Covid-19 has killed more than 3.2M people and infected over 153M others globally. Here are all the coronavirus-related developments for May 3:
Covid-19 patients rest at the Dr. Norberto Raul Piacentini hospital, in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina on Saturday, May 1, 2021
(AP)
Monday, May 3:
Hospitals in Argentina filled to capacity as cases hit 3M
Cases in Argentina hit 3 million since the pandemic began, as medical workers said hospitals were full to capacity despite toughened government measures to bring down the spread of infections.
The country's health ministry said there were 11,394 new cases over the last 24-hour period, bringing up the grim new milestone, with 156 new deaths taking fatalities to 64,252.The government of President Alberto Fernandez this week unveiled a new round of tougher restrictions as another wave of infections has battered the country, filling up intensive care units and setting new daily records for cases and deaths.
But medical staff said it was still not enough.
"People need to be a little more aware and know that the hospitals are full and that health personnel are exhausted," said Luciana Berti, a 41-year-old surgical assistant.
More international aid lands in India
International aid to alleviate India's dire oxygen shortage arrived in the South Asian nation as its death toll climbed to a grim new record.
The country of 1.3 billion reported 3,689 deaths on Sunday, another grim daily record, with nearly 400,000 new cases registered across India.
India expanded its vaccination programme to all adults on Saturday, but many of its states are struggling with shortages despite an export freeze for shots produced domestically.
The latest surge in deaths came as medical equipment from abroad, including oxygen-generation plants, was flown into the capital New Delhi as part of a huge international effort.
The US, Russia and Britain sent emergency supplies including oxygen generators, face masks and vaccines.
Aid sent from France included eight oxygen generator plants and 28 ventilators, adding to the ventilators from Germany that arrived the previous night.
The UK, which has already sent 495 oxygen concentrators and 200 ventilators, said it was sending a further 1,000 oxygen ventilators.
US to launch trade talks on vaccine distribution
The US top trade negotiator will begin talks with the World Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping critically needed vaccines from being more widely distributed worldwide.
The White House has been under pressure in recent weeks to join an effort from lawmakers at home and governments abroad to waive patent rules for the vaccines so that poorer countries can begin to produce their own generic versions of the shots to vaccinate their populations.
The US has been criticised for focusing first on vaccinating Americans, particularly as its vaccine supply begins to outpace demand and doses approved for use elsewhere in the world but not in the US sit idle.US Trade Representative Katherine Tai will be starting talks with the trade organisation “on how we can get this vaccine more widely distributed, more widely licensed, more widely shared," said White House chief of staff Ron Klain.
Klain and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration will have more to say on the matter in the coming days.
South Africa receives 4.5M Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines
South Africa took delivery of the first batch of its 4.5 million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines as the country readies to start ramping up immunisation.
In a statement, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said 325,260 doses landed at the country's OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg late on Sunday.
A similar number is expected weekly until the end of this month.
"Thereafter the vaccine supply will increase to an average of 636, 480 doses weekly from 31 May which will see us accumulating close to 4.5 million doses by the end of June," he said.South Africa is the continent's worst affected country with over 1.5 million infections, including 54,406 fatalities.
But it has vaccinated only 318,670 people, mainly health workers so far.
This was after it suspended inoculations using Johnson & Johnson anti-Covid vaccines for two weeks last month to vet risks over blood clots.
The resumption of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will target health workers in particular.
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(With input from news agency language)
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