Counterfeiting vaccine supply in India is bad news for the world – Coronavirus Fact vs. Fiction

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About half of all US adults received at least one dose of vaccine, while a quarter of the population was completely inoculated. Although it is an impressive number, it is not enough to obtain the herd’s immunity and suppress the virus.

The White House has stepped up its role in distributing and administering coronavirus vaccines, and administration officials say it estimates that 90 percent of Americans now live less than five miles from a vaccination site as a result of the expansion of federal canals.

But Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the country remains in a “complicated stage.”

“Cases among younger people who have not yet been vaccinated are also on the rise,” she said in a White House briefing yesterday.

Experts say there are several reasons behind the increase in Covid-19, including coronavirus variants – such as the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain that contributed to fueling another increase in Michigan. Pandemic fatigue and more moving Americans have probably contributed to the rise.

The worrying rise in cases is not unique to the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that the global number of new infections has been rising for eight weeks. More than 5.2 million cases were reported last week – the highest weekly figure to date. The number of deaths also increased for the fifth consecutive week, exceeding 3 million over the weekend.

“It took nine months to reach 1 million deaths, four months to reach 2 million and three months to reach 3 million deaths,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The large numbers can make us numb, but each of these deaths is a tragedy for families, communities and nations.”

YOU ASKED. I ANSWERED.

Î. Should I disinfect surfaces to prevent Covid-19?

A: The risk of transmitting the Covid-19 surface is low, the CDC said yesterday. Much more important is air transmission.

Vincent Hill, head of the CDC’s Water Disease Prevention Branch, said the risk of transmission by touching an area, while small, is increased indoors. Outdoors, the sun and other factors can destroy viruses, Hill said in a telephone briefing. The virus dies “quickly” on porous surfaces, but can persist longer on hard, inner surfaces.

Research has also suggested that surface transmission was more likely in the first 24 hours after a person became infected and that households where a person had Covid-19 had lower transmission rates when the surfaces were cleaned and disinfected.

So keeping surfaces clean is not a waste of time, it is not the only way or even the most important way to reduce risks, the CDC said. The agency has updated its guide to disinfecting surfaces in the community, and Hill added that cleaning should focus on areas with high contact, such as door handles and light switches.

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WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

India will offer Covid-19 vaccines to all adults in May

As India struggles to contain the latest rise in the pandemic, its government has made a bold promise, saying all Indian citizens over the age of 18 will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines from May 1.

It is unclear whether the second most populous country in the world, with nearly 1.4 billion people, has enough vaccines to meet this widespread demand. Currently, only health care workers, front-line employees or people aged 45 and over are eligible to be vaccinated in India, and the supply of vaccines has already dried up in some places, with at least five states reporting severe shortages. .

The German chancellor must defeat the pandemic to save his legacy. The time is running out

Angela Merkel is fighting against the clock to defeat the coronavirus before resigning in September. She has many things against her. Germany is struggling to contain the latest pandemic wave, and an influential medical association has warned that most of the country’s intensive care units are operating at or near full capacity. The number of Germans lost to the virus exceeded 80,000 yesterday.

Why many in the Colombian migrant community want to give up the vaccine

Most of the 2 million Venezuelans living in Colombia have arrived in recent years after fleeing the economic crisis in their home country. They are not fully integrated into Colombian society, which can make it difficult to track and contact them for programs such as vaccine launches.

Many do not have ID cards or health insurance; others live in Colombia without proper documentation or work informally. Several Venezuelan migrants told CNN that the precariousness of their lives is a concern about the Covid-19 vaccine. But he is not the only one.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Johnson & Johnson said blood clots have been reported in all Covid-19 vaccines – but the author of the study they cited says he was wrong.
  • The Biden administration will allocate $ 150 million from the US rescue plan to increase Covid’s response in vulnerable and disadvantaged areas.
  • Greece has raised quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers and those who tested negative for Covid-19 from Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • A two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand opened on Monday. But Australia says it is “in no hurry” to unlock the borders for other visitors.
  • Seven otters at the Georgia Aquarium tested positive for coronavirus after showing “mild respiratory symptoms, including sneezing, a crooked nose, mild lethargy and coughing.” Despite being geriatric, they are improving and expecting to fully recover, the aquarium said.
The Georgia Aquarium said it tested its small-clawed Asian otters after showing symptoms.

TIP OF MORE TODAY

As more people receive Covid-19 vaccines, you may be wondering if hearing live music in person is safe.

The risk of transmission increases when people are close to crowds or indoors and when those places are poorly ventilated, the CDC said. If you decide to attend a concert, here’s what you should know.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“At each level, this is unprecedented. Packing 1,170 doses, dry ice, ultra-cold storage, mixing with thinner, the three different vaccination schemes, with different days.” – Claire Hannan, Immunization Managers Association

CNN’s chief medical officer, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, talks to Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, about how the United States has transformed its vaccine launch. Listen now.

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