|
 Oxygen supplies run low in India
Indian authorities scrambled to shore up supplies of medical oxygen
to hospitals in the capital, New Delhi, on Wednesday as a
fast-spreading second wave of coronavirus cases stretched medical
infrastructure to breaking point, officials and doctors said.
India, the world's second most populous country after China, is
reporting the highest global number of new daily cases and is
approaching a peak of about 297,000 cases in one day that the United
States hit in January.
The latest date released by the health ministry showed there had
been 295,041 new infections nationwide overnight and 2,023 deaths,
India's highest in the pandemic.
J&J to resume rollout of vaccine in Europe
Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would resume rolling out its
COVID-19 vaccine in Europe after the region's medical regulator said
the benefits of the shot outweigh the risk of very rare, potentially
lethal blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency on Tuesday recommended adding a
warning about rare blood clots with low blood platelet count to the
vaccine's product label.
Protesters gather in Germany
Demonstrators gathered in Berlin on Wednesday to protest against a
law that parliament is set to pass giving the national government
the power to impose lockdowns on areas with high coronavirus
infection rates.
Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to draw up the new law, which
opponents say curtails personal freedoms, after some of Germany's 16
federal states refused to impose tough measures despite a surge in
cases.
The measures include curfews between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and limits
on private gatherings, sport and shop openings. Schools will close
and return to online lessons if the virus incidence exceeds 165
cases per 100,000 residents.
[to top of second column] |
 Roche looking for new place to
test COVID-19 pill
Roche is looking for another location to carry
out trials of its pill to fight COVID-19, after
plummeting case numbers in Britain made it
difficult to find enough patients for its study
there, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday.
Roche and Boston-based partner Atea
Pharmaceuticals are hoping their AT-527 pill
could offer an anti-viral therapy to treat
COVID-19 patients that would be easier to
administer and cheaper than other prospective
treatments, such as antibody cocktails or Gilead
Science's remdesivir.
Papua New Guinea passes 10,000 infections
The number of coronavirus infections in Papua
New Guinea exceeded 10,000 on Wednesday, an
alarming milestone for the Pacific country as
health officials worry that its fragile health
system is at risk of being overwhelmed.
PNG logged 245 new cases in the 24 hours to
midday on Tuesday, continuing a run of daily
increases of more than 200, putting its total at
10,197, although its tally of reported deaths
from the coronavirus was steady at 91.
In a departure from previous updates that showed
most new cases near the capital, Port Moresby,
the COVID-19 National Pandemic Response said the
new infections occurred in 17 of the country's
22 provinces, implying a broader spread.
(Compiled by Linda NoakesEditing by Gareth
Jones)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
