Medicine i_need_contribute
COVID-19 news update Apr/19
source:WorldTraditionalMedicineFrum 2021-04-19 [Medicine]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Country,
Other

Total
Cases

New
Cases

Total
Deaths

World

141,996,714

+709,452

3,032,809

USA

32,404,463

+43,181

581,061

India

15,057,767

+275,306

178,793

Brazil

13,943,071

+42,937

373,442

France

5,289,526

+29,344

100,733

Russia

4,702,101

+8,632

105,582

UK

4,387,820

+1,882

127,270

Turkey

4,268,447

+55,802

35,926

Italy

3,870,131

+12,694

116,927

Spain

3,407,283

+10598

76,981

Germany

3,151,030

+13,123

80,591

Argentina

2,694,014

+16,267

59,228

Poland

2,688,025

+12,153

62,032

Colombia

2,652,947

+16,871

68,328

Mexico

2,304,096

+4,157

212,228

Iran

2,237,089

+21,644

66,732

Ukraine

1,946,510

+10,282

39,786

Peru

1,704,757

+7,131

57,230

Indonesia

1,604,348

+4,585

43,424

Czechia

1,601,888

+1,533

28,502

South Africa

1,566,769

+1,089

53,736

Netherlands

1,403,833

+8,505

16,916

Chile

1,124,718

+7,370

25,177

Canada

1,121,498

+7,591

23,623

Romania

1,029,304

+2,265

26,232

Iraq

977,175

+6,188

14,981

Belgium

947,000

+3,787

23,718

Philippines

936,133

+10,098

15,960

Israel

837,047

+165

6,335

Portugal

831,001

+441

16,945

Pakistan

756,285

+6,127

16,243

Hungary

750,508

+3,706

25,184

Bangladesh

718,950

+3,698

10,385

Jordan

685,973

+2,507

8,246

Serbia

662,368

+2,069

5,991

Austria

593,423

+2,076

9,898

Japan

529,829

+4,611

9,622

Lebanon

510,403

+1,900

6,925

Morocco

505,811

+364

8,945

UAE

497,154

+1,930

1,554

Saudi Arabia

404,970

+916

6,823

Bulgaria

386,381

+418

15,195

Slovakia

375,974

+638

11,106

Malaysia

375,054

+2,195

1,378

Panama

360,841

+244

6,188

Ecuador

360,546

+2,389

17,703

Belarus

344,223

+1,300

2,423

Greece

315,273

+1,829

9,462

Croatia

307,790

+1,565

6,562

Azerbaijan

300,666

+2,144

4,140

Georgia

295,358

+818

3,939

Bolivia

288,545

+1,185

12,634

Kazakhstan

287,001

+2,828

3,384

Tunisia

285,490

+1,514

9,783

Nepal

284,673

+1,015

3,083

Palestine

280,741

+988

3,017

Dominican Republic

261,129

+502

3,418

Kuwait

256,987

+1,127

1,448

Paraguay

250,165

+1,801

5,313

Moldova

245,897

+403

5,571

Ireland

243,508

+270

4,836

Denmark

242,633

+902

2,455

Ethiopia

242,028

+1,792

3,370

Lithuania

233,640

+735

3,760

Slovenia

232,071

+478

4,159

Egypt

216,334

+850

12,738

Guatemala

212,734

+427

7,221

Armenia

208,520

+547

3,878

Honduras

200,259

+577

4,954

Qatar

196,580

+823

382

Venezuela

183,190

+1,287

1,905

Oman

180,031

+3,363

1,878

Libya

171,880

+749

2,896

Uruguay

164,744

+2,344

1,908

Nigeria

164,233

+26

2,061

Bahrain

164,110

+997

594

Kenya

151,653

+366

2,481

North Macedonia

147,094

+361

4,443

Myanmar

142,628

+9

3,206

Albania

129,594

+138

2,342

Algeria

119,642

+156

3,155

Estonia

117,554

+543

1,092

S. Korea

114,115

+671

1,797

Latvia

111,334

+337

2,053

Norway

107,510

+366

708

Sri Lanka

96,796

+357

618

Montenegro

95,551

+174

1,429

Cuba

93,511

+1,037

525

Kyrgyzstan

91,883

+244

1,549

Ghana

91,709

+46

771

Zambia

90,918

+74

1,235

China

90,499

+16

4,636

Uzbekistan

86,680

+342

638

Cyprus

56,259

+852

291

Thailand

42,352

+1,767

101

Aruba

10,324

+19

92

Suriname

9,581

+36

187

Vietnam

2,784

+3

35

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

India records highest single-day new cases so far, as it struggles with mass Hindu pilgrimage

 

A health official takes a swab sample from a man to test for Covid-19 at a testing centre in Allahabad, India, on April 12. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images

India reported 217,353 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, marking the country's highest single-day case count for the third consecutive day, according to data from the Indian Ministry of Health.

