Updates on the surge of coronavirus across different countries of the world have been reported, says an article in Reuters.
Indian state prepares for lockdown
The new corona infection across India has reached its highest as crowds of pilgrims gathered for a religious festival despite oxygen shortages at some hospitals and strict curbs in other areas.
India reported 184,372 cases in the last 24 hours, taking total infections to 13.9 million. Deaths rose by 1,027, for a toll of 172,085.
India’s richest state, Maharashtra being the epicentre of the national second wave is due to enter a full lockdown at midnight local time until the end of April to contain the spread.
Thailand reports the biggest daily rise
Thailand reported 1,355 cases, the biggest daily rise of the new coronavirus infection.
The spike in cases comes as Thais celebrate the Songkran new year holidays and authorities have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and reduce gatherings to help limit the outbreak, which includes the highly transmissible variant first identified in Britain.
The health official of Thailand Opas Karnkawinpong says, “The period after Songkran is a critical time to control the outbreak, if not we could see 10,000 to 20,000 cases per day.”
U.S. stops use of J&J vaccine
U.S. federal health agencies recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot, dealing a fresh setback to efforts to tackle the pandemic.
Johnson & Johnson said it would delay roll-out of the vaccine to Europe, a week after regulators there said they were reviewing rare blood clots in four recipients of the shot in the United States. South Africa also suspended use of J&J’s vaccine.
UK trials to add Moderna and Novovax
A UK study into using different COVID-19 vaccines in two-dose inoculations is being expanded to include shots made by Moderna and Novavax.
The trial, known as the Com-Cov study, was to look at whether giving a first dose of one type of shot, and a second dose of another, elicits an immune response that is as good as using two doses of the same vaccine.
Dutch to extend lockdown
The Dutch government extended most pandemic lockdown restrictions including a night curfew due to rising infection and hospitals near capacity.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, “We have to see daily hospitalizations falling, then we’ll be over the peak of the third wave. He said hopes that some measures could be eased on April 21 had proved illusory and they must remain in place until April 28 at the earliest.”
Current measures in the Netherlands, which has seen 1.3 million coronavirus cases and more than 16,700 deaths, include the first nighttime curfew since World War Two and a ban on public gatherings of more than two people.]
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Source: Reuters
