.
Covid: #India extends record rise in cases, election rallies continue https://t.co/xZ7VLD6x1M
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 16, 2021
Experts have raised concerns about the spread of more contagious and deadlier variants of the disease, particularly given widespread participation in religious festivals and political rallies. A Lancet study this month estimated that India’s fatalities could double by June.
Brazil and India running out of sedatives and hospital beds
India reported a record daily increase of 217,353 Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Friday. Hospitals in the capital New Delhi have been hit hard, and at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, one of India’s largest Covid-only facilities with more than 1,500 beds, unrelated patients are sharing beds, while bodies of the recently deceased lie outside the ward before being taken to the mortuary.
In a similar vein, Brazil’s hospitals were running out of drugs needed to sedate Covid-19 patients on Thursday, with the government urgently seeking to import supplies amid reports of the seriously ill being tied down and intubated without effective sedatives. More Brazilians are dying of the virus each day than anywhere else in the world, with South America’s largest country reporting another 3,560 deaths on Thursday.
India shifts from mass vaccine exporter to importer
After gifting and selling tens of millions of Covid-19 vaccine doses abroad, India suddenly finds itself short of shots as new infections surge in the world’s second-most populous country.
Covid-19: #India shifts from mass vaccine exporter to importer, worrying the world https://t.co/252K9ezNNS
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 16, 2021
Four sources involved in discussions on vaccine supplies and procurement said factors including delays by India and Covax in placing firm orders, a lack of investment in production, raw material shortages and underestimating the coronavirus surge at home had contributed to vaccine shortages.
Need for 1-year booster shots explored
The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against Covid-19, a White House official said on Thursday.
#Pfizer CEO says 3rd #Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 6 to 12 months https://t.co/G34kvASJaK
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 16, 2021
It is also tracking infections in people who have been fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, told the House subcommittee hearing. Walensky said some of these infections occurred because the vaccinated person did not mount a strong immune response. But the concern is that in some cases, they are occurring in people infected by more contagious virus variants.
How New Zealand’s response helped fuel a housing crisis
The number of people seeking emergency housing in New Zealand’s capital Wellington has tripled in the last 12 months, as rents hit record highs and the pandemic disproportionately impacted lower earning jobs.
New Zealand is experiencing what economists call a ‘K-shaped’ recovery, in which those on top benefit while those at the bottom see their prospects deteriorate.
Pandemic-inspired policies have translated into cheaper mortgages, allowing affluent “kiwis” to upsize their homes and build up portfolios of rental investment properties, fuelling a further surge in house prices. The 24% year-on-year increase, on top of a 90% rise in the preceding decade, has locked out first home buyers and low income earners.
Staggered reopening of borders considered in Australia
Australia will consider a staggered reopening of its international borders to allow residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel abroad first, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.
Australian citizens and permanent residents cannot leave the country due to coronavirus restrictions unless they have an exemption, while returning international travellers have to quarantine in hotels for two weeks at their own expense.
Israel to lift outdoor mask mandate
The rules to enforce wearing of masks outdoors in Israel will be lifted starting Sunday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said.
Edelstein said in a statement on Thursday that he had instructed the Ministry’s Director-General, Hezi Levi, to sign an order to cancel the restriction, reports Xinhua news agency.
#Covid19: #Israel to scrap outdoor mask mandate from Sunday https://t.co/o6RI6nQDeC
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 15, 2021
The decision was made on the recommendation by the professionals in the ministry, who said that, due to the low Covid-19 morbidity, there is no longer a need for wearing face masks outdoors in Israel.
In closed places, however, the mask-wearing rules will still apply, the statement noted.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 138.8 million
The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 138.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.98 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Friday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 138,827,781 and 2,984,236, respectively.
#Coronavirus: Global Covid-19 cases top 138.8 million https://t.co/VJshatNqAd
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) April 16, 2021
The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 31,495,164 and 565,283, respectively, according to the CSSE.
In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 14,074,564 cases.
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