The coronavirus pandemic has killed nearly 3.5 million people, infecting more than 168.5 million around the world. Here are updates for May 26:
Wednesday, May 26:
EU and AstraZeneca battle in court over vaccine delays
The European Commission will confront drugs giant AstraZeneca in a Belgian court over coronavirus vaccine delivery shortfalls that hampered efforts to kickstart inoculations across the bloc.
Lawyers for both sides are due to appear before a judge in the French-speaking court in Brussels from 09:00 am (0700 GMT). Another hearing is scheduled for, the court said.
The EU is suing the British-Swedish pharmaceutical group in a bid to force it to deliver 90 million more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine before July.
The deadline for the contract was set for mid-June, according to the Commission, and the EU says the company will face financial penalties if it does not meet this deadline.
AstraZeneca delivered only 30 million doses in the first quarter out of the 120 million it was contracted to supply. For the current quarter which runs until June 30, it plans to deliver only 70 million of the 180 million initially promised.
AstraZeneca, Nipro sign vaccine deal for supply in Japan
AstraZeneca has signed a manufacturing agreement for its vaccine with Nipro Corpfor supply in Japan, the Tokyo-listed firm said, adding that the contract was for filling the shot into vials and packaging it.
Hawaii drops mask mandate for people outdoors
Hawaii is no longer requiring people to wear face masks outdoors as the number of coronavirus cases drops and more people get vaccinated.
Governor David Ige said that he will maintain a requirement that people wear masks indoors, whether or not someone is vaccinated. He also says he will encourage people who are in large groups outdoors to continue to wear masks.
Ige says that starting June 1, he will allow ocean sports competitions like surfing contests and canoe paddling races to take place.
The governor says 57 percent of Hawaii’s residents have received a t least one dose of coronavirus vaccine while just under half the population has been fully vaccinated.
Sri Lanka gets 2nd vaccine donation from China
Sri Lanka has received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China as the Indian Ocean island nation faces severe shortage of vaccines amid a recent rise in infections.
The vaccine stock that arrived early Wednesday is the second donation from China, following a shipment of 600,000 doses in March.
Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of vaccine after the producer in neighbouring India failed to provide the promised Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine stocks. The government on Tuesday agreed to buy 14 million doses of Sinopharm from China.
The current
vaccination program is focused on Sri Lanka’s Western province, which
includes the capital of Colombo and its suburbs.
It is where the majority of the country’s cases have been.
Sri Lanka so far has reported 167,172 coronavirus cases and 1,243 deaths.
Taiwan reports another rise in new domestic cases
Taiwan reported 633 new domestic cases, including 331 cases added to the totals for previous days as it continues to readjust its infection numbers following delays in reporting positive tests.
Indian Covid-19 variant found in at least 53 territories – WHO
The variant first detected in India has now been officially recorded in 53 territories, a World Health Organization report showed.
Additionally, the WHO has received information from unofficial sources that the B.1.617 variant has been found in seven other territories, figures in the UN health agency's weekly epidemiological update showed, taking the total to 60.
The report said B.1.617 had shown increased transmissibility, while disease severity and risk of infection were under investigation.
Globally over the past week, the number of new cases and deaths continued to decrease, with around 4.1 million new cases and 84,000 new deaths reported, a 14 percent and two percent decrease respectively compared to the previous week.
The WHO's European region reported the largest decline in new cases and deaths in the past seven days, followed by the southeast Asia region.
UAE mandates vaccines for live events
The United Arab Emirates said vaccinations will be mandatory for people attending all "live events" from June 6, as the country pushes a vaccination campaign which has consistently been one of the fastest in the world.
The policy applies to all sports, cultural, social, arts exhibition, activities and events, a spokeswoman for the ministry of health said late on Tuesday. Attendees must also present a negative PCR test taken at least 48 hours before the event.
Trade and tourism hub Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates, last week said vaccinations were required to participate in and attend concerts, sports events, bars, entertainment activities, and for weddings up to 100 people.
The UAE said more than 78.11 percent of the eligible population over 16 years old had now been vaccinated, and 84.59 percent of people aged 60 and over, without specifying if this meant two doses or one dose.
