A man receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in New York on July 30, 2021. (MARK LENNIHAN / AP)
GENEVA / LONDON / ADDIS ABABA / RABAT / DAR ES SALAAM / MADRID / SANTIAGO / HAVANA / ZAGREB / PARIS / OTTAWA / MEXICO CITY / HARARE / HELSINKI / TRIPOLI / MOSCOW / ZURICH – It’s been nearly a year since the US Census Bureau started asking Americans about the mental-health effects of the pandemic — and the latest survey shows just how much worse things have gotten since then.
Some 22.3 million Americans recently received counseling or therapy from mental-health professionals, according to new data based on research in the two weeks through Aug 2. That’s an increase of more than 5 million compared with late August last year, when the bureau’s regular Household Pulse survey first posed the question.
Some 22.3 million Americans recently received counseling or therapy from mental-health professionals, according to new data based on research in the two weeks through Aug 2. That’s an increase of more than 5 million compared with late August last year, when the bureau’s regular Household Pulse survey first posed the question
There was an even bigger jump in the number of Americans saying they needed that kind of help — but didn’t get it. That figure is up by about one-third from last summer, to 23.6 million. And some 46.4 million people are now taking prescription drugs to help with emotional or mental health, up by nearly 9 million over the period.
The survey shows how mental-health issues triggered by COVID-19 have become more widespread even as the virus itself grew less deadly –- with consequences for the society and economy that may be around for a while.
“We do have a collective trauma,” said Janis Whitlock, a director of the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes mental-health assistance for young people. “We’ve never been in this kind of collective state of uncertainty.”
Even before the pandemic, researchers were focusing on mental health as a serious economic problem as well as a medical one.
One study found that “poor mental health days” were likely to result in tens of billions of dollars in lost output for the economy, making it one of the costliest forms of sickness.
Another argued that after factoring in “invisible costs,” including early retirement, the economic losses from mental-health problems are comparable to those caused by heart disease, and worse than cancer or diabetes.
The Census study suggests that the deterioration has been especially severe among younger adults. About 27 million people in the 18-39 age group now receive counseling or take prescription medication for mental-health reasons, up from 20.2 million in the late-August 2020 survey.
While the survey doesn’t cover those aged under 18, other research has highlighted dire effects of the pandemic on children too, including a rise in teen suicide attempts.
And data released by the American Psychological Association this spring showed the spread of a wider range of second-order pandemic effects, including unwanted weight gains, increased consumption of alcohol, and lack of sleep.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage.
The CDC said it has found no safety concerns for pregnant people in either the new analysis or earlier studies. It said miscarriage rates after vaccination were similar to the expected rate. Pregnant women can receive any of the three vaccines given emergency authorization – Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.
The agency had not previously recommended pregnant women get vaccinated but had said that they should discuss vaccination with their health care providers.
Africa
African nations are being urged to establish their own public health institutes to help identify and contain future disease outbreaks.
“We cannot prevent the emergence of outbreaks, but we can prevent their spread,” Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director John Nkengasong said in an online briefing Thursday as he encouraged member states to establish their own public health institutes or what he referred to as “the equivalent of a mini-CDC”.
By being better prepared for future outbreaks the region may be able to limit the devastation wrought on its economies from diseases. Last year sub-Saharan Africa recorded its worst contraction on record from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and is poised to be the world’s slowest growing region in 2021, according to the International Monetary Fund.
“On current forecasts, per capita GDP in many countries is not expected to reach pre-crisis levels until the end of 2025,” the IMF said in an April report. “Limited access to vaccines and the region’s lack of fiscal space are expected to weigh on the outlook.”
Nkengasong comments come as Guinea, which has battled an Ebola epidemic in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, also reported its first death of the Marburg virus, a close cousin of Ebola that killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
“It just suggests to you that these disease threats are now all over us and it’s just a matter of time before we see an outbreak that leads to an endemic disease or a pandemic,” he said.
