New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause havoc across the globe, with the latest count being 1.76 crore cases and 38 lakh deaths.
The health minister of Sindh province in Pakistan has already started to caution against a possible fourth wave in the country, Indonesia has begun to see a spike in cases, and is attributing it to the Delta variant. Haiti, in the meantime, is also dealing with a sharp surge in cases but is yet to vaccinate a single citizen.
Here are some updates on the pandemic from around the world:
Sindh minister sounds alarm for 4th wave in Pakistan
Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho cautioned all district administrators to prepare well against a possible fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan, reports Dawn.
Pechuho said the Covid situation in the country could get critical again as new variants, including the Delta strain first found in India, was discovered in the country. She directed district officials to keep this in mind and expedite the country’s vaccination drive.
The minister also added that the government should allow only those factories to open that have ensured the vaccination of its workers. She also issued a warning that the government will take action against officials who fail to meet their vaccine targets.
Pakistan has reported 9,42,189 coronavirus cases and 21,723 deaths so far.
Also read: Pakistan’s economy can come alive if it addresses the problem of ‘dead capital’
Haiti struggles to contain Covid without vaccinations
The poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti, is reeling under a deadly wave of coronavirus. The nation’s leading newspaper is full of obituaries and hospitals are over capacity, reports The New York Times.
In the past two weeks, according to data collected by NYT, the country’s daily count of Covid cases has doubled to 153. While that is a very small number for a country with 11.5 million people, the fear is that the nation is severely under-reporting its cases.
Another problem is that Haiti hasn’t administered a single dose of coronavirus vaccine yet.
Carissa Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, said the situation in Haiti was “a cautionary tale in just how quickly things can change with this virus”.
Haiti had reported 16,356 coronavirus cases and 352 deaths so far.
Jakarta Covid cases rise 50%, courtesy Delta variant
Jakarta might go into a strict lockdown again, as new coronavirus cases surged 50 per cent amid a rise of infections caused by the Delta variant, reports The Straits Times.
Active cases in Jakarta rose to 17,400 cases on 13 June from 11,500 on 6 June, according to the report.
The Delta variant, first detected in India, has started to dominate cases in many Indonesian cities such as Kudus in Central Java and Jakarta.
Indonesia has reported 19,11,358 coronavirus cases and 52,879 deaths so far.
Also read: Indonesia finds China’s Sinovac 100% effective against death in 28-day real world study
9 out of 10 hospitalised patients in Dubai not vaccinated
A senior health official in Dubai has said nine out of ten hospitalised or intensive care patients in Dubai are the ones who haven’t taken the coronavirus vaccine yet, reports Gulf News.
“Studies have shown that the vast majority of Covid-19 infections are detected among those who did not receive the vaccine,” Dr Alawi Al Sheikh Ali, Deputy Director General of Dubai Health Authority (DHA). He added that eight out of ten who have tested positive, recently, are also the ones who did not get the vaccine.
According to Alawi, 83 per cent of Dubai’s target groups and eligible people have taken the vaccine, while 64 per cent have taken the first dose.
The UAE has reported 5,97,986 coronavirus cases and 1,726 deaths so far.
What else we’re reading:
Open for business? The trouble with bringing down China’s coronavirus travel barriers: South China Morning Post
J&J to scrap about 60 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine: Washington Post
Also read: Why compulsory Covid vaccination may not be such a bad idea