New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic still has no end in sight with the virus continuing to wreak havoc across the globe. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1.06 crore cases have been reported and more than 2.3 lakh people have succumbed to the virus.
Today, ThePrint offers five hand-picked, interesting stories to keep you up to date with the virus.
Mexico’s vaccination drive began with a rather ‘disastrous’ launch. The United Kingdom variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly through the United States and South Africa paused the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a study revealed it offered minimum protection against the South Africa variant.
Mexico’s vaccination drive starts with a ‘disastrous’ launch
The Mexican government had launched a website for citizens to be able to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. Millions of Mexicans, over 60 years of age, tried to register for the vaccine but they were met by ‘an error message for days on end’, reports The Guardian.
The report states that Mexico’s ‘disastrous’ launch comes at a ‘bad time’ since the country’s daily Covid-19 toll crossed 1,000 cases in January. Furthermore, hospital beds, oxygen tanks and incubation drugs have been in short supply.
Mexico has recorded 19,32,145 cases of Covid-19 and 1,66,200 deaths.
Also read: China’s Covid vaccine drive is falling behind US, Europe
UK variant of Covid spreading through the US
According to new research published on Sunday, the United Kingdom variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly across the US. It is outcompeting other strains with an increased prevalence, reports The Washington Post.
This variant has shown to be more contagious than the earlier virus. Some experts predict that it may even be more lethal, although that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
“Florida stands out in the study as the state with the highest estimated prevalence of the variant,” says the report.
USA has recorded 2,76,11,403 cases of Covid-19 and 4,74,933 deaths.
South Africa pauses AstraZeneca vaccine rollout
On Sunday, health officials in South Africa announced that they were pausing the AstraZeneca vaccine’s rollout in the country. This came after a study revealed that the vaccine offered reduced protection from the South Africa variant of the coronavirus, reports CNN.
Health Minister Dr Zewli Mkhize said that this would be a temporary pause in the rollout, until scientists find an ‘effective’ way to distribute the vaccine.
“The study, which has not been released, included about 2,000 volunteers who were an average of 31 years old; about half received the vaccine and half received placebo,” said the report.
South Africa has recorded 14,76,135 cases of Covid-19 and 46,290 deaths.
Osaka may end state of emergency early as drop recorded in Covid cases
The Japanese government had earlier declared a state of emergency from 7 to 10 March. However, given the drop in coronavirus cases, some governors are expected to ask the state of emergency to be lifted earlier, reports The Japan Times.
“One of Osaka’s standards for asking the central government to lift the state of emergency for the prefecture is for the daily average of new cases in the past seven days to stay below 300 for a week,” said the report.
Japan has recorded 4,03,435 cases of Covid-19 and 6,338 deaths.
‘Hug tent’ in Australia lets elderly engage in a safe embrace
A ‘hug tent’ has been set up outside Juniper Village, Louisville where elderly people can embrace their loved ones, while wearing plastic sleeves separated by a 4 mil plastic sheeting, reports The Age.
“Since the pandemic hit, similar tents have popped up around the country and in places like Brazil and England, where some people call them ‘cuddle curtains’,” said the report.
Australia has recorded 28,857 cases of Covid-19 and 909 deaths.
What else we are reading:
Greek PM criticised for lunch that breached Covid restrictions: The Guardian
Where do vaccines doses go, and who gets them? The algorithms decide: The New York Times
Also read: Too much turmeric, methi, vitamin D — Doctors fight new emergencies driven by Covid fear