COVID-19 WRAP | Covid-19 variants of concern detected in SA

May 8 2021  - 22:21

Covid-19 variants of concern detected in SA

The health department on Saturday evening confirmed that two variants of concern have been detected in the country.

According to health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) confirmed that two variants of concern, other than the B.1.351 already dominating in South Africa, have been detected.

Of the B.1.1.7 variant which was first detected in the UK, there were 11 cases, while the B.1.617.2 variant, which was first detected in India, four cases have been detected.

May 8 2021  - 19:05

Italy plans to lift quarantine restrictions for some travellers from mid-May

Italy plans to lift quarantine restrictions for travellers arriving from European countries, Britain and Israel as early as mid-May in a bid to revive the tourism industry, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Saturday.

Quarantine requirement may be scrapped for those arriving from the United States from June, Di Maio said, after meeting Health Minister Roberto Speranza to discuss the easing of restrictions for countries where vaccination levels are high.

"We are working to lift the 'mini-quarantine' for people coming from European countries, the UK and Israel, if they have a negative swab, proof of vaccination or have recovered from Covid within the last 6 months. Same thing for the US", he wrote in a post on Facebook

Reuters

May 8 2021  - 16:00

Hoping to lure back tourists, Greece reopens beaches after lockdown

With widely spaced sun loungers and regular disinfections, Greece reopened its organised beaches on Saturday as the popular Mediterranean holiday destination eases Covid-19 curbs in preparation for the return of foreign visitors next week.

Tourism accounts for about a fifth of Greece's economy and jobs, and - after the worst year on record for the industry last year - the country can ill afford another lost summer.

"We're pinning our hopes on tourism," said Nikos Venieris, who manages a sandy beach in the seafront suburb of Alimos, just outside the capital, Athens, where social distancing measures will remain in place.

"We're one of the places along the Athens riviera ... that receives many tourists so the number of visitors from abroad will play a big role in our finances," he added.

Reuters

May 8 2021  - 14:00

Indian states impose stricter lockdowns as Covid deaths hit record high

India on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day Covid-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and states imposed stricter lockdowns.

India's health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll close to 240,000. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that India will see 1 million Covid deaths by August.

Cases rose by 401,078 on Saturday, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 21.9 million.

Medical experts say the real numbers of Covid-19 cases and fatalities are likely to be far higher than official tallies.

Tamil Nadu, known for its automobile manufacturing including BMW, Daimler, Hyundai, Ford , Nissan and Renault, said it would move from a partial to a full lockdown on Monday, shutting public transport and state-run alcohol retailers.

Neighbouring Karnataka state extended a total shutdown late on Friday. The state capital Bengaluru is a major tech hub, home to major offices of companies including Google, Amazon and Cisco.

India is yet to impose a national lockdown as it did during its first wave last year, but around half of all its states have imposed a total shutdown.

Reuters

May 8 2021  - 13:48

France's Macron: USA should ditch curbs on vaccine exports

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged the US government to drop restrictions on exports of Covid-19 vaccines and components for the vaccines.

Speaking at a European Union summit in Portugal, Macron told a news conference that rich nations had to open up their vaccine capacity to help less-developed states. 

Reuters

May 8 2021  - 13:30

Pakistan gets first Covid-19 vaccine doses under COVAX -UNICEF

Pakistan on Saturday received its first batch of 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses under its COVAX quota, UNICEF said in a media release.

"Today Pakistan received its first shipment of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines (SII-AZ AZD1222) from the COVAX Facility," it said.

COVAX, a global programme to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, has recently been hit by supply problems. 

Reuters

May 8 2021  - 12:10

EU seals new Pfizer deal for 1.8 bn Covid-19 vaccines

The European Union signed a new contract with Pfizer-Biontech to receive 1.8 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines for 2021-2023, to cover booster shots, donations and reselling of doses, the European Commission said on Friday.

"Happy to announce that @EU_Commission has just approved a contract for guaranteed 900 million doses (+900 million options) with @BioNTech_Group and @Pfizer for 2021-2023," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Twiter."Other contracts and other vaccine technologies will follow," she said.

Reuters

May 8 2021  - 11:40

Some Americans hesitate to shed masks despite eased outdoor rules

New guidance from US health authorities means increasing numbers of Americans are now able to go out, unmasked. Some aren't yet ready to do that.

May 8 2021  - 10:32

Vaccine tourism: South Africans cross border to Zimbabwe for Covid-19 jab

Zimbabwe is seeing a boost in vaccine tourism as foreign nationals have started arriving in the country to get vaccinated against Covid-19, for a fee.  With several African countries still facing challenges with slow Covid-19 vaccine rollouts, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said last month that visitors could get the jab in Zimbabwe if they were willing to pay.

May 8 2021  - 09:37

New Zealand to resume Australia 'travel bubble' as Sydney Covid-19 threat eases

New Zealand will lift its partial suspension of a “travel bubble” with Australia from midnight on Sunday as fears of a Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney eased.

May 8 2021  - 09:15

AstraZeneca weighs seeking full, not emergency, US approval for Covid-19 shot

AstraZeneca Plc may skip asking the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency-use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine and instead pursue the more time-intensive application for a full-fledged license to sell the shot, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Such a step would further delay any rollout of the British drugmaker's shots in the United States, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the matter.

Asked about the Wall Street Journal report, AstraZeneca did not comment directly, saying in an emailed statement that it "continues to progress our FDA submission for AZD1222.""It is important to note the substantial size of the file – in addition to the US trial data, the filing will also include analyses and pharmacovigilance from all studies to-date, in addition to real-world evidence data," the company added.

Last week, AstraZeneca said it was working as fast as possible to compile data on its Covid-19 vaccine to apply for US approval. The company said it planned to apply for U.S. approval in the coming weeks.

The White House said late in April that the United States would start to share up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine with other countries over the next few weeks.

AstraZeneca's Covid-19 shot, developed by Oxford University, has resulted in reports of rare blood clots with low platelet levels that occur more commonly in younger adults. Some countries have advised the shot be given only to older people.

Reuters

May 8 2021 -  09:10

WHO approves Sinopharm vaccine in potential boost to COVAX pipeline

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved for emergency use a Covid-19 vaccine from China's state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm on Friday, bolstering Beijing's push for a bigger role in inoculating the world.

The vaccine, one of two main Chinese coronavirus vaccines that have been given to hundreds of millions of people in China and elsewhere, is the first developed by a non-Western country to win WHO backing.

It is also the first time the WHO has given emergency use approval to a Chinese vaccine for any infectious disease. Earlier this week, separate WHO experts had expressed concern about the quality of data the company provided on side effects.

A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators that a product is safe and effective. 

May 8 2021  - 09:00

India posts record daily rise in Covid-19 deaths as case numbers surge

India on Saturday reported a record one-day rise in Covid-19 deaths as cases surged by more than 400,000 for the third consecutive day.

India's health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to just under 240,000.

Cases rose by 401,078, increasing the pandemic's total to 21.9 million

Reuters