The ministry also reported 1,185 additional deaths. That raises the country's total to more than 14.2 million cases and 174,000 related deaths.

Kumbh Mela: This comes as millions of Hindus from around the country flock to the city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand state for the Kumbh Mela religious festival, the world's largest pilgrimage.

During the festival, which lasts throughout April, huge crowds gather to hold prayers together, attend ceremonies and take holy dips in the Ganges River. At least four million people bathed in the Ganges on April 12 and April 14 combined, two auspicious dates of the festival.

Cases have spiked in Haridwar, proving experts' worst fears that the festival poses a huge Covid risk. Since the festival began on April 1, Haridwar has reported 4,349 cases -- that's about 500 to 600 cases a day, according to the state health department. 

New restrictions: In response to the rising cases, the Uttarakhand government imposed new restrictions on Thursday, including a statewide curfew and cap on public gatherings.

The Kumbh Mela is exempted from these latest restrictions -- but guidelines remain in place, including the requirement that all devotees register their health details online and provide negative Covid tests.

At least one religious group attending the festival, the Niranjani Akhada, has asked those from out of state to pull back amid the rise in cases. 

“We have told all the people who have come from Gujarat, Maharashtra, etc., to return home because the situation in Haridwar is not in control," said Ravindra Puri, secretary of the Niranjani Akhada, on Thursday. 

 

 

 

Countries across Southeast Asia see surging cases and new restrictions

From CNN’s Yong Xiong and Taylor Barnes

 

A number of countries across Southeast Asia are battling a rise in Covid-19 cases, prompting new lockdown measures and extended travel restrictions.

Cambodia reported 344 new cases on Friday, mostly around the capital Phnom Penh, according to the official Agence Kampuchea Presse. Residents in the capital and a satellite district are under lockdown for 14 days, banned from leaving home except to go to work, to buy food or for medical treatment.

The Philippines reported 11,429 new cases and 148 new deaths on Thursday, according to the official Philippines News Agency (PNA). The country's cases began rising in late February, leading the government to reintroduce curfews in Manila and surrounding provinces.

The country has made some progress in securing international vaccines; this week, it announced it would sign a supply agreement with Russia for 20 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, according to PNA.

Malaysia reported 2,148 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the country’s highest daily total since early March, according to state news agency Bernama. The health ministry has proposed retaining a ban on interstate travel through the Ramadan period.

Indonesia’s death toll topped 43,000 on Thursday, and its total case count is nearing 1.6 million. More than 5.7 million Indonesians have been fully vaccinated and 10.5 million have received at least one dose, according to the Antara news agency.

 

 

 

UK leader Boris Johnson cancels visit to India

From CNN’s Sarah Dean in London 

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured leaving Downing Street on April 14, in London.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured leaving Downing Street on April 14, in London. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his visit to India as cases continue to surge across the country.

Johnson was due to meet with India's Narendra Modi next week.

"Prime Ministers Modi and Johnson will speak later this month to agree and launch their ambitious plans for the future partnership between the UK and India. They will remain in regular contact beyond this, and look forward to meeting in person later this year,” a joint statement from the British and Indian Governments, released by Downing Street, said Monday .

