H5N1

COVID-19 in Brazil: 25,200 new cases, 889 deaths today

A screenshot from the CONASS PANEL | COVID-19 dashboard:

India COVID cases hold close to record highs as calls widen for national lockdown

Via Reuters: India COVID cases hold close to record highs as calls widen for national lockdown. Excerpt:

Indian coronavirus infections and deaths held close to record daily highs on Monday, increasing calls for the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lock down the world’s second-most populous country. 

The 366,161 new infections and 3,754 deaths reported by the health ministry were off a little from recent peaks, taking India’s tally to 22.66 million with 246,116 deaths as hospitals run out of oxygen and beds and morgues and crematoria overflow.

Experts have said India's actual figures could be far higher than reported. 

Sunday's 1.47 million tests for COVID-19 were this month's lowest yet, data from the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research showed. The figure compared with a daily average of 1.7 million for the first eight days of May. 

The number of positive results from the tests was not immediately clear, however. 

Many states have imposed strict lockdowns over the last month while others have placed curbs on movement and shut cinemas, restaurants, pubs and shopping malls. 

But pressure is mounting on Modi to announce a nationwide lockdown as he did during the first wave of infections last year. 

He is battling criticism for allowing huge gatherings at a religious festival and holding large election rallies during the past two months even as cases surged.

Vietnam: The outbreak grows

Via Mike Tatarski's excellent Vietnam Weekly: The Outbreak Grows. Excerpt:

Before Friday’s infection updates, the Ministry of Health had logged 120 local COVID-19 cases since this new wave began on April 29. That has now grown to 411 cases of community infection: 120 in Hanoi, 85 in Bac Ninh, 52 in Vinh Phuc and 37 in Bac Giang. Those neighboring provinces make up the bulk of cases, though Da Nang has turned into a hotspot of its own with 48 infections. 

Overall, cases have been found in 26 provinces and cities, while almost 60,000 people nationwide are in some form of quarantine due to exposure to known cases. 

Here in Ho Chi Minh City, the situation is still in good shape, though this week will be different since schools are now closed. 

One concerning aspect of this latest outbreak is its spread into medical facilities: at least 10 hospitals in Hanoi (including a public cancer hospital) and elsewhere are currently locked down. Hospital clusters are what made the Da Nang outbreak last fall so dangerous. In fact, all 35 of Vietnam’s COVID-19 deaths came from that. 

It’s been hard to keep track of exactly where all these cases came from, though we know that many are linked to foreign experts who tested positive after completing quarantine. A karaoke bar in Vinh Phuc has also been linked to a number of cases. 

Nationwide contact tracing is ongoing, and hundreds of direct and indirect contacts have been found for a known patient who went to Da Lat over the Reunification Day holiday - that city was absolutely packed at the time. 

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has warned of the dangers of this outbreak given the presence of different strains and also multiple initial infection points (the index patient hasn’t been found in some areas). 

In vaccine news, 851,513 Oxford/AstraZeneca doses have been injected, meaning the health ministry has used almost all of the 917,600 doses it has received thus far. There is no word on when more deliveries may arrive. Last Friday, Vietnam reported its first death related to the vaccine, a 35 year-old medical worker in An Giang Province. She died of anaphylaxis.

COVID-19 in Brazil: 38,911 new cases, 1,024 deaths today

A screenshot from the Conass dashboard:

While the case numbers are falling, the 7-day rolling average is still high at around 60,000:

Laos records first coronavirus death

Via the Vientiane Times: Laos records first coronavirus death. Excerpt:

A 53-year-old Vietnamese woman has died from coronavirus (Covid-19) in Laos, marking the first death from the virus recorded in the nation, the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control announced on Sunday. 

The woman, who worked at a karaoke club in Naxay village, Xaysettha district, Vientiane, had underlying medical issues including diabetes, which caused complications and worsened her condition in just a few days. Her death sparked further alarm about the virus and is prompting authorities to intensify their battle against the deadly disease. 

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Deputy Director General of the Department of Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Dr Bouathep Phoumin, said that unlike in 2020 many older people have contracted Covid-19. People who have existing health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are likely to be more affected and the severity of their symptoms can escalate rapidly. 

Dr Bouathep urged everyone who tests positive for Covid-19 and people in at-risk groups to be honest and give accurate information to health authorities so that their contacts can be traced. 

Laos’ first fatality from Covid-19 comes amid a rapid surge in infections since the Lao New Year holiday. On Sunday, 69 new cases were reported nationwide, bringing the total to 1