Shaky vaccine stocks in India are bad news for the world – Coronavirus fact versus fiction

Shaky vaccine stocks in India are bad news for the world – Coronavirus fact versus fiction

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About half of all American adults received at least one dose of the vaccine, while a quarter of the population was fully vaccinated. Although this is an impressive number, it is not enough to achieve herd immunity and suppress the virus.

The White House has increased its role in the distribution and administration of coronavirus vaccines, and administrative officials said they estimate that 90% of Americans now live within five miles of a vaccination site because of the extensive federal channels.

But dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the country remains at a ‘complicated stage’.

“The cases among younger people who have not yet been vaccinated are also increasing,” she said at an information session in the White House on Monday.

Experts believe there are several reasons behind the increase in Covid-19 numbers, including coronavirus variants – such as the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain that helped fuel another boom in Michigan. Pandemic fatigue and more Americans moving around probably also contributed to the rise.

The worrying increase in cases is not unique to the US. The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that the global number of new infections has been increasing for eight weeks. More than 5.2 million cases were reported last week – the highest weekly figure so far. The number of deaths also increased for the fifth consecutive week, surpassing 3 million over the weekend.

“It took nine months to reach 1 million deaths, four months to reach 2 million and three months to reach 3 million deaths,” said WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Large numbers can paralyze us, but each of these deaths is a tragedy for families, communities and nations.”

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER.

Question Do I need to disinfect surfaces to prevent Covid-19?

A: The risk for Covid-19’s surface transfer is low, the CDC said yesterday. Much more important is air shipping.

Vincent Hill, head of the CDC’s Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch, said the risk of transmission by touching a surface, although small, was increased indoors. Outside, the sun and other factors can destroy viruses, Hill said in a telephone briefing. The virus dies “quickly” on porous surfaces, but can persist longer on hard indoor surfaces.

Research also suggested that surface transfer was more likely in the first 24 hours after a person became infected, and that households where Covid-19 had one person had lower transmission rates when surfaces were cleaned and disinfected.

While it is not a waste of time to keep surfaces clean, it is not the only way or even the most important way to reduce risks, the CDC said. The agency updated its surface disinfection guidelines in community settings and Hill added that cleaning should focus on high-contact areas such as door knobs and light switches.

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WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY

India offers Covid-19 vaccines to all adults in May

As India struggles to curb the latest pandemic surge, its government has made a bold promise, saying all Indian citizens aged 18 or older will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines from 1 May.

It is unclear whether the second most populous country in the world, with almost 1.4 billion people, has enough vaccines to meet this growing demand. Currently, only health workers, frontline workers, or people 45 years and older are eligible to be vaccinated in India, and the vaccine supply has already dried up in some places, with at least five states reporting severe shortages.

The Chancellor of Germany must defeat the pandemic to save her legacy. Time is running out

Angela Merkel rushes against the clock to defeat the coronavirus before retiring in September. She has a lot against her. Germany is struggling to contain the latest wave of pandemics, and an influential medical association has warned that most of the country’s intensive care units are at or near full capacity. The number of Germans lost to the virus exceeded 80,000 yesterday.

Why many in Colombia’s migrating community want to skip the vaccine

Most of the 2 million Venezuelans living in Colombia have arrived in recent years after fleeing the economic crisis in their homeland. They are not fully integrated into Colombian society, which can make it difficult to get in touch with them for programs such as vaccination.

Many do not have ID cards or health insurance; others live in Colombia without the necessary documentation or work informally. Several Venezuelan migrants have told CNN that questioning their existence is a source of concern over the Covid-19 vaccine. But it is not the only one.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Johnson & Johnson said blood clots were reported in all Covid-19 vaccines, but the study’s author cited them as saying they were wrong.
  • The Biden administration will allocate $ 150 million from the US rescue plan to promote the Covid response in inferior and vulnerable areas.
  • Greece has lifted quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers and those tested negative for Covid-19 from Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • A two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand opened on Monday. But Australia says it is ‘no hurry’ to unlock borders for other visitors.
  • Seven otters at Georgia Aquarium tested positive for coronavirus after “showing mild respiratory symptoms, including sneezing, runny nose, mild lethargy and coughing.” Despite being geriatric, they are improving and are expected to fully recover, the aquarium said.
The Georgia Aquarium said it tested its Asian otters with small claws after they showed symptoms.

TODAY’S TOP TIP

As more people get Covid-19 vaccines, you may wonder if it’s safe to listen to live music again.

The CDC said the risk of transmission increases if people are near crowds or indoors and if the places are poorly ventilated. This is what you need to know when deciding to attend a concert.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“At each level, it’s unprecedented. The packaging of 1,170 doses, the dry ice, the ultra-cold storage, the mixing with the diluent, the three different vaccines with different days apart.” – Claire Hannan, Association of Immunization Managers

Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, talks to Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, about how the United States reversed its vaccination of vaccines. Listen now.

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