India's total cases cross 27 million
India's total infections crossed 27 million, swelled by 208,921 new cases over the last 24 hours, while daily deaths from rose by 4,157.
The South Asian country's overall caseload is now at 27.16 million, while total fatalities are at 311,388, according to health ministry data.
Germany's confirmed cases rise by 2,626
The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 2,626 to 3,656,177, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.
The reported death toll rose by 270 to 87,726, the tally showed.
Thousands to get Covid tested after Melbourne stadium alert
Thousands of Australian Rules football fans were told to self-isolate and get tested after an infected spectator attended a match in Melbourne and the city raced to avoid another lockdown.
Australia's second biggest city is scrambling to contain a growing Covid outbreak, with 15 cases identified so far, including one who attended the clash between Collingwood and Port Adelaide which drew a crowd of more than 23,000 to the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The AFL said thousands of fans who sat near the positive case were now required to self- isolate until they received a negative test, while health officials were reviewing CCTV to determine if others had also been impacted.
The stadium is one of a growing list of venues across Melbourne visited by positive cases, leaving state health officials rushing to test and trace across the city of five million, which endured a devastating four-month lockdown after an outbreak last year.
Tokyo Olympics partner, calls for cancellation of Games
Japan's Asahi Shimbun, an official partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has called for the Summer Games to be cancelled in an editorial on Wednesday, citing risks to public safety and strains on the medical system from the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We ask Prime Minister (Yoshihide) Suga to calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide on the cancellation of the event this summer," the newspaper said in an editorial.
Much of Japan, including host city, Tokyo, remains under a third state of emergency that is widely expected to be extended beyond this month. Poll after poll has shown the majority of the public is opposed to holding the Games this summer, concerned about tens of thousands of athletes and officials descending on a country that has mostly remained closed to foreigners since last year.
By early morning on Wednesday, "Decision to cancel", taken from the title of the Asahi newspaper's editorial, had garnered more than 21,000 tweets.
South Koreans no longer need masks outdoors if vaccinated against COVID-19
South Korea announced that masks will no longer be required outdoors from July for those vaccinated with at least one Covid-19 shot.
The move is a bid to encourage older residents to get vaccinated as South Korea aims to immunise at least 70 percent of its 52 million people by September, from just 7% now.
People given at least one dose also will be allowed to gather in larger numbers starting June, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a coronavirus response meeting on Wednesday.
He said all quarantine measures would be adjusted once more than 70% of residents had received their first dose.
South Korea reported 707 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 137,682 infections, with 1,940 deaths.
Thailand witnesses more covid-19 related deaths
Thailand has reported a daily record of 41 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 873 since the pandemic started last year.
The country's coronavirus task force also reported 2,455 new infections, bringing the total of cases to 137,894.
UN official: Conflicts make controlling COVID more difficult can be headline
Despite last year’s UN call for global cease-fires to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, many conflicts never stopped including in Syria, Yemen and Congo and new ones erupted making it more difficult to control the spread of the virus and care for infected people in many countries, the UN humanitarian chief said.
While stressing the link between conflict, Covid-19, and health care at a virtual Security Council meeting on civilians caught in conflict, Lowcock warned that deadly conflicts continued and emerged or got worse.
“At the same time, insecurity, sanctions, counter-terrorism measures and administrative hurdles hindered humanitarian operations,” he said, and the pandemic made aid deliveries more difficult because of suspended flights, border closures, quarantine measures and lockdowns.
“While the need for robust health care systems has perhaps never been greater, paradoxically, health care is under attack,” he said.
“We need political solidarity, investment in basic infrastructure and services,” Maurer said. “We need better protection for civilians and more substantive and broader support for humanitarian action.”
Social media is young.
Social media raises questions.
Social media is not satisfied with an answer.
Social media looks at the big picture.
Social media is interested in every detail.
social media is curious.
Social media is free.
Social media is irreplaceable.
But never irrelevant.
Social media is you.
(With input from news agency language)
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
We are a non-profit organization. Help us financially to keep our journalism free from government and corporate pressure.
0 Comments