New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 4.1 crore cases and more than 11 lakh deaths.
Japan is expected to record fewer births in 2021 after it witnessed a drop in pregnancies this year. New Yorkers prepare for a possible second wave after a surge of cases and universities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape record infections in students after they attended parties.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
With pandemic affecting pregnancies, Japan to expect fewer babies in 2021
Japan’s health ministry has revealed that the country expects to witness a drop in the birth of newborns in 2021. This is because the number of pregnancies reported across the country has reduced by 11.4 per cent in three months since May compared to a year earlier, reports The Japan Times.
“The tally underscores fears that the pandemic will worsen the nation’s already low birth rate, with the number of newborns hitting a record low of 8,65,000 last year. If the current trend continues, there could be fewer than 8,00,000 babies born next year,” notes the report.
Japan has recorded 93,933 cases of Covid-19 and 1,679 deaths.
Also read: 1 million people travelled by air this Sunday — a promising sign of post-Covid times
New Yorkers prepare for possible second wave of Covid-19
New York has now recorded its first ‘notable’ increase in infections ever since the first wave of infections subsided, reports The New York Times.
As a result, City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo have announced lockdowns in some spots in Brooklyn and Queens.
“The increases have rattled many people in those neighbourhoods and beyond, reminding them of the dark days of March and April when it was impossible to meet friends, eat out at a restaurant, go to church or visit parents. Some New Yorkers see the rise in cases as a harbinger, the footfalls that announce an intruder’s arrival,” states the report.
New York has recorded 5,24,573 cases of Covid-19 and 33,523 deaths.
Universities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape record rising Covid cases
The Eastern Cape department of health in South Africa announced Thursday that 30 students from the East London campus had tested positive for the virus after they attended a party, reports Mail and Guardian.
Furthermore, a joint statement from the University of Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu University has also revealed that 26 students contracted the virus in their campuses.
“The two vice-chancellors (from UFH and WSU) said that they were worried about the rising numbers of cases among students at their East London campuses over the past two weeks,” says the report.
South Africa has recorded 7,08,359 cases of Covid-19 and 18,741 deaths.
Turkey announces human trials for locally made Covid-19 vaccine
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that human trials for a Covid-19 vaccine made in Turkey will begin in the next two weeks, reports Daily Sabah.
Last month, the country’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca had announced that there were a total of 13 vaccines being developed by scientists in Turkey. They were also working on 10 projects, which were trying to develop drugs against Covid-19.
“The president did not name which vaccines will be in the human trial phase within weeks, but media reports say two vaccines developed by Erciyes University in the central province of Kayseri and another by private company Kocak Farma were close to human trials,” notes the report.
Turkey has recorded 3,53,426 cases of Covid-19 and 9,513 deaths.
Spain becomes first European country to record more than 1 million cases
On Wednesday evening, Spain became the first country in Europe to record more than a million infections, reports The Guardian.
“The unwelcome landmark comes as the Spanish government mulls a curfew and as political bickering and grandstanding threaten to jeopardise the country’s efforts to tame the second wave of this virus,” according to the report.
Spain has recorded 10,46,641 cases of Covid-19 and 34,366 deaths.
Also read: AstraZeneca trial volunteer in Brazil who died had been given placebo, not Covid vaccine
Australia’s Victoria to conduct ‘whole household’ approach of contact tracing
The coronavirus contact tracing set up in Victoria, Australia will change its approach to ‘whole household’. This move came after a ‘misunderstanding’ led to a highly infectious student attending school, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
The student attended school after his parents misunderstood the authorities, who had cleared some members of the household but not all. This led to an outbreak, which has forced over 500 people to isolate themselves.
“At least 16 people across six households in the northern suburbs have tested positive to the virus, but about 400 people connected to both schools have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days,” says the report.
“Jeroen Weimar, Victoria’s commander of testing said the situation had prompted authorities to move towards a whole household case management approach, rather than dealing with cases individually,” it added.
Australia has recorded 27,458 cases of Covid-19 and 905 deaths.
What else we are reading:
Coronavirus crisis has intensified UK’s wealth divide, data reveals: The Guardian
Larger dorms to be audited weekly in new MOM programme to reduce Covid-19 spread: The Straits Times