Global Corona virus updates: 15 January 2021

[Bulls n Bears]

Global Corona virus updates

 

Zimbabwe 

COVID19 Update-14 Jan 2021 Update: New cases - 1,112, Deaths - 47.
Cumulative cases - 25,368; Recoveries - 14,714; Deaths - 636.  Emergency
Covid19 Toll-Free number - 2019. Source: Department of Civil Protection.
#MaskUp Zimbabwe.

 



 

Africa's COVID-19 cases surpass 3.14 mln as COVID-19 vaccine ignites
optimism

 

COVID-19 cases on the African continent amounted to 3,142,781 as of
Thursday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
said.

 

According to the continental disease control and prevention agency's Africa
COVID-19 dashboard, the death toll related to the pandemic stood at 75,709
as of Thursday with 2,562,961 recoveries.

 

The Southern African region is hardest-hit area in Africa in terms of the
number of cases, followed by the Northern African region, according to the
Africa CDC.

 

The five highly-affected African countries include South Africa with
1,278,303 cases, Morocco with 455,055 cases, Tunisia with 168,568 cases,
Egypt with 152,719 cases, as well as Ethiopia with 129,455 cases. The five
African countries presently account for about 69 percent of the total in
Africa, it said.

 

Meanwhile, optimism has been ignited across the continent following the news
that the Africa CDC's African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) had
secured a provisional 270 million vaccine doses for member states.

 

"From the onset of this pandemic, our focus as a continent has been on
collaboration and collective effort. We have held steadfastly to the
principle that no country should be left behind," South Africa's President
Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the Chairperson of the African Union (AU), was
quoted as saying in a statement.

 

"With this in mind, we have not only campaigned vigorously for changes
through all the available international forums, but we have taken the
additional step to independently secure vaccines using our own limited
resources as member states," said Ramaphosa on Wednesday at a special
meeting of the AU Bureau of the Assembly.

 

At least 50 million doses from this tranche will be available during the
crucial period of April through June of this year, according to the
statement issued by the South African president's Office.

 

The vaccines will be supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through independent
licensee, Serum Institute of India), and Johnson and Johnson. Financing
arrangements have been made with Afreximbank to support member states who
want to access these vaccines based on a "whole-of-Africa" approach, it
said.

 

The African continent reported its first case of COVID-19 on Feb. 14 in
Egypt. The continent's cases crossed the 1 million mark on Aug. 7, and
passed the 2 million mark on Nov. 19.

 

 

Global COVID rise continues; 50 nations report B117 variant

In its weekly snapshot of global COVID-19 trends, the World Health
Organization (WHO) said yesterday that after lower reporting over the 2-week
holiday period, cases and deaths are on the rise again in all but one of its
regions and that 50 countries have now detected the more transmissible B117
variant first detected in the United Kingdom.

In a separate announcement today, the WHO said its COVID-19 emergency
committee will meet tomorrow for the sixth time to discuss the latest
developments and tweak their recommendations.

 

Cases climbing in most regions

In its situation report, the WHO said all regions are experiencing increased
COVID-19 activity, except for South East Asia. Last week, cases were up more
than 30% in the Western Pacific, Africa, and Americas regions. The five
countries reporting the most cases were the United States, the United
Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, and Germany.

Fifty countries encompassing all of the WHO's regions have now reported
cases involving the B117 variant, up from 40 the previous week. Also, 20
countries have now reported the more transmissible 501Y.V2 variant first
detected in South Africa, up from 6 the week before.

 

The WHO also acknowledged two more variants of concern linked to Brazil,
including B1128, detected by Japan among four travelers from Brazil, and a
similar variant that appears to have evolved separately in Brazil, both
which have a mutation or mutations that may affect transmissibility and host
immunity.

 

Cases accelerating in nearly all Americas countries

At a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) briefing today, Director
Carissa Etienne, MBBS, MSc, said cases are rising in nearly all countries in
the Americas, putting pressure on hospitals in the United States, Canada,
and Mexico. In South and Central America, it's too early to assess the
impact of the holiday season on COVID-19 patterns, but by early January,
cases were already rising in Costa Rica and Belize, with record rises seen
in many Caribbean locations.