The issue will be one of the main items on the agenda ahead of the first international conference on public health in Africa scheduled for December.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 7,103,027 as of Wednesday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stands at 178,852 while 6,206,068 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.
Kenya
Kenya's oxygen production firm Hewatele is doubling production this year to keep up with surging demand from hospitals that are treating critically ill COVID-19 patients, the company said.
Demand for the commodity has more than doubled to 880 tonnes from 410 tonnes before the pandemic, the ministry of health said, causing a steep shortage due to lack of installed capacity.
The East African nation is confronting a severe fourth wave of COVID-19 infections that is putting pressure on health facilities.
"This country doesn't have capacity to put 2,000 patients under high flow oxygen at the same time. We need to do something urgently," said Bernard Olayo, founder of the company.
Hewatele plans to invest US$3.5 million to double production to two tonnes a day by year-end, Olayo said.
The firm produces oxygen by the chemical method, using a naturally occurring salt to separate nitrogen from the air.
People wearing face masks walk in the city center in Helsinki on Jan 12, 2021. (ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO / AFP)
Finland
Finland on Thursday registered a record number of new coronavirus infections in the space of a day, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said.
The total of 1,024 new infections beat a peak hit in March this year. Hospital admissions also increased.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced plans a week ago to make Finns show proof of vaccination before visiting restaurants and other leisure services, as well as to start vaccinating 12- to 16-year-olds.
While Finland remains among the countries least affected by the pandemic, infections began to rise in June and accelerated further in July when soccer fans returned home from Euro 2020 matches abroad.
To date, the nation of 5.5 million people has recorded 109,983 cases and 995 deaths. There are currently 83 people in hospital with COVID-19.
More than 82 percent of Finns have now received at least one vaccine dose and more than 48 percent are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
In this file photo dated June 27, 2021, people receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (COLE BURSTON / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP)
Canada
Canada is working to create a digital vaccine passport that would allow citizens to travel abroad and it should be available in the next few months, government officials said on Wednesday.
Before the passport can be created Ottawa needs to agree on a common approach with the 10 provinces and three northern territories, which are responsible for inoculations against COVID-19.
It "is a key step forward in ensuring Canadians will have the documents they need once it is safe to travel again," Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters.
Canada has seen a four-fold increase of new COVID-19 cases from mid-July to mid-August as the country reported 1,871 new cases as of Wednesday afternoon, bringing the cumulative total to 1,445,305 cases, including 26,688 deaths, according to CTV.
The latest national seven-day moving average of 1,380 new cases reported daily on Aug. 4-10, is an increase of 65 percent over the previous week, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada on Wednesday.
The bulk of new infections are in British Columbia province, which reported more than 1,000 new infections between Sunday and Tuesday, followed by Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.
An elderly man receives a third booster dose of vaccine against COVID-19 at a vaccination center in Santiago, on Aug 11, 2021. (CLAUDIO REYES / AFP)
Chile
Chile on Wednesday began administering booster shots to those already inoculated with Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to lock in early success following one of the world's fastest mass vaccination drives.
Lines of elderly citizens eager to participate in the campaign began forming at vaccination centers in neighborhoods across the capital Santiago on a cool winter morning in the Southern Hemisphere.
Chile's blistering campaign has seen upwards of 67 percent of its population fully vaccinated, predominantly with Sinovac's CoronaVac. But authorities last week said studies had shown a booster was necessary to shore up immunity.
"Studies have shown that precisely at approximately 6 months there is a decrease (of antibodies) and that is why we have decided …to give this booster dose," Health minister Enrique Paris told reporters.
Chile recorded fewer than 600 COVID-19 infections for the second consecutive day, after reporting 584 cases in the last 24 hours, for a cumulative total of 1,625,456 cases, Health Minister Enrique Paris said on Wednesday.
In the same period, there were also 19 more deaths reported, to total 36,157.
