An illustration picture shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine stickers attached and syringes, with the logo of the University of Oxford and its partner British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, on Nov 17, 2020. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
ADDIS ABABA / KAMPALA / HARARE / MOSCOW / RABAT / LONDON / WARSAW / HAVANA / BUENOS AIRES / LIMA / OTTAWA / RIO DE JANEIRO / QUITO – Countries should also avoid giving the Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine to people over 60, the head of the EU drug regulator's COVID-19 task force was quoted on Sunday as saying, amid fears over rare blood clotting and as more vaccines become available.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) considers the Astrazeneca shot safe for all age groups. However several European Union member states have stopped administering it to people below a certain age, usually ranging from 50 to 65, restricting its use to the older population, due to the rare cases of blood clotting, mainly among young people.
However, as the number of COVID-19 cases is falling and taking into account that the younger population is less exposed to COVID-19 related risks, Cavaleri said it would be better to use on them COVID-19 vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, such as Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
Asked whether health authorities should avoid giving the Astrazeneca vaccine to people aged over 60, Cavaleri said: "Yes, and many countries, such as France and Germany, are considering it in the light of greater availability of mRNA vaccines."
South Africa
South Africa will not allow some Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to be used following a US ruling that ingredients for the country’s doses may have been contaminated during production in a plant in Baltimore.
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that some batches of the J&J version were not fit to use, while others are still under review. South African authorities have reviewed data provided by the FDA and “made a decision not to release vaccine produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable,” The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority said Sunday in a statement.
South Africa is heavily reliant on the J&J vaccine to meet a target of inoculating two-thirds of its 60 million population this year, having ordered more than 31 million of the single-dose shot. Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd, Africa’s largest drugmaker, has a contract to fill and package the doses at a factory in the coastal town of Gqebherha, until recently known as Port Elizabeth.
“However, there are approximately 300,000 doses from batches that have been cleared by the US FDA that meet the requirements and will subsequently be released and shipped to South Africa,” the regulator said.
The news still marks a major setback in South Africa’s vaccine rollout – just as a third wave of infections is gathering pace. The government has been heavily criticized for delays in ordering doses, and inoculations to the general public only began in mid-May.
The over-60s are receiving doses of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s version, though just 1.2 million people plus 480,000 health workers have been catered to so far.
G7
UK Foreign Secretatry Dominic Raab defended the government’s arrangements for the summit after photos emerged of G7 leaders crowding together on Saturday night for a barbecue on the beach. Johnson on Monday is expected to announce a delay in the lifting of final lockdown measures as virus cases rise again.
The foreign secretary said he expected people would understand that the “serious business” that G-7 leaders are engaging in at the summit exempts them from social distancing guidelines.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 175.67 million while the global death toll topped 3.79 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Africa
Inadequate access to COVID-19 vaccines is causing growing worries over the huge vaccination gap in Africa as total confirmed cases in the continent topped five million amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections.
In an update, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that as of Saturday noon, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had reached 5,011,502 as the death toll from the pandemic hit 134,239.
Ahmed Ogwell, deputy director of the Africa CDC, told Xinhua on Saturday that the continent is now experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 infections, which could further exacerbate the infection rate.
In the past week alone, African countries reported a total of 94,145 new cases, up 26 percent from the previous week. In comparison, the figure stood at just 59,879 in the first week last month, according to Africa CDC statistics.
According to the Africa CDC, African countries have acquired around 54.9 million COVID-19 vaccines so far. However, only about 0.6 percent of Africa's population have received a full vaccine regimen.
Ogwell said countries manufacturing vaccines are not making vaccines available as per earlier agreements, and some countries are blocking the vaccines from going to Africa because their domestic use is prioritized.
Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said that as vulnerable groups, such as health care workers and the elderly, as well as people with underlying conditions, have been missing the vital jab, the COVID-19 situation in Africa could be further exacerbated.
Brazil
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil was fined for not wearing a mask on Saturday as he rode a motorcycle along with supporters through the streets of the capital of Sao Paulo, the Associated Press reported. Bolsonaro, who has faced widespread protests for his handling of the pandemic, repeated his opposition to mask mandates for those who are vaccinated.
The fine is about US$110. Bolsonaro was also fined last month for failing to wear a mask at another rally in the northeastern state of Maranhao.
Brazil reported 78,700 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, with total cases at 17.4 million, according to Health Ministry data.
The country’s coronavirus death toll rose by 2,037 to 486,272.
