Covid-19 has killed more than 4.3M people and infected over 206M globally. Here are all the coronavirus-related developments for August 13:
Friday, August 13
WHO urges China to share raw data on early Covid cases
The WHO has urged China to share raw data from the earliest Covid-19 cases to revive the pandemic origins probe, and release information to address the controversial lab leak theory.
The World Health Organization stressed it was "vitally important" to uncover the origins of the worst pandemic in a century, which has killed at least 4.3 million people and battered the global economy since the virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.
In the face of pushback from Beijing, the UN health agency called for the provision of "all data and access required so that the next series of studies can be commenced as soon as possible".
After much delay, a WHO team of international experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to produce a first phase report, which was written in conjunction with their Chinese counterparts.
Their March report drew no firm conclusions, instead ranking four hypotheses.
It said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a leak from the Wuhan virology labs was "extremely unlikely".
However, the investigation faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply, with the United States upping the pressure ever since.
US shipping more than 560,000 vaccines to Caribbean countries
The United States has started shipping nearly 569,000 Pfizer vaccine doses to member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the US State Department said.
The shipments, part of a planned donation of 5.5 million doses to the 15-member grouping, would arrive at Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, and at Barbados on Friday, the department said in a statement.
The US government has said it would buy 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccines to distribute to 92 low and lower middle-income countries and the African Union
Mexico posts record number of daily confirmed cases
Mexico has posted a record 24,975 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of cases to 3,045,571, according to health ministry data.
The figure is the highest daily total since the pandemic began, excluding statistical blips that heath authorities said were caused by one-off adjustments to back data.
Mexico also reported 608 new fatalities on Thursday, bringing the overall death toll to 246,811.
Israel set to offer vaccine booster shots to under 60 year olds
Israeli Health Ministry experts have recommended dropping from 60 to 50 the minimum age of eligibility for a vaccine booster, hoping to curb a rise in Delta variant infections.
The advisory panel's move, which followed a call by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to expand Israel's booster campaign, still has to be approved by the Health Ministry's director.
But at least two major health providers have already said they would begin on Friday to schedule appointments for people in the 50-59 age group to get a third dose of the Pfizer /BioNTech vaccine.
After a successful vaccination campaign launched in late 2020 in which around 60% of the population have received two shots of the Pfizer vaccine, new daily cases dropped from more than 10,000 in January to single digits in June.
But with the spread of the Delta variant across the globe, new infections jumped in Israel, reaching 5,946 on Monday, and serious illnesses have been increasing as well.
UK watchdog says to investigate testing firms
Britain's competition watchdog has said it will help the government take action against testing companies if it finds they are breaching consumer law, amid concerns about the price and reliability of PCR travel tests.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on August 6 asking it to investigate the market for PCR tests to ensure that consumers did not face unnecessarily high costs or other poor provision.
The watchdog said in a statement it was exploring if individual PCR providers may be breaching their obligations under consumer law, and if there were structural problems in the market for PCR tests that could affect price or reliability.
It would also examine if there was any immediate action that the government could take in the meantime.
"We are also working closely with DHSC (Health Department) to get the data we need to identify the cause of any wider problems in the PCR testing market, and to ground our advice on what action may be needed," George Lusty, CMA Senior Director for Consumer Protection, said.
The United Kingdom operates a "traffic light" system for international travel, with low-risk countries rated green for quarantine-free travel, medium risk countries rated amber, and red countries requiring arrivals to spend 10 days in isolation in a hotel.Brazil reports 39,982 new cases, 1,148 deaths
Brazil recorded 39,982 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, along with 1,148 deaths, the Health Ministry has said.
Brazil has registered more than 20 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 566,896, according to ministry data.
Social media is bold.
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