Covid-19 pandemic has infected close to 168 million people around the world, claiming at least 3.4 million lives. Here are updates for May 25
Tuesday, May 25:
Black fungus epidemic plagues India's virus fight
As India battles a virus crisis like no other, a large number of cases of a deadly fungal infection called mucormycosis, or “black fungus,” has triggered a new health challenge in the populous South Asian country.
Mucormycosis, which mainly affects people with weak immune systems and can lead to the loss of eyesight and the surgical removal of the nose and jaw bone to stop it from spreading, is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from the virus which has created a cause of concern among people.
"The situation is alarming," Dr. Hemant Deshmukh, dean of the government-run King Edward Memorial Hospital in the financial capital Mumbai, told Anadolu Agency.
"Right now, if you ask me the numbers, it is something like earlier there were five cases in 25 years, and now you are seeing 25 in five days...Such is the situation."
While the government, which is battling the second wave of the pandemic, has not released detailed data about the severity of the infection, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda last week wrote on Twitter that approximately 8,848 cases were reported across the country.
US reports lowest number of new cases in nearly a year
United States reported the lowest number of new virus cases in nearly a year, with new infections dropping 26% from the previous seven days to just under 180,000, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county data.
Deaths fell by 5% to 3,969 in the week ended May 23, the fewest deaths in a week since March 2020.
About 39% of the country's population has been fully vaccinated as of Sunday, and 49% has received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vermont leads the country with 69% of its residents receiving at least one dose, followed by Massachusetts at 65%.
Canada to deploy healthcare resources to help Manitoba
The government of Canada said it was preparing to deploy a number of healthcare resources for the province of Manitoba that is reeling under a third wave of the pandemic.
This comes after Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister last week said he had asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to supply critical care nurses, respiratory therapists and contact tracers to battle the raging health crisis in the province.
Canada will provide federal health human resources, medical staff through the Canadian Red Cross and support from the Canadian Armed Forces, a statement from the government said.
The government is also prepared to bring in epidemiologists, laboratory technicians and increased testing capacity, three Canadian ministers confirmed in the statement.
United Airlines, union agree against mandatory vaccinations for pilots
United Airlines and its pilots' union have reached an agreement to prohibit the airline from mandating vaccinations to its pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association said on Monday (May 24).
"Since the vaccination is not mandatory, pilots who elect not to be vaccinated will not be subject to any discipline," the agreement stated.
United's CEO, Scott Kirby, had told workers at a meeting in January that the company may make the vaccine mandatory for employees and urged other companies to do the same.
The agreement between the airline and the union also adds that those pilots who have been vaccinated would be eligible for extra pay.
Six Latin American, Caribbean heads call for equitable vaccine access
Six presidents of Latin American and Caribbean countries called Monday on the international community for equitable access to virus vaccines, asking those countries with the most doses to share them.
"We strongly appeal to countries which have a surplus of doses or which have already vaccinated their populations at risk, to implement measures so that these surpluses are distributed equitably and immediately," said a joint statement issued by Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado.
The appeal was signed by Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Bolivian President Luis Arce, Ecuador's Guillermo Lasso and Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou.
US warns against travel to Olympic host Japan
United States warned its citizens Monday not to travel to Olympic host Japan, citing the growing risk of the pandemic in the Asian nation just two months before the Games begin.
But the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it was still "confident" that American athletes will be able to participate this summer in Tokyo.
The warning came in a travel advisory issued by the State Department as Japan, which has been criticised for its slow inoculation rate, opened its first mass vaccination centers in a push ahead of the Olympics, which were postponed last year du e to the pandemic.
Hong Kong could soon bin millions of unused vaccine doses
Hong Kong may soon have to throw away millions of vaccines because they are approaching their expiry date and not enough people have signed up for the jabs, an official warned Tuesday.
Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world fortunate enough to have secured more than enough doses to inoculate its entire population of 7.5 million people.
But swirling distrust of the government as it stamps out dissent -- combined with online misinformation and a lack of urgency in the comparatively virus-free city -- has led to entrenched vaccine hesitancy and a dismal inoculation drive.
Australia restores curfew in Melbourne after new outbreak
Australia's second largest city Melbourne has reinstated Covid-19 restrictions as authorities scrambled to find the missing link in a fresh outbreak that has grown to five cases.
Home gatherings will be limited to five guests, only 30 people allowed at public meetings, and face masks will be mandatory indoors from 6 pm local time (0800 GMT) on Tuesday until June 4.
The latest Melbourne outbreak ends Victoria state's run of zero cases for nearly three months.
Victoria was the hardest-hit state during a second wave late last year, accounting for about 70% of total cases and 90% of deaths in Australia. The state, the country's second most populous, only controlled the outbreak after one of the world's longest and strictest lockdowns.
One new locally acquired case has been reported in Melbourne, Merlino said on Tuesday, a day after four infections were reported in the city.
All five cases belong to one extended family across different households and could be traced back to the variant found in an overseas traveller who returned to Melbourneearly this month after completing quarantine in the city of Adelaide.
Authorities, however, said they could not yet find how the latest cases contracted the virus from the overseas traveller.
Puerto Rico ends pandemic curfew after a year in force
Puerto Rico has ended a nightly covid-19 curfew after being in effect for over a year, while announcing that it would allow vaccinated visitors to enter the island without a negative coronavirus test result.
The island has been under curfew since March 2020, when the first coronavirus case was reported. Even when the curfew was changed, it mostly remained in effect between midnight and 5 AM.
Arriving visitors who are not vaccinated will still be required to present a negative coronavirus test or promise to offer a test result within 48 hours. The government intends to impose a $300 fine to those who don’t comply with the testing.
In addition to letting in vaccinated visitors, the government said that beginning Friday it will offer the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine to anyone who arrives at the Luis Munoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, which will eventually be offered to all visitors coming through other airports as well as the ferries services coming from the Dominican Republic.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, if you are a resident or not," Mellado said.
China reports 15 new cases
China has reported 15 new Covid-19 cases in the mainland for May 24, down from 18 a day earlier, its national health authority said.
The National Health Commission announced that two of the new cases were local infections from the central province of Anhui. The rest were imported infections originating from overseas.
The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 18, down from 22 a daily earlier.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 91,006, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,636.
Haiti imposes curfew, mask use for pandemic
Haiti’s government has imposed a nightly curfew and other restrictions under an eight-day “health emergency” meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
All outdoor activity will be banned from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. under the decree issued by President Jovenel Moise.
The decree also makes the use of face masks mandatory for anyone out in public, while temperature checks and handwashing stations are required for all public or private buildings such as banks, schools, hospitals and markets. Social distancing in public places is set at 1.5 meters.
The president also has ordered public institutions to reduce staff on duty by 50%, while encouraging that other employees work from home.
Brazil nears 450,000 COVID-19 deaths, says Health Ministry
Brazil's Healthy Ministry has registered 790 new Covid-19 deaths during the past 24 hours and 37,498 new cases of coronavirus.
The country has confirmed 449,858 deaths from the virus out of more than 16 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began, according to ministry data.
SOURCE ; TRT WORLD
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