Congo
Hospitals in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa are "overwhelmed" by a rise in COVID-19 infections, President Felix Tshisekedi said on Saturday, as the country was hit by a third wave of the disease.
Like many African countries, Congo has officially registered relatively few cases. But the virus has killed a number of prominent politicians, and low vaccination rates have left the country vulnerable to more contagious variants.
Health officials recorded 254 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, one of the highest daily totals since the pandemic began. In all, Congo has registered 35,000 cases and 830 deaths.
Congo delayed its vaccination campaign by more than a month because of concerns about very rare side effects from the AstraZeneca shot. Since the campaign finally started on April 19, fewer than 30,000 doses have been administered.
Experts say that in Congo, scarce testing means cases and deaths are likely to be heavily understated by official numbers. They also say hospitals are ill-equipped to deal with a fresh wave of the virus.
Uganda
Uganda's Ministry of Health said Saturday that the country's cumulative number of COVID-19 cases clocked the 60,250 mark after the country reported 1,735 new infections in the past 24 hours.
The statistics released by the Ministry of Health also indicated that 15 people had succumbed to the virus, bringing the total number of deaths to 423.
Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean government has announced a two-week localized lockdown for Hurungwe and Kariba districts in Mashonaland West Province following a spike in COVID-19 infections.
The development comes after the government extended a localized lockdown for Kwekwe district in the Midlands Province after detecting the highly transmissible Delta variant first detected in India.
Announcing the localized lockdown Friday night, Chief Director of Curative Services in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Maxwell Hove said the restrictions were meant to prevent a spike in infections and give health facilities a better chance to contain the virus.
Russia
Russia has tested a nasal spray form of its COVID-19 vaccine that is suitable for children aged 8-12, and plans to launch the new product in September, the scientist who led the development of the Sputnik V vaccine said on Saturday.
Alexander Gintsburg, who heads the Gamaleya Institute that developed Sputnik V, said the spray for children used the same vaccine "only instead of a needle, a nozzle is put on", the TASS news agency reported.
The children's shot is expected to be ready for distribution by Sept. 15, Gintsburg was quoted as saying during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
The research group tested the vaccine on children aged between eight and 12 and found no side effects among the test group, including no increase in body temperature, Gintsburg said in comments reported by the TASS news agency.
"We are inoculating our little (patients) nasally, we are just administering the same vaccine as a nasal spray," Gintsburg said, without giving further details about the study such as how many children were involved.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered the return of sweeping restrictions in an attempt to curb a spike in COVID-19 infections and said authorities are making thousands of hospital beds available.
Sobyanin declared June 15-19 as non-working days in the Russian capital following a public holiday Monday, and he urged the elderly and those with chronic illnesses to stay home. He also ordered bars and restaurants to stop service from 11 pm to 6 am Previous restrictions were lifted in January.
Russia reported 13,510 new cases in the past day, the highest since Feb 15. There were 6,701 additional cases in Moscow, the most since Dec 26.
Morocco
Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 523,620 on Saturday as 455 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the death toll rose to 9,207 with five new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 204 people are in intensive care units.
ALSO READ: Mexico says virus has affected a fourth of its population
United States
The US is approaching 600,000 deaths from COVID-19, as new fatalities, infections and hospitalizations continue to plummet nationwide. The vaccination drive has slowed significantly but the results are clear: Masks are disappearing, the country is largely reopening. And daily deaths have fallen from a peak of more than 5,000 in February to an average of about 300 over the last week.
It took just over one month for fatalities to hit the half a million mark on Feb 22 from 400,000, as the coronavirus inflicted its worst. Now, almost four months have passed, the slowest pace of death in the pandemic.
The US has administered over 308 million vaccines, with almost 87 percent of people 65 and older receiving at least one dose and 76 percent fully vaccinated. The ratio of death among the elderly compared with people aged 18-49 has dropped 66 percent, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Deaths among the vaccinated are exceedingly rare. A total of 603 among the 139 million fully inoculated in the US died in the past six months, compared with a similar number on a single day this month.
Britain
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now less hopeful he will be able to lift England’s pandemic restrictions as planned on June 21, suggesting rules may need to be kept in place for longer as cases surge.
Johnson said the government must be “cautious” about when to take the final step out of lockdown to protect the success of the UK’s vaccine program in containing COVID-19. Officials will be studying the latest data on the spread of the now dominant delta variant first discovered in India before making an announcement Monday about the next step.
Britain reported another 7,738 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,558,494, according to official figures released Saturday.
