The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 1.83 million lives in 191 countries and regions since it originated in China in December 2019.
Over 84.76 million cases have been reported worldwide, with more than 47.70 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University. The US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of cases.
Health workers Union slammed Health Minister Mkhize’s vaccine roll-out plan
Healthworkers’ unions Nehawu hoped government would take it into its confidence on its ambitious plans to vaccinate 67% of South African citizens by the end of the year.
The union has slammed Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s vaccine roll-out plan, saying it lacked details and was very ambiguous.
It also criticised government’s attempts so far to acquire a vaccine, saying the state was caught napping while the world faced a pandemic that had killed millions of people.
The union’s Zola Saphetha called on Mkhize to prioritise frontline workers urgently, as they were more at risk of contracting COVID-19.
“We are in trouble. So, the sooner we meet, the better.”
More contagious COVID variant found in New York
A more contagious COVID-19 mutation first identified in the UK has now been found in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.
The identification raises to four the number of states who have found the variant among their populations. California, Colorado and Florida had all previously announced cases.
The US is failing at reining in the outbreak with a record-high number of cases recorded on Saturday when 297,491 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19. That is about 50,000 more infections than the previous high from mid-December, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Most U.S. COVID-19 vaccines go idle
US health officials said on Monday, as the governors of New York and Florida vowed to penalise hospitals that fail to dispense shots quickly, Reuters reports.
In New York, hospitals must administer vaccines within a week of receiving them or face a fine and a reduction in future supplies, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, hours before announcing the state’s first known case of a new, more infectious coronavirus variant originally detected in Britain.
New York hospitals on the whole have dispensed fewer than half of their allocated doses to date, but performance varied from one group of hospitals to another, Cuomo said. The NYC Health + Hospitals system, the city’s main public hospital network, has only administered 31% of its allotment, compared with 99% for a few private hospitals in the state.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an even lower vaccine uptake for New York overall, saying fewer than one in five of the 896,000 doses shipped to the state since mid-December have been given.
In Florida, where officials have put senior citizens ahead of many essential workers for getting the vaccine, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a policy under which the state would allocate more doses to hospitals that dispense them most quickly,
Japan’s top-ranked sumo wrestler tests positive for Covid
Japan’s top-ranked sumo wrestler Hakuho has tested positive for coronavirus, the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) announced on Tuesday.
Mongolian-born Hakuho, who is the longest-serving yokozuna – top-ranked sumo wrestler – of all time announced via the JSA website that he took a Covid-19 test after losing his sense of smell.
Hakuho will now seek the advice of specialists and the other wrestlers in his Miyagino stable will now also be tested, according to the statement.
Hakuho’s positive test comes just five days before the sumo New Year Grand Tournament is due to start on January 10.
Australia vows not to rush vaccine rollout
Under mounting pressure to speed up coronavirus vaccinations, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he would not take “unnecessary risks” and emulate Britain’s emergency drug approval.
While vaccinations are already well underway in many countries, Australia’s pharmaceutical authority is not expected to rule on candidate drugs for around another month, and is aiming to administer the first doses by the end of March.
Turkey fights COVID-19 with 17 new hospitals
As part of a Health Transformation Program launched in 2003, the number of health facilities in Turkey has increased along with many policies aimed at providing better quality and accessible services.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, health investments were further accelerated, and new hospitals were opened in many provinces and districts last year.
In 2020, a total of 17 giant hospitals were built in nine provinces, to provide health services without interruption.
In this process, all medical facilities, especially the city hospitals, which stand out with their intensive care and bed capacities, played an active role in the successful struggle against COVID-19.
Germany’s virus cases rise by 11,897
The number of confirmed virus cases in Germany has increased by 11,897 to 1,787,410.
The reported death toll rose by 944 to 35,518, the data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.
Premier League to continue during new English lockdown
Premier League football and other forms of elite professional sport in England will be allowed to continue despite new national lockdown restrictions announced by the British government on Monday.
Nearly 56 million people in England will return to a full coronavirus lockdown, possibly until mid-February, to try to cut spiralling infection rates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a televised address.
The measures, which include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect Wednesday, he said after Scotland announced similar measures to come into force from midnight (0000 GMT) on Tuesday.
But a list of exemptions published by the UK government allowed “elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) – or those on an official elite sports pathway – to compete and train”.
