More than 186 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 4 million infected people have died. About 3.4 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that the lockdown of Greater Sydney will most likely have to be extended beyond July 16. 77 new cases of the virus were recorded in the Australian state of New South Wales on Sunday (7/11), the highest number during the recent resurgence. The total number of Delta cases now stands at 566. The constituent state also recorded its first death since December – a woman in her 90s who acquired the virus in her home and was not vaccinated. In Australia, just under ten percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The development of the Delta virus outbreak also means that plans for an Australia-Singapore border opening have been postponed until at least the end of the year, Australia’s trade minister said.
Belgian woman dies after infection
A 90-year-old woman died after becoming infected with two different strains of Covid-19, highlighting another risk in the fight against the disease, Belgian researchers said. In the first peer-reviewed analysis of an infection with multiple strains, the scientists found that the woman had become infected with both the alpha variant and the beta strain. The infections likely came from different individuals, according to a report published Saturday (July 10) and presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. The woman was admitted to a Belgian hospital in March after a series of falls and tested positive for Covid-19 the same day. She lived alone, was cared for at home, and had not been vaccinated. Her respiratory symptoms worsened rapidly and she died five days later.
Cuba is granting emergency approval to Abdala, a vaccine it developed itself. The vaccine showed 92.28 percent effectiveness in Phase III testing, the state-run Center for the Control of Medicines and Medical Devices (Cecmed) announced Friday (July 9). This makes Abdala the first vaccine against coronavirus developed and approved in Latin America.
Due to a sharp increase in infections in the Netherlands, Parliament interrupted its just-begun summer recess and convened for a special session. It was scheduled on Saturday (10. 7.) for next Wednesday. Earlier, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge sounded the alarm. According to the state health institute RIVM, 10 345 new infections were detected in the Netherlands between Friday and Saturday, up from just under 7000 a day earlier and 1100 on Saturday last week. In light of this development, the country has again tightened a series of Corona measures. Clubs and discos have had to remain closed again since Saturday, and restaurants are closed at midnight. Also festivals and other large events, where no safety distance can be guaranteed, are now again prohibited.
Despite again rising Corona infection figures in various countries, the summer vacations in Europe are not in danger according to the assessment of the EU Commission. Economic Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told Funke Mediengruppe newspapers on Saturday (July 10) that Europeans must now beware of getting too excited and avoid overreacting. Because of the progress of vaccination campaigns, the situation this summer is different from a year ago, he said. Thanks to vaccinations, higher numbers do not automatically lead to a more dangerous situation. Despite the particularly contagious delta variant, a strong vacation season is possible, he said. The Italian EU commissioner warned against unilateral unjustified travel restrictions by individual member states. Personal behavior and vaccinations are more important, he said.
The government in Malta has tightened regulations on entry into the country following a significant increase in the number of infections. From Wednesday next week, travelers will have to show proof of vaccination, Health Minister Chris Fearne said at a press conference on Friday afternoon (9/7). Children traveling with their parents would need a negative PCR test. Malta currently accepts the EU digital vaccination certificate and the British National Health Service (NHS) Corona passport, as well as the Maltese Corona vaccination certificate for entry. This makes the Maltese government one of the first in Europe to make vaccination against Covid-19 a requirement to enter the country. Previously, only tourists from the United Kingdom had to prove that they had been vaccinated. For EU citizens, a negative PCR test was sufficient.
— source: nzz.ch/picture: pixabay.com
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