The country also recorded another 12 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 127,896. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
Weekly cases in the UK increased by 53 percent to 47,868, the government said Saturday.
Poland
Poland will further ease COVID-19 restrictions from Sunday as infections are dropping across the country.
The government announced the new rules on Friday, according to which, cultural institutions like cinemas, theaters and museums can reopen their gastronomic facilities in a limited capacity.
Further loosening has been announced for June 26, when cultural institutions, dance clubs, restaurants and entertainment fairs, public transport, sporting facilities and concerts, and gyms could reopen with different limitations or at full capacity.
The country has recorded 239 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 47 deaths over the past 24 hours till Saturday morning, against 341 cases on Friday, data released by the Health Ministry showed, while the incidence of COVID-19 infections has dropped below 1 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Cuba
Cuba on Saturday reported the highest number of cases of COVID-19 in the last four weeks, with 1,372 infections and 10 deaths recorded.
The Cuban Ministry of Public Health stated that these new figures bring the total number of infections to 156,238 and the death toll to 1,075.
Havana has the highest incidence rate in the country, with 310.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Peru
Peru began a vaccination campaign on Saturday against the COVID-19 pandemic that focuses on pregnant women over 18 years of age, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte announced.
"Today we are starting with pregnant women and that will be a very important protection for all future mothers," the minister said during the start of the campaign in Lima.
Canada
Canada reported 1,115 new daily cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the cumulative total to 1,400,827, including 25,910 deaths, according to CTV.
With the considerable decline in infection rates nationally, the overall number of people experiencing severe and critical illness is also steadily declining.
Several provinces in the country are enjoying relaxed pandemic restrictions this weekend as the country's drive to fully vaccinate Canadians against COVID-19 is "accelerating fast."
More than 28.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered so far across the country.
ALSO READ: WHO studies evidence of virus antibodies found in Italy in 2019
Ecuador
Ecuador registered 987 new COVID-19 infections and 19 more deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total cases and deaths to 438,108 and 15,455, respectively, the Ministry of Public Health said on Saturday.
On Monday, gradual and voluntary in-person classes resumed at some educational institutions and universities in the South American country, after 15 months of forced closure due to the pandemic.
Zambia
Zambia will receive a further 120,000 doses of vaccines under the COVAX facility in August, adding to the 108,000 doses the country is expecting on June 21, the southern African nation’s Health Ministry said Saturday in a statement. The announcement came as the country recorded its highest number of new cases and hospital admissions since the pandemic began.
The country reported 2,358 new cases on Saturday, with a 20 percent positive test rate, bringing the total cumulative number of infections to 110,332, with 1,365 deaths.
France
The target of 30 million first vaccine shots was reached on Saturday, three days ahead of the official deadline of June 15, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a tweet, as the country is enjoying its first weekend with a later curfew and lower restrictions.
Specific vaccination campaigns targeting the regions most affected by the delta variant first found in India were being conducted over the weekend, notably in the east. At least a fifth of the French population has been fully vaccinated, according to data released late Friday by the French health agency Sante Publique France.
World Trade Organization (WTO)
The head of the World Trade Organization said there was a pathway for a global deal to get more COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries, despite a split over whether drugs firms should be stripped of their intellectual property rights.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, speaking to reporters before joining discussions among leaders of the Group of Seven nations, said she was hopeful there would be more clarity on the way ahead for the IP waiver issue by July.
"It may be difficult because some of the positions, maybe, are a little bit far apart, but there is a pathway," she said. "I would very much like to see some form of progress by July."
WTO members agreed on Wednesday to start formal talks on a plan to boost COVID-19 vaccine supply to developing countries but the battle lines are drawn for tough negotiations.
As well as reaching a deal on IP, countries had to scale back restrictions on exports of materials used in production and back a US$50 billion plan to accelerate local vaccine rollouts, the WTO leader added.
WTO members are due to discuss next week the format of negotiations with a view to producing a report by July 21-22.
Argentina
The Argentinean government decided on Saturday to extend the closure of the country's borders to non-resident foreigners until June 25 in an attempt to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The measure also continues the suspension of all direct flights to and from the United Kingdom due to the variant of COVID-19 that was discovered there. The flights from Brazil, Chile, and India will also be suspended in addition to the suspension of flights from Turkey and African countries.
Argentina reported 18,057 new COVID-19 infections and 447 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the accumulated total caseload and deaths to 4,111,147 and 85,075, respectively, on Saturday.