 

Etienne urged countries to do everything in their power to be vigilant and
control the virus. "Our collective ability to keep up with these measures
has the power to determine the trajectory of this year," she said. "If we
remain diligent, we have the power to control this virus; if we relax, make
no mistake: 2021 could well be far worse than 2020."

 

In an announcement yesterday, PAHO said it had raised $263 million to battle
the virus in the Americas region, which is earmarked for technical support
and supplies, including personal protective equipment and test kits.

 

In other Americas developments, Cuba's cases are surging, with record daily
case numbers, and the country has shuttered schools in 34 cities, including
much of Havana, according to CNN.

 

Meanwhile, researchers from Brazil who conducted a phase 3 trials of the
CoronaVac vaccine from China-based Sinovac reported an overall efficacy of
50.38%, much lower than 78% in previous trials, according to CNN. The
vaccine, based on an inactivated virus, was studied in 12,500 participants
from Brazil, and last week, researchers had issued higher efficacy findings
based on partial results.

 

The efficacy, much lower than other COVID-19 vaccines, adds another
complicated wrinkle to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines internationally,
given that at least 10 countries have ordered about 380 million doses of
CoronaVac, according to the New York Times.

 

Signs of declining UK cases

The United Kingdom, the hardest-hit country in the region's third surge, is
seeing promising signs of declining cases following a return to lockdown,
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today, though he warned that it's still
too early to draw conclusions, according to Reuters.

 

He added that the effects aren't yet seen in all the countries and that
tougher measures might be needed in the weeks ahead to control the spread of
the virus, which has been dominated by the B117 variant.

In the wake of the UK's spike, more countries in Europe are now reporting
surges and stepping up their measures. Spain today reported a new record
daily high of 38,869 cases, according to Reuters, which said in a separate
report that three more regions-Galicia, La Rioja, and Cantabria-have now
tightened their restrictions, bringing the country's total to five that have
recently upped their measures.

Elsewhere, Switzerland today announced that it boosted its COVID-19
restrictions, aimed at slowing the spread of new variants, though it stopped
short of ordering a full lockdown. And in Italy, the health minister today
announced that a state of emergency will be extended until the end of April.

In other global headlines:

.         China today reported 115 new cases, including 107 local
infections, the highest since Jul 30, according to the country's National
Health Commission. Of the newest local cases, 90 are from Hebei province,
where three cities are on lockdown, and 16 are from Heilongjiang province,
where a state of emergency has been declared for the city of Suihua and the
city of Tieli has been sealed off, according to Reuters.

.         The global total today passed 92 million cases and is now at
92,111,432, with 1,973,059 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins online
dashboard.

 

Israel Leads Vaccination Race, New Virus Variants

 

Israel has achieved the world's fastest per capita COVID-19 vaccination roll
out. The Health Ministry reported that nearly 20% of the population has
received the first dose, including more than 72% of over-60s. The country
began giving booster doses on January 10. UAE was in second place, having
vaccinated 10% of its population.

 

The United States has reported more than 100,000 COVID-19 hospitalisations
for 40 days in a row and continues to hit records with deaths rapidly
heading toward 400,000. To try to counter the surge and speed up
vaccination, the Government is urging states to give access to vaccination
to anyone 65 years or older, and younger adults with comorbidities. But with
distribution and access still unreliable, some doctors in small practices
report they are only now getting vaccines for themselves.  

 

In Brazil, the transmission rate rose to 1.21, according to data gathered by
Imperial College London released on 12 January. There have been more than
203,000 COVID-19 deaths and 8.1 million cases.

 

 

Natural Immunity From COVID-19 'May Last Months'

Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus may provide some immunity for at least 5
months, interim results from a study has found.

 

The first report from the Sarscov2 Immunity & REinfection EvaluatioN (SIREN)
study suggested that antibodies from people who had recovered from COVID-19
gave at least 83% protection against reinfection compared with people who
had not had the disease before.

 

However, Public Health England (PHE) researchers said some people with
antibodies may still be able to carry and transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

 

As California Eases Vaccine Rules, Many Complain of Chaos

Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement on Wednesday seemed sweeping: California
would open up eligibility for a coronavirus vaccine to anyone 65 or older,
effectively abandoning a rollout plan that was meant to ensure that the most
vulnerable would be first in line.

A day later, residents of the vast and varied state were trying to navigate
what many described as vaccination chaos.

 

 

Invest Wisely!

 

Bulls n Bears 

 

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