Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for March 21, 2021

Photographer: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

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As more people get the Covid-19 vaccine in Australia and around the world, authorities may consider reducing quarantine requirements and allowing travelers to be isolated at home.

Still, coronavirus infections remain difficult to combat in other parts of the world, such as Brazil, where the death toll has risen for four weeks in a row. In the US, New York announced the first case in which the virus variant triggered the outbreak.

A report by scientists, scheduled for release this week, will say China’s thriving wildlife trade is the most likely source of the coronavirus that changed the world last year.

Main Developments:

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Australia may review quarantine measures (8:58 AM HK)

Brendan Murphy, Secretary of the Department of Health, said that while a reduction in quarantine requirements was Considered, the first step is to reduce domestic restrictions while ensuring that state borders are not closed.

“For example, we could think about shortening quarantine times, much more home quarantine, especially for vaccinated people,” Murphy said on Sky News’s Sunday Agenda. “Our risk tolerance will change in the second half of this year.”

Still, the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine is on in Australia hindered by torrential rains and flooding, forcing residents along the coast of New South Wales, including parts of Sydney, to evacuate. The government has already been criticized for poor organization and a slower-than-expected start to the roll-out of vaccines.

Duke University Relieves Lockdown (8:14 AM HK)

Duke University will on Sunday, softened a “ stay-in-place ” injunction it imposed on all students on March 14 following a serious outbreak related to events at fraternities and sororities.

In a letter to students on Saturday, the school in Durham, North Carolina, said the number of new cases had dropped, although it did not provide details. In the week leading up to its closure, the university reported a total of 231 cases, almost the same number as the entire semester last semester. The facilitation allows students on campus to return to classes and leave their dormitories, but have been asked not to leave campus.

NCAA Faces Cancellation (8:06 am HK)

Positive Covid-19 tests at Virginia Commonwealth University force the 10th-seeded team in the West region out of the NCAA basketball tournament, the New York Times reported.

While organizers continued with the tournament, even as contagion numbers increased and protocols adopted, the dropout of a team was a worst-case scenario for the sports organization, which is expected to earn $ 850 million in television revenue from the tournament. newspaper.

Brazil Cases Rise for Fifth Week (7:30 am HK)

In Brazil, more than half a million cases per week were exceeded for the second time in a row, reaching a maximum of a week marked by record daily deaths and infections.

Latin America’s largest country added about 79,000 cases, bringing the total for the seven days through Saturday to 510,901 – the fifth consecutive week up. During the previous rise, weekly cases peaked at 379,000 in early January, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

The number of deaths per week rose by nearly 3,000 to a record 15,650, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. With nearly 12 million cases and about 292,000 deaths, Brazil lags behind the US alone in both respects.

Covid Origin Report May Point to Wildlife (7:10 am HK)

Scientists tracing the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic believe they have identified a possible transmission source: China’s thriving wildlife and plant trade.

The long-awaited findings of experts convened by the World Health Organization and the Chinese government are expected to show parallels to the 2002 release of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, a bat-borne coronavirus spread by civets that kills 800 people. have come to life. The path that SARS-CoV-2 walked – as the new coronavirus is known – before emerging in central China in December 2019 remains a mystery, although it can be solved, according to researchers.

Miami Beach Crashes Over Spring Break (5:05 p.m. NY)

Miami Beach imposed a 8 p.m. curfew and other restrictions to end what authorities say was overwhelming during Spring Break in the US. The curfew lasts a minimum of 72 hours and applies to the main streets with bars, restaurants and clubs. The city previously imposed a curfew at midnight.

Mayor Dan Gelber said at a press conference that the crowds seemed greater than previous years as fewer places were open for spring break due to Covid-19 and cheap airfares.

“There are just too many times when we hope that something terrible won’t happen,” he said. “We cannot bear that as a community.”

NY reports first case of variant in Brazil (4:40 pm NY)

The first case of the more transmissible coronavirus variant first found in Brazil has been reported in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. The patient is from Brooklyn, over 90 years old and has no travel history, he said.

The variant is contributing to a renewed outbreak in Brazil. In the US, there are 48 known cases of the P.1 variant in 15 jurisdictions, with 21 cases in Florida alone, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

France wants full Astra delivery (3.20 pm NY)

France supports the EU’s threat to use all available instruments to obtain planned deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine, junior EU affairs minister Clement Beaune told BFM TV, though he warned that any legal proceedings could take months.

While the EU exports vaccines to the UK, European officials suspect that some UK-made vaccines originally intended to be delivered to the EU will remain in the UK.

He also said approval of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in Europe could take place in April or May. In France, about 9% of the population has received at least one injection of vaccine and 3.6% received both injections.

Florida Taps 2 Million Cases (2:56 PM NY)

Florida passed 2 million cases on Saturday, the third state to do so after California and Texas. New cases have recently leveled off after a sharp drop following a holiday wave. On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis said he would be eligible for the vaccine for all people 50 and older starting Monday.

Anti-lockdown protests hit Europe (2:20 pm NY)

Anti-lockdown protests were held in Germany, Britain, Austria, Finland, Romania and Switzerland on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Demonstrations have also been reported in Sweden’s three largest cities.

More than 20,000 people defied a court ban from demonstrating in the central German city of Kassel, German news agency DPA reported. Some protesters attacked officers and several journalists, DPA said.

At least 33 people were arrested in central London, mainly for violating Covid restrictions, the Metropolitan Police said on Twitter. The protests around Piccadilly Circus were bigger than the police expected, the BBC said.

Brazil Says It Discusses Vaccines With US (1:55 p.m. NY)

Brazil is negotiating “to import vaccines from the surplus available in the United StatesThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Saturday. The Biden administration said earlier this week that it plans to send about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine to neighboring Mexico and Canada.

White House press officer Jen Psaki said at the time that the US government has about 7 million available doses of the vaccine, which has not yet been approved for use in the US. to assess how we can borrow doses, ”she said. She added that any loans have not been “fully completed.”

The outbreak in Brazil has deteriorated dramatically, breaking records for most cases and deaths earlier this week.

Mumbai Moves To Mandatory Tests (10:31 am NY)