NEW DELHI – India has tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial as it prepares to roll out a vaccination program to stop the coronavirus pandemic.
Saturday’s exercise included entering data on an online platform for vaccine release tracking, along with testing of cold storage and transport arrangements for the vaccine.
The massive exercise came a day after a government-appointed panel of experts held a meeting to review applications from potential vaccine candidates, including leader Covishield, developed by Oxford University and UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca.
The government plans to inoculate 300 million people in the first phase of the vaccination program, including health and front-line workers, police and military forces, and people with underlying medical conditions over 50 years old.
India has confirmed more than 10.3 million cases of coronavirus, second in the world to the US. More than 149,000 people have died in India, third after the US (347,000) and Brazil (195,000).
___
THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
India, which plans to vaccinate 300 million people in the first phase, has tested its coronavirus vaccine delivery system with nationwide trial of storage and delivery. Meanwhile, Tokyo government, Yuriko Koike, is asking the national government to declare a “state of emergency” to contain the rapidly rising coronavirus “in the name of appreciating life.” Tokyo reported a daily record of 1,337 cases on New Year’s Eve and concerns are mounting ahead of the July Olympics. In Italy, the elderly defy stereotypes that they need care and protection during the pandemic and that many are key figures.
California kicked off the new year with a record 585 coronavirus deaths in one day as infections increase and hospitals are reaching their capacity. Texas reported a record for hospital admissions for the fifth consecutive day. On New Year’s Day, there were 12,481 COVID-19 patients, an increase of over 1,750 compared to a week ago.
___
Follow AP’s reporting at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
HERE’S WHAT ELSE HAPPENS:
TOKYO – Officials in Tokyo and three nearby prefectures have asked the national government to declare a state of emergency to stem the rising spread of the coronavirus.
“In the name of appreciating life, we have made this plea together,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said after meeting with the minister responsible for coronavirus measures on Saturday, along with governors of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
Japan has seen a recent rise in the number of reported cases of the coronavirus, especially in urban areas. Tokyo had fallen a daily record of 1,337 on New Year’s Eve.
There is concern about hosting the Olympics in July, with 11,000 Olympic athletes set to enter Japan, as well as tens of thousands of officials and media.
“Corona has no calendar,” says Koike. “Hospitals are getting full, affecting medical care for everyone.”
Japan has never had a lockdown and tried to juggle the need to keep the economy going with health risks. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been criticized for what some see as his wrong approach to the pandemic. Japan has more than 3,500 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus.
___
BERLIN – The CEO of Germany-based tour operator TUI predicts a “largely normal summer” in 2021 as more and more people are vaccinated against the corona virus.
TUI chief Fritz Joussen told the Saturday edition of the daily newspaper Rheinische Post that the company’s market research shows “that people have an enormous desire to be able to make beautiful journeys again after the difficult corona period.”
He said that “we expect a mostly normal summer.” However, he added that the company will only offer about 80% of the flights it did in pre-pandemic years “to achieve optimal occupancy”.
Re-emerging coronavirus infections in the fall and winter have led to national and regional restrictions on travel and hotel stays, along with quarantine requirements, largely halting tourism in Europe after some sort of resurgence last summer.
The vaccinations started in Europe last month, but it will be some time before they have a significant impact on the situation.
___
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea extends strict rules on remote controls for another two weeks as authorities try to suppress a resurgence of viruses, while simultaneously addressing the first case of an apparently more contagious variant of coronavirus discovered in South Africa. to confirm.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said on Saturday that the second-highest level of waiver rules for the Seoul region will remain in effect until January 17. He says the third highest level of restrictions will remain in other areas until then.
The curbs banned social gatherings of more than five people and personal religious services. The government will require foreigners entering South Korea to submit negative virus test results starting January 8.
___
LONDON – The UK government is facing growing calls to keep all schools in England closed for at least two weeks due to rising coronavirus cases following another sudden policy reversal.
The call from the National Education Union, which represents more than 450,000 members working in schools, came after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson changed course and said all schools for younger students in London should remain closed next week as the capital struggles with a high rate of infections.
Mary Bousted, the union’s joint head, said the decision was “absolutely necessary,” but condemned the government for originally planning to reopen some schools in areas where new infections were high.
The UK is in the midst of a sharp spike in new coronavirus cases, many of which have blamed a new virus variant that is said to be up to 70% more contagious.
___
LOS ANGELES – California kicked off the new year with a record 585 deaths from coronavirus in one day.
The State Department of Public Health said on Friday that more than 47,000 new confirmed cases have been reported, bringing the total to more than 2.29 million.
Hospitals across the state ended the year on “the brink of catastrophe,” a health official said as the pandemic pushed deaths and illness to dizzying levels and some medical centers rushed to deliver oxygen to the seriously ill.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office announced Friday that California would partner with the US Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and upgrade legacy oxygen delivery systems at six Los Angeles hospitals.
The collaboration is because older hospitals are struggling to maintain oxygen pressure in aging infrastructure, and some rushed to find additional oxygen tanks for discharged patients to take home.
California became the third state this week with more than 25,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic outbreak.
___
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas set a new record for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 for the fifth consecutive day on Friday, in a continued increase in coronavirus disease following vacation meetings and travel.
Texas reported 12,481 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals on New Year’s Day, an increase of more than 1,750 from a week ago.
State health officials on Friday reported 12,369 new, confirmed cases of the virus and another 3,658 probable cases.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, intensive care units in various parts of Texas were full or nearly full.
The stark number has continued to rise as some Texans gathered to celebrate the New Year, despite warnings from health officials that the council is likely to continue spreading the virus.
—-
CARSON CITY, Nevada – Nevada reported 2,315 other known COVID-19 cases on Friday, along with 21 additional deaths from the coronavirus.
State totals since the start of the pandemic have risen to 227,046 cases and 3,146 deaths.
Seven-day moving averages of daily new cases and daily deaths in Nevada have declined over the past two weeks. This is shown by data from Johns Hopkins University and the COVID Tracking Project.
The rate of infections is believed to be much higher than reported because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can be infected with the virus without feeling ill.
—-
LONDON – British medical authorities warn that hospitals across the country are experiencing a few dangerous weeks amid escalating new coronavirus infections attributed to a new virus variant.
Concerns are growing about the already-stretched National Health Service’s ability to handle the projected increase in the number of people seeking treatment for COVID-19.
Field hospitals built in the early days of the pandemic but then mothballed are being reactivated.
The English director of the Royal College of Nursing says the UK is in the ‘eye of the storm’.
More than 55,280 new infections and a further 613 deaths were recorded Friday, putting the UK on track to once again overtake Italy as Europe’s worst hit country during the pandemic.
The spike in new cases is said to be due to a new, more contagious variant of the virus first identified around London and southeast England.
___