India reported 273,810 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, a record-high and its fifth consecutive day of more than 200,000 new infections, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian health ministry. 

The country has reported more than one million cases in the past five days alone.

 

Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-04-19-21/index.html

 

 

 

Aiming at variants, France will limit and quarantine travelers from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and South Africa

By Aurelien Breeden

 

A passenger at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International Airport, north of Paris, in January.

A passenger at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International Airport, north of Paris, in January.Credit...Alain Jocard/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

 

French authorities will tightly restrict who can travel to France from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and South Africa, and will impose a 10-day quarantine on those who do, in the hope of staving off worrisome coronavirus variants circulating in those countries, the government announced on Saturday.

The announcement adds to a shifting patchwork of international restrictions that have complicated travel around the world.

Prime Minister Jean Castex announced late on Saturday that, starting April 24, travelers arriving from any of the four countries will have to quarantine for 10 days. Police officers will check on them to ensure that they comply.

Entry from the four countries will be limited almost exclusively to French citizens and their families, citizens of other European Union countries, and foreigners with permanent homes in France. Travelers must have tested negative for the virus within a shorter time before takeoff, and will be given antigenic tests on arrival.

“These are the countries that are most dangerous,” Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s foreign minister, told France 3 television on Sunday.

Nearly all flights between France and Brazil will remain suspended at least until the new rules take effect and possibly longer, the government said.

The tightened restrictions were necessary because of the “uncontrolled spread of the virus in certain countries,” including widespread transmission of virus variants like those first identified in Brazil and South Africa that appear to be more resistant to some current Covid-19 vaccines, Mr. Castex said in his statement.

France’s decision adds to a complex tangle of rules and policies about international travel that can vary widely from country to country and month to month.

Germany loosened some of its travel restrictions last week, removing Britain, Ireland, Finland and Barbados from its list of at-risk areas, meaning that travelers from those countries no longer need to quarantine upon arrival.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia said that his country was in “no hurry” to reopen its borders, which have largely been closed to anyone other than returning Australian citizens.

“I will not be putting at risk the way we are living in this country, which is so different to the rest of the world today,” Mr. Morrison told reporters on Sunday.

Unlike the many European countries that have kept restaurants closed, travel restricted and face masks mandatory to combat a new wave of infections, Australia has its coronavirus epidemic largely under control and residents are mostly free to travel domestically and dine out.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/18/world/france-covid-variant-brazil-argentina-south-africa.html

 

 

 

Israel, a world leader in vaccinations, lifts its outdoor mask mandate

From Isabel Kershner

 

Tel Aviv on Sunday after Israel lifted its outdoor mask mandate.

Tel Aviv on Sunday after Israel lifted its outdoor mask mandate.Credit...Amir Cohen/Reuters

JERUSALEM — Buoyed by its recent success in combating the coronavirus, Israel lifted its outdoor mask mandate on Sunday, while schools fully reopened for the first time since September.

The country has been taking rapid steps back to normalcy in the wake of its world-leading vaccination campaign and plummeting infection rates. About 56 percent of the Israeli population has been fully vaccinated, according to a New York Times database.

“Finally, I can breathe again!” Eli Bliach, 35, an entrepreneur, said while walking mask-free in downtown Jerusalem on Sunday morning.

With the sun out and temperatures rising, some people joked about avoiding mask tan lines.

But other Israelis were hesitant to remove the layer of protection that had felt so alien at first, but that many have since gotten used to.

“I am not confident that the pandemic is over,” said Ilana Danino, 59, a cosmetician and caregiver who was still wearing a mask while walking down an almost empty street in the city center. “It is still out there all over the world.”

Besides, she said, “I feel good with this on,” gesturing to the air around her and explaining that springtime could still bring allergies and the spread of other viruses.

Israel’s health minister, Yuli Edelstein, urged people to continue carrying masks with them for entry into indoor public spaces, where they are still required.

