News24.com | FACTBOX | India struggles with Covid-19: Here’s the latest on the global spread of the coronavirus

03 May

FACTBOX | India struggles with Covid-19: Here's the latest on the global spread of the coronavirus 0:00 play article Subscribers can listen to this article

Covid-19 is rampaging through India which reported more than 300 000 infections per day.
France allowed people over 18 to get the vaccine.
The Indian variant was detected in Uganda.

Several states in India have run out of Covid-19 vaccines, exacerbating a dire second wave of infections that has left hospitals and morgues overflowing while families scramble for scarce medicines and oxygen.

LIVE | All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updates

A forum of scientific advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters.

Europe

* The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 9 160 to 3 425 982, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.

* Ukraine has signed a contract with Pfizer for an additional 10 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, bringing the total number of doses to 20 million, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said on Saturday.

* All people in France aged 18 and over will be able to get Covid-19 vaccines from 15 June onward.

* Spain is extending the gap between the first and second doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine to 16 weeks for people aged under 60, going beyond the 12-week maximum interval approved by European authorities.

* Russia recorded more than 400 000 excess deaths from last April to this March during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Reuters calculations.

Asia-Pacific

* India on Monday reported more than 300 000 new coronavirus cases for a twelfth straight day, taking its overall caseload to just shy of 20 million, while deaths from Covid-19 rose by 3 417.

* Liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes are being diverted away from ports in India as surging coronavirus cases there hamper domestic gas demand, trade and shipping sources said on Monday.

* Taiwan will bar from Tuesday the entry of people who have been to India over the previous 14 days, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said, the latest place to enforce curbs on travel from coronavirus-battered India.

* Thailand reported a new daily record of 31 coronavirus deaths, the health ministry said, as the Southeast Asian country grapples with a third wave of infections.

* Japan's western prefecture of Osaka confirmed a record daily total of 1 262 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, along with 41 deaths, national broadcaster NHK reported.

Americas

* US President Joe Biden is expected to impose new travel restrictions on India starting Tuesday, barring most non-US citizens from entering the United States, a White House official told Reuters.

Middle East and Africa

* Uganda has detected the Indian variant, stirring fears the East African nation could suffer a resurgence of cases just when its outbreak has waned, a senior health official said.

Medical developments

* A single dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine may not generate a sufficient immune response to protect against dominant new variants, except in people who have already been infected with Covid-19, according to a UK study.

* The World Health Organisation expects to release its assessments for emergency use listing of the two main Chinese vaccines for Covid-19 as well as the Moderna shot by the end of next week, WHO Assistant Director-General Mariangela Simao said.

Economic impact

* Asian share markets got off to a slow start on Monday as holidays in China and Japan crimped volumes and investors awaited a raft of data this week which should show the US leading a global economic recovery.

* The economies of Germany, Portugal, Spain and Italy contracted in the first quarter, data showed, as restrictions to curb a third wave of coronavirus stifled output.

Do you want to know more about this topic? Sign up for one of News24's 33 newsletters to receive the information you want in your inbox. Special newsletters are available to subscribers.

Next on News24 Myanmar rebel group says it shot down military helicopter

03 May

Most Read For Subscribers

Newsletters

The Weekly

Newsletter editor Alet Law guides you through our most interesting and insightful stories to give you a well-rounded view of the week that was.

See all newsletters Six people strike lucky in the Daily Lotto jackpot Full list of lottery results Lockdown For DAYS HRS MINS Is social media doing more harm than good? Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later. Yes, our children are exposed and we can't protect them 49% – 2071 votes Yes, but social media is part of the new reality 45% – 1912 votes No, it's great for growing a child's world view 5% – 221 votes Vote PODCAST | MISSING MATTHEW EPISODE 3: Decades of false starts add to a family's despair

26 Dec 2020

PODCAST | MISSING MATTHEW EPISODE 2: False hopes and dead ends, but mother's search continues

19 Dec 2020

MISSING MATTHEW | A podcast series delving into the disappearance of 9-year-old Matthew Ohlsson

14 Jan

PODCAST | MISSING MATTHEW: 23 years without answers – 'a missing child is worse than a dead child'

12 Dec 2020

PODCAST | POLITICS UNMUTED: Reflections on the year that was

11 Dec 2020

PODCAST | POLITICS UNMUTED: Is government ready to deal with the second wave of infections?

04 Dec 2020

Currencies Commodities Jse Indexes USD/ZAR 14.49 (+0.7) GBP/ZAR 20.10 (+0.3) EUR/ZAR 17.39 (+0.1) AUD/ZAR 11.18 (+0.0) JPY/ZAR 0.13 (+0.3) Gold 1,787.28 (-0.3) Silver 26.89 (-0.1) Platinum 1,242.50 (+0.8) Brent Crude 67.56 (+1.2) Palladium 2,990.51 (+0.6) All Share 67,058 (+0.7) Top 40 61,242 (+0.8) Financial 15 12,243 (+0.8) Industrial 25 85,652 (+0.1) Resource 10 69,690 (+1.6) All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes FEEL GOOD | Cape Town brothers dig deep to help supply local feeding projects