Croatia
Croatia's Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic announced here on Wednesday that the current restrictive measures against COVID-19 could be extended after mid-August as the number of coronavirus infections keeps rising lately.
According to the Croatian Institute of Public Health, 381 new cases of infection were recorded in the last 24 hours, a prominent increase from previous days when on average fewer than 200 cases were logged daily. The number of active cases in the country of four million people is currently 1,398.
An elderly man has his blood pressure checked before being inoculated against COVID-19 with Cuban vaccine Abdala in Havana, on Aug 2, 2021. (YAMIL LAGE / AFP)
Cuba
Cuba is bringing back hundreds of doctors working abroad and converting hotels into isolation centers and hospitals in order to battle a COVID-19 crisis that is overwhelming healthcare and mortuary services in parts of the Caribbean island.
The country, which managed to contain infections for most of last year, is now facing one of the worst outbreaks worldwide, fueled by the spread of the more-infectious Delta variant, even as it races to vaccinate its population.
Cuba's rolling seven-day average of confirmed COVID-19 cases has surged eightfold within two months to 5,639 per million inhabitants, ten times the world average.
One in five tests are positive, four times the benchmark 5 percent positivity rate cited by the World Health Organization. The seven-day average for confirmed COVID-19 deaths is around 52 per million inhabitants, six times the world average, although the real number could be much higher accounting for potentially undiagnosed cases.
The COVID-19 surge has come amid Cuba's worst economic crisis in decades that had already resulted in medicine shortages and long queues for scarce goods that made implementing lockdowns tricky.
"We are at the limit of our capacity for infrastructure, resources, medicine and oxygen," President Miguel Diaz-Canel told a government meeting on COVID-19 on Monday.
Cuba reported on Wednesday 8,605 new COVID-19 infections and 76 more deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 483,710 cases and 3,684 deaths.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has registered 873 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 286,286 as of Wednesday evening, the country's health ministry said.
Another 10 new virus-related deaths were reported, bringing the national death toll to 4,450, according to the ministry.
In this photo Moderna vials sit on a table before they are loaded into syringes at a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic, run by Hartford Healthcare at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church's McGivney community center, in Bridgeport, Connecticut on April 20, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)
European Union
Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said on Wednesday.
Erythema multiforme, a form of allergic skin reaction; glomerulonephritis or kidney inflammation; and nephrotic syndrome, a renal disorder characterized by heavy urinary protein losses, are being studied by the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to the regulator.
Last month, the EMA found a possible link between very rare heart inflammation and the mRNA vaccines. However, the European regulator and the World Health Organization have stressed that benefits from these vaccines outweigh any risks.
The watchdog did not give details on Wednesday on how many cases of the new conditions were recorded, but said it had requested more data from the companies. The EMA did not recommend changes to the labelling of the vaccines.
It disclosed the new assessments as part of routine updates to the safety section of all authorized vaccines' database and added menstrual disorders as a condition it was studying for vaccines, including those from AstraZeneca and J&J, after the EMA's update last week.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron rebuffed accusations that he’s handling the COVID-19 crisis in an authoritarian way on Wednesday and renewed his call for people to get vaccinated to beat the pandemic.
“Never before in our history was a crisis of such magnitude fought in such a democratic way,” Macron said at the beginning of a virtual defense cabinet meeting broadcast on French TV. The president blasted opponents, without naming them, for exploiting the pandemic “to win political market share.”
Macron’s comments followed a fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations in major French cities against new measures that make access to restaurants, museums and virtually all activities conditional on proof of vaccination or a recent negative test. People’s status is displayed in a so-called health pass, or vaccine passport, that the government says is the only way to enable a return to normal life.
While some protesters claim the measures are dictatorial, there has been a jump in vaccine take-up since they were announced in July. Two-thirds of French citizens age 12 and over are now fully vaccinated, according to government data.
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a Defense Council at the Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, southern France Wednesday Aug. 11, 2021. (ERIC GAILLARD / POOL PHOTO
VIA AP)
Separately, France will stop offering free coronavirus tests by mid-October, in a move to promote vaccination and avoid drastic measures to halt the spread of more infectious variants, the government's spokesperson Gabriel Attal announced on Wednesday.
PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and antigen tests will no longer be available for free, except to patients with a medical prescription. "Testing does not protect," Attal emphasized. "Repeated tests do not prevent people from going to the hospital or getting infected."
French health authorities reported 30,920 new daily COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, a figure above the 30,000 threshold for the first time since April 28, when the country was about to exit its third lockdown.
The seven-day moving average of daily new cases now stands at 23,288, above the 23,000 limit for the first time since May 1.
That figure is almost 13 times higher than a June 27 low of 1,816 as the more contagious Delta variant is spreading in the country.
Germany
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 5,638 to 3,805,063, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. The reported death toll rose by 17 to 91,834, the tally showed.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 204.73 million while the global death toll topped 4.32 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
A health worker wearing protective gear takes a swab sample to test for the coronavirus at a COVID-19 testing center in Misrata, Libya on July 11, 2021. (YOUSEF MURAD / AP)
Libya
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday said it will support Libya's newly-launched "exceptional" vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
"To ensure safe and quality vaccines through the provision of required supplies, UNICEF will support the campaign through the provision of cold chain equipment which includes cold boxes and vaccine carriers, quality monitoring devices, first aid kits and personal protective equipment," UNICEF said in a statement.
UNICEF also said it will raise public awareness of the importance of vaccination and improve vaccine uptake by dispelling rumors, managing infodemics, and building community trust.
UNICEF will promote key preventive measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing.
"I am hopeful that these vaccines will quickly protect healthcare and social workers on the frontlines fighting the pandemic, as well as teachers, high-risk and vulnerable people all over the country," said Cristina Brugiolo, UNICEF Deputy Special Representative.
Libyan Minister of Health Ali Zanati on Wednesday opened the largest COVID-19 vaccination center in the capital Tripoli, which was founded inside a sports complex and contains some 60 vaccination stations.
The government recently launched an "exceptional" vaccination campaign against COVID-19, where people above the age of 18, whether Libyans or foreigners, can go to temporary vaccination centers for inoculation.
ALSO READ: UK lawmakers: Pandemic may fade but high costs will linger
A man smiles after getting his shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine during a vaccination drive at University Stadium in Mexico City on July 23, 2021. (FERNANDO LLANO / AP)
Mexico
The total COVID-19 cases in Mexico reached 3,020,596 on Wednesday, with 246,203 deaths from the virus, the Ministry of Health said.
According to the ministry's latest pandemic report, 22,711 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours, the highest daily number since the onset of the outbreak.
During the same period, 727 more deaths were registered.
Morocco
Morocco announced on Wednesday 9,153 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections in the North African country to 720,256.
The death toll rose to 10,607 with 98 new fatalities, while 1,803 people were in intensive care units.
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is preparing to increase COVID-19 vaccine availability for member countries, officials said on Wednesday, as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads through the region.
PAHO's "Revolving Fund" is receiving requests from regional countries for vaccines for the last three months of 2021 and 2022, said PAHO director Carissa Etienne. More than 20 countries have formally expressed interest.
"This new initiative will make available tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses beyond the 20 percent that COVAX offers, and it will complement bilateral deals and other existing avenues for countries to access vaccines," Etienne said in a virtual news conference.
The Revolving Fund is a cooperation mechanism through which vaccines, syringes and related supplies are purchased on behalf of PAHO member states, regardless of size or economic conditions.
More than 1.3 million COVID-19 cases and 19,000 related deaths were reported in the region over the past week, officials said.
The more infectious Delta variant has been detected in 28 countries and territories in the Americas, PAHO Incident Manager Sylvain Aldighieri said. Transmission has particularly increased in Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil.
People wait in line for a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Gostinny Dvor, a huge exhibition place in Moscow, Russia, July 12, 2021. (PAVEL GOLOVKIN / AP)
Russia
Russia on Thursday reported a record-high 808 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours and 21,932 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,294 in Moscow.
Russia’s daily reported cases have gradually dipped from a peak in July that authorities blamed on the infectious Delta variant and a slow vaccination rate.
Spain
The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) on Wednesday authorized the start of the first round of clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine developed in the country.
The PHH-1V vaccine against COVID-19 is developed by HIPRA, a company based in the Catalan region of Spain and the first round of trials will mainly test the safety and tolerability of the vaccine, as well as its immune response and efficacy.
The tests will be carried out on a group of volunteers aged between 18 and 39 years old who will be selected in the coming days.
The HIPRA vaccine is based on recombinant proteins, which work together to produce an immune response against one of the proteins in the SARS-CoV-2 virus known as the "spike protein.
Switzerland
The Swiss government plans to halt most free COVID-19 testing for people who are not vaccinated now that nearly half the population has got the jabs, it said on Wednesday.
"For the government, protecting hospital structures now has priority, no longer protecting the non-vaccinated population," it said while keeping in place scaled-back curbs on public life it adopted in June as new cases were on the decline.
New cases have since rebounded to more than 2,000 a day. More than 730,000 people in Switzerland and tiny neighbour Liechtenstein have had confirmed infections and around 10,400 have died of the disease since the pandemic broke out last year.
The Swiss strategy has focused on repetitive testing in schools and companies as well as preventive testing free of charge. The federal government will continue to finance tests in schools, companies and healthcare facilities.
Should cantons agree, however, non-vaccinated adults without symptoms will from Oct. 1 have to pay for their own voluntary COVID-19 tests and no longer qualify for five free home tests a month. They will also have to pay for tests required to enter some events.
A health worker administers a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 during a mass vaccination campaign, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on July 28, 2021. (STRINGER / AFP)
Tanzania
Tanzania's Zanzibar on Wednesday reported 15 COVID-19 deaths recorded in the past two months.
Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, Zanzibar's Minister of Health, Social Welfare, Elderly, Gender and Children, said a total of 390 COVID-19 cases were recorded in various hospitals in Zanzibar during the same period.
He told a news conference that out of the 390 COVID-19 patients, 112 were Tanzanians and 278 were foreigners, and 207 have fully recovered.
UK
Britain has reported another 29,612 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,146,800, according to official figures released Wednesday.
The country also recorded another 104 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 130,607.
ALSO READ: WHO's chief scientist warns pandemic is not slowing down
WHO
The number of countries, areas or territories reporting various variants of COVID-19 continues to increase after the global number of coronavirus cases surpassed 200 million last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
In its latest weekly update on the pandemic issued Wednesday afternoon, the WHO said that globally, cases of the Alpha variant have been reported in 185 countries, territories or areas (hereafter CTAs), 136 CTAs have reported cases of the Beta variant, 81 CTAs have reported cases of the Gamma variant, and 142 CTAs have reported cases of the Delta variant.
On Aug 5, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases globally surpassed 200 million, just six months after reaching 100 million cases.
During the past week, according to WHO figures, over 4.2 million new cases and over 65,000 new deaths were reported globally, a slight increase compared to the previous week.
The largest proportionate increases in new cases were reported by the Region of the Americas and the Western Pacific Region, with 1.3 million and over 375,000 new cases reported, respectively.
A military health personnel carries an empty medical cooler box at a mobile clinic setup for COVID-19 vaccination in Emganwini township, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 3 Aug 2021. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)
Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean government announced Wednesday that only fully-vaccinated people can now attend church services.
This follows six weeks of suspension of any church gathering under the Level 4 lockdown to control a third wave of the pandemic, which among other measures bans inter-city travel, public gatherings and curtails business hours.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday extended the six-week lockdown by another two weeks, saying that despite a decline in cases, deaths remain high.