Daily new coronavirus infections in Israel have fallen from a peak of 10,000 in January to around 100 on some recent days. Prof. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science said on Twitter last week that with 85 percent of people 16 and older in Israel either vaccinated or recovered from the virus, “Life is close to pre-Covid.”

As part of the transition, Israel has introduced a “green pass” system allowing people who are vaccinated or recovered to dine indoors in restaurants, stay in hotels and attend large cultural, sports and religious gatherings.

But there is some new concern after several cases of a virus variant with a double mutation first detected in India, B.1.617, were identified in Israel last week. Prof. Nachman Ash, Israel’s coronavirus czar, told the Hebrew news site Ynet on Sunday that the variant might have some characteristics that could make those who have been vaccinated vulnerable to infection.

Israel is working to prevent any further entry of the variant, he said, while trying to learn more about it and how it is behaving in other parts of the world.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/18/world/israelis-mask-mandate.html

 

 

 

Bhutan, one of Asia’s poorest countries, has out-vaccinated most of the world

 

Inoculating a Buddhist monk last month at a school in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, on the first day of the country’s vaccination campaign. The Health Ministry said this month that more than 93 percent of eligible adults had received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Inoculating a Buddhist monk last month at a school in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, on the first day of the country’s vaccination campaign. The Health Ministry said this month that more than 93 percent of eligible adults had received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.Credit...Upasana Dahal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

 

THIMPHU, Bhutan — There’s a quiet vaccine success story in one of Asia’s poorest countries. As of Saturday, Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom that has emphasized its citizens’ well-being over national prosperity, had administered a first vaccine dose to more than 478,000 people — over 60 percent of its population. The Health Ministry said this month that more than 93 percent of eligible adults had received their first shots.

A vast majority of Bhutan’s first doses were administered at about 1,200 vaccination centers over a weeklong period in late March and early April. As of Saturday, the country’s vaccination rate of 63 doses per 100 people was the sixth highest in the world, according to a New York Times database.

That rate was ahead of those of Britain and the United States, more than seven times that of neighboring India and nearly six times the global average. Bhutan is also ahead of several other geographically isolated countries with small populations, including Iceland and the Maldives.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/18/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases/bhutan-one-of-asias-poorest-countries-has-out-vaccinated-most-of-the-world

 

 

 

Summary

 

· The Indian variant of coronavirus is not thought to be more infectious or more resistant to vaccines than other variants, according to both a UK government minister and Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

· In light of the new variant, there is a debate raging over whether or not Boris Johnson should go ahead with a planned trip to India later this month. The Labour Party said it should be cancelled, but the environment secretary George Eustice insisted it should go ahead.

· International travel restrictions are likely to be in place for some time in Scotland, first minister Nicola Sturgeon suggested earlier today. She said that new variants being imported from abroad posed the biggest threat to ending of lockdown restrictions.

· It’s too early to say if hospitality venues can reopen fully as planned in England on 17 May, environment minister George Eustice said today. However, he said the country was “on track” with the vaccine rollout.

... And around the world:

· AstraZeneca could release a modified vaccine against South African variant by end of the year, an official told an Austrian newspaper this weekend. Sarah Walters, AstraZeneca’s Austria country manager, told the Kurier newspaper that the firm had “started modifications to the vaccine for the South African variant and we expect it will be ready by the end of the year, should it be needed”.

· The Gaza Strip has recorded its highest daily death toll from coronavirus, amid a surge in cases.

· Germany held a national memorial service for the nearly 80,000 lives it has lost to coronavirus, with Chancellor Angela Merkel and president Frank-Walter Steinmeier present to commemorate the dead.

· Israel has ended its outdoor mask-wearing mandate and remote learning for middle schools. The country has fully vaccinated 54% of its population, allowing for greater easing of lockdown measures.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/apr/18/coronavirus-live-news-israel-ends-outdoor-mask-wearing-uk-cabinet-minister-defends-hancock-over-nhs-contracts?page=with:block-607c22d28f0840e466249ebb#block-607c22d28f0840e466249ebb