Virus deaths surge in California
With a current death toll reaching 30,000, California being the most densely inhabited state in the nation is facing the worst swell of the almost yearlong pandemic at on overwhelming rate.
It is leant that while there were 1,163 reported deaths over the weekend the rate at which the virus is spreading is almost at 250,000 persons a week.
Since Los Angeles County is one of the epicenters, the health officials are advising residents of the importance of wearing a mask at all times and in the event they are domicile with elderly persons as they might be at very high risk.
“The damaging impact to our families and local hospitals from this surge is the worst disaster our county has experienced for decades,” health director Barbara Ferrer said.
New Zealand to ask for negative virus test before flying in
As per the rules of the New Zealand Government, all inbound international travelers will be subject to providing a Covid-19 Test result indicating “negative” prior to boarding a flight to the country. This comes in the wake of the new variants of the various strains of the contagious virus that is spreading globally.
“Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that most global air routes will be of critical concern for the foreseeable future,” Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hopkins said in a statement.
Hopkins further stated that this pre-departure requirement will be rolled out to all countries territories except Australia, the Antarctica and some Pacific Island nations.
On arrival in New Zealand, all travelers will be subject to the Covid-19 test and the 14 day mandatory quarantine period.
Australia records handful of new cases
While the virus is still out of control in most parts of the world, Australia has recorded a few newly infected persons and that too at local level. The state leaders are unable to come to an agreement on how best to curb the outbreaks.
One single case with the UK strain was reported in the northern state of Queensland which resulted in a 3 day lock down. New South Wales being the country’s state with the largest population also had five positive cases.
Queensland registered 3 new cases and New South Wales recorded 16 new cases including passengers who have travelled and in hotel quarantine. It is the 6th consecutive day that the state of Victoria has had no recorded cases of the virus.
Premier Mark McGowan of Western Australia said that Australia “could rest a lot easier” if Covid-19 was eliminated in NSW and that Western Australia has not seen any locally acquired infections in nine months.
That is in contrast to the national suppression policy that others contend is the most appropriate option if Australia continues to accept returning travelers from overseas.
“We’ve had Covid deaths in this nation but we are going to have more deaths from mental health, from people being locked away in isolation,” NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro told media. “Stop lecturing us, look after your own backyard.”
Mexico could buy 24 mln doses of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine
According to a Mexican health official, 24 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine is what Mexico is looking at purchasing once the production of the first batch of the AstraZeneca is complete.
Mr. Hugo Lopez-Gatell who is the Deputy Health Minister stated that Mexico has agreed to potentially procure the Russian vaccine. This was during his visit to Buenos Aires last week and engaged in discussion regards Argentina’s vaccine campaign using Sputnik and the production of the AstraZeneca vaccine,
“We’re thinking that we could use up to 24 million doses of this vaccine, for 12 million people,” considering that Sputnik requires two doses, Lopez-Gatell told a regular evening news conference.
Japan to widen state of emergency beyond Tokyo
According to Kyodo News, it has been reported that the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at a meeting of the ruling party executives said that a state of emergency will be declared for the provinces of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in an effort to curtail the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The Prime Minster in response to pressure from three neighboring regions in Eastern Japan declared a one-month state of emergency in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus. This state of emergency will last until the 7th of February.
It is noteworthy that there is an increase in the no of Corona virus infected persons in the West, prompting Osaka Kyoto and Hyogo pursuing for a state of emergency too.
It is understood from Government sources that the Government is making plans to do which could also include the central regions of Gifu, Koyod and Aichi which is the home to Toyota Motor Corporations and Gifu
If a state of emergency is declared in the 5 regions mentioned, this would entail almost half of Japans population which is 126 million.
Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 12,802
According to data received from the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases in Germany, the confirmed cases of corona have steadfastly increase by 12,802 to 1,933,826.
Simultaneously statistics indicate that the death toll has risen from 891 to 41,477.
Malaysian king declares emergency to fight virus
A nation-wide state of emergency has been declared by the King of Malaysia in an effort to minimize the threat to overcome the country’s health care system.
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah “is of the opinion that the outbreak in the country is at a very critical stage and that there was a need for the emergency,” said a statement from the national palace.
WHO rules out Covid-19 herd immunity for 2021?
In the light of a leading producer heightening up its production forecast, Scientists at the World Health Organization have warned that mass vaccinations will not steer herd immunity to the virus this year.
Germany’s BioNTech has declared that they are in a position to produce more doses of the vaccine than was anticipated this year thus improving on their production forecast from 1.3 million to 2 billion.
When BioNTech announced that they were partnering with the US firm Pfizer for the production of the first vaccine that was approved in the West, this came a huge Upliftment for countries that were grappling to deliver the vaccine.
But the company also warned that Covid-19 would “likely become an endemic disease”, and said vaccines would need to fight against the emergence of new viral variants and a “naturally waning immune response”.
Late Monday, it was announced by Chief Scientist Soumys Swaminathan from the WHO, that it is time consuming to produce and administer sufficient doses of the vaccine to stop the spread of the virus.
“We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” she said, stressing the need to maintain physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing to rein in the pandemic.
Portugal’s president tests positive
While having so far shown no symptoms, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is seeking a second term in an election on January 24, has tested positive for the corona virus.
It is learnt from the President’s office ,that the 72 year old President had cancelled Tuesday’s scheduled presidential debate and a proposed discussion on with health experts on an announcement to be made on Wednesday regarding the an impending lockdown to effected on Wednesday.
Mr Rebelo de Sousa’s office shared a statement on his official website where in it states that Prime Minister Antonil Costa and Health Minister Marta Temido had been kept abreast of the situation.
Rebelo de Sousa will self-isolate at his official residence in Lisbon, the statement said.
Almost 30,000 new daily cases in Brazil
Brazil’s Health Ministry announced that the in the 24 hours country has reported 25,822 new confirmed cases and 480 deaths.
According to ministry data, since the pandemic, Brazil has registered a total of 8,131612 cases and the death toll has risen to 203,580. Brazil has the world’s third worst outbreak of the virus independent of the United States and India.
Dodger Stadium testing site to become vaccine center
In an effort to strengthen the corona virus inoculation program, the famous Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles will be converted to a corona virus testing location and a mass center for vaccinations. This move is expected to happen this week.
The baseball stadiums parking lot will be used which will be three times the daily vaccinations being administer at present. According to the Mayor’s Office, this move will facilitate 12,000 people a day.
“From early on in this pandemic, Dodger Stadium has been home base for our testing infrastructure,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said late Sunday.
“Vaccines are the surest route to defeating this virus and charting a course to recovery,”
This move is the aftermath of constant criticism of the Los Angeles Vaccine campaign which has only seen less than one third of the half a million doses administered which were obtained from Pfizer and Moderna.
In a speech made by California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, he said that California’s vaccination roll-out was “not good enough” and undertook that an additional million persons will be vaccinated over the next 9 days while allotting $372 million from his annual budget.
According to statement released, the current testing module at the Dodger Stadium will cease by late Monday before undergoing a transition “into a mass vaccination center by the end of the week,”
South Africa extends restrictions as surge continues
The recently imposed restriction and controls at the land border traffic have been extended by South Africa’s President Cytril Ramaphosa. This comes in the wake of the country coming to grips with an unprecedented rise in the cases powered by a new strain of the virus.
South Africa being the continents most developed economy and also the worst-hit country spiraled into state of lock down due to the increased numbers with the infection.
A 9 pm curfew was imposed for more reasons than one. The banning of the sale of alcohol to lessen the pressure on emergency wards including prohibiting large gatherings and the closure of parks.
Ramaphosa on Monday said those measures would be extended until further notice.
