New Delhi: The Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world. The latest count is more than 16,75,33,334 cases and 34,78,523 deaths.
Mexico reports its lowest daily count of Covid-19 deaths in over a year, Wales eases care home visiting restrictions for the elderly and more.
ThePrint brings you some stories from around the world on the pandemic to keep you updated.
Mexico reports lowest daily Covid-19 death toll in over a year
Mexico registered 50 new deaths from Covid-19 Sunday — the lowest daily increase reported in over a year, reports Reuters.
The last time the country reported figures this low was on 26 April, 2020. That said, separate government data indicates that the death toll could be at least 60 per cent above the confirmed figure.
On average in May, 31 per cent of the world’s Covid-19 deaths have been in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is home to 8.4 per cent of the global population.
Doctors and epidemiologists have criticised governments in the region. “Instead of preparing for the pandemic, we minimized the disease, saying the tropical heat would deactivate the virus,” said Dr. Francisco Moreno Sanchez, head of the Covid-19 programme at one of Mexico’s main hospitals.
Mexico has reported 23,96,604 and 2,21,647 deaths.
As Olympics nears, Japan opens mass vaccination centres
With the Olympic Games set to begin in two months, Japan is ramping up its vaccination drive by setting up the two mass inoculation centers in Tokyo and Osako Monday, reports Associated Press.
The objective of these centres, staffed by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, is to provide vaccinations to up to 10,000 people per day in Tokyo and another 5,000 per day in Osaka for the next three months.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is keen on holding the Olympics in Tokyo after a one-year delay, recently pledged to vaccinate the country’s 36 million elderly population by the end of July. A state of emergency in view of Covid-19 has been in place in Tokyo and nine other areas since late April.
Japan has registered 7,14,274 cases and 12,236 deaths.
Wales eases care home visiting restrictions for the elderly
In a set of revised guidelines by the Welsh government, anyone is allowed to visit care home residents but only two people at a time, reports BBC.
First Minister Mark Drakeford, who leads the government, remarked that the changes would “improve the quality of life for residents and their families”.
The earlier guidelines, which have been in place since the pandemic began, only allowed two designated visitors to make visits indoors. In February, relatives and family members criticised the ban on visiting care home residents as ‘barbaric’.
The new guidelines have been announced in view of a decline in Covid-19 cases. The country has also made strides in its vaccine roll-out with almost a third of the Welsh population having received the full dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Wales has recorded 2,12,434 cases and 5,566 deaths.
Israel to reopen movie theatres this week after over a year
According to a plan soon to be announced by the Health Ministry, movie theatres in Israel are expected to reopen Thursday, reports Haaretz. This means cinema halls will be opening their doors after nearly 14 months since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
The Health Ministry’s prior regulations drew criticism from private movie theatre owners who argued that demanding proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test from movie-goers was not economically practical.
The Israeli government’s new plan is expected to allow children — a significant section of consumers — to enter cinema halls with occupancy limits.
Israel has recorded 8,39,319 cases and 6,404 deaths.
What else we are reading:
Do fake Covid-19 vaccine arrests in China herald global crime wave?: South China Morning Post
Pfizer Covid vaccine for children in Dubai: Who are not eligible: Khaleej Times
Also read: This country’s vaccine troubles could turn into a global shortage of semiconductors