Covid-19 has infected nearly 252M people and killed over 5M worldwide. Here are coronavirus-related developments for November 10:
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Germany hits record-high daily Covid-19 cases
Germany has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began last year, pushing authorities to consider tighter measures.
The Robert Koch Institute reported 39,676 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, and 236 more virus-related deaths.
The country’s active cases climbed to 331,200, marking a new high in the current fourth wave of the pandemic, according to the official data.
New cases have jumped sharply in recent weeks in the eastern regions of Saxony and Thuringia, which have the lowest vaccination rates among the 16 federal states.
Karl Lauterbach, politician and health expert with Germany’s Social Democrats, has called for stricter measures, which may include new restrictions for the unvaccinated.
UK researchers identify T-cell targets for future vaccines
British researchers said that they have identified proteins in the coronavirus that are recognised by T-cells of people who are exposed to the virus but resist infection, possibly providing a new target for vaccine developers.
The University College London researchers examined 731 health workers in two London hospitals during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and found that many had not tested positive despite likely exposure to the original coronavirus.
They found that, while a subset of the workers did not generate antibodies or test positive with PCR tests, they had still generated a large and broad T-cell response following possible exposure.
This suggests that rather than the workers avoiding exposure to the coronavirus altogether, the T-cells had cleared the virus before there were any symptoms or positive test result — a so-called “abortive infection”, the researchers said.
Immunity against Covid-19 is a complex picture, and while there is evidence of waning antibody levels six months after vaccination, T-cells are also believed to play a vital role in providing protection.
UK reports 39,329 new cases, 214 more deaths
Britain has reported 39,329 new Covid-19 cases and 214 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed.
The figures compared to 33,117 cases and 262 deaths reported on Tuesday.
Japan to buy 1.6M courses of Merck’s pill
Merck & Co Inc and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics have said the Japanese government will pay about $1.2 billion for 1.6 million courses of their Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir.
Countries have rushed to sign deals to buy molnupiravir, since data last month showed that when given early in the illness the drug could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of developing severe Covid-19.
Italy records 60 coronavirus deaths with 7,891 new cases
Italy has reported 60 coronavirus-related deaths against 68 the day before, the Health Ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 7,891 from 6,032.
Italy has registered 132,551 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.83 million cases to date.
Azerbaijan ensures $350M in loans to fight Covid-19 -ministry
Azerbaijan has secured loans worth $350 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Finance Ministry said.
The South Caucasus country will receive $250 million from ADB and $100 million from AIIB, the ministry added.
900,000 US kids aged 5-11 receive Covid vaccine in a week
The United States has immunised around 900,000 children aged five to 11 against Covid in the first week the Pfizer vaccine was authorised for them, a White House official said.
Roughly 700,000 more have made appointments at pharmacies, White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters.
There are approximately 28 million American children in this age group.
Russia reports record daily deaths
Russia has reported a record 1,239 deaths just days after many regions across the country emerged from a week-long workplace shutdown designed to curb the spread of the virus.
The government coronavirus task force also reported 38,058 new cases, including 3,927 in Moscow, in the past 24 hours.
Guinea starts vaccinating children with Pfizer, Moderna
Guinea has begun vaccinating children aged 12-17 with a consignment of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Health Ministry said.
Most African countries have been reliant on the COVAX vaccine sharing initiative for doses, and have inoculated only a small fraction of their populations.
Czechs record highest daily tally of cases since March
Czech authorities have recorded 14,539 new infections, the highest daily tally since mid-March and close to all-time highs seen in January, Health Ministry data showed.
The outgoing government of Prime Minster Andrej Babis has rejected imposing a lockdown or similar restrictions despite the numbers growing steadily in recent weeks, saying vaccinations were the way to tame the fresh wave of the pandemic.
Vietnam to have enough vaccines for population by end-Nov
Vietnam will by the end of this month have sufficient vaccines to cover its population, a deputy prime minister has said.
“The fight against the pandemic, however, will continue,” Vu Duc Dam told the national assembly, adding people must maintain health protocols.
Vietnam’s Health Ministry also approved India’s Covaxin vaccine for emergency use, the ninth to be endorsed in the country.
South Korea urges booster shots, as severe cases hit record
South Korea has encouraged its citizens to take booster shots, as more of the elderly fell ill and reported vaccine breakthrough infections, driving serious and critical cases to a record.
Severe cases jumped from the mid-300s in October to 460 on Wednesday, official data showed. Of the severely ill patients, more than 82 percent were aged 60 and older.
Hospitals buckle in Greece as Covid cases
Greece is experiencing a fourth wave of Covid as daily infections hit their highest since the pandemic began, with hospitals starting to buckle under the pressure of rising infections.
The country notched up a record 8,613 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the National Organisation of Public Health said, after cases more than doubled in less than a fortnight.
Forty-six people died of the disease on Tuesday, after 65 a day earlier.
“We are facing a fourth wave,” which “mainly concerns the unvaccinated,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on Tuesday evening after talks with his visiting Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.
He said the government was “focused on increasing vaccination numbers” and “taking measures without resorting to a lockdown”.
The north of the country, where inoculation rates are lower than in other regions, has been the worst hit in recent days.
In the second city of Thessaloniki, management at a key hospital fighting Covid said it was overwhelmed with patients.
Health authorities on Friday made Covid passes mandatory for open-air restaurants and cafes, as well as indoor public spaces.
Face masks are still mandatory indoors and at large outdoor gatherings.
However, in several regions, the measures are not being respected, especially in some Orthodox churches where images in the media have shown maskless worshippers kissing icons and not observing social distancing.
France extends booster shots, requires them for health pass
French President Emmanuel Macron said that those aged 65 and older will need to present proof of a booster shot from mid-December for health passes that give access to restaurants, trains and planes to remain valid.
Besides, the third shot, so far available only for people older than 65 and the vulnerable, will from early December also be available for the 50-64 age group, Macron said in a televised address.
Mexico confirms nearly 300 deaths
Mexico reported 299 new confirmed deaths from the virus, bringing the country’s official death toll from the pandemic to 290,110, according to health ministry data.
Officials have said the ministry’s figures likely represent a significant undercount of deaths.
Brazil registers 10,948 cases
Brazil has had 10,948 new cases of the virus reported in the past 24 hours, and 183 deaths from the virus, the health ministry said.
The South American country has now registered 21,897,025 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 609,756, according to ministry data, in the world’s third worst outbreak outside the United States and India and its second-deadliest.
Shanghai Marathon postponed indefinitely
The Shanghai Marathon has been postponed indefinitely, said the organisers of the run in a post on their website on Tuesday, amid rising cases in China.
“Today, we’ve chosen to be cautious, chosen to put the health of runners and city’s citizens first,” said the notice.
Runners entered in the November 28 race were given the opportunity either to give up their place or hold it until 2022.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Germany hits record-high Covid-19 cases – latest updates
Source: News Achor Trending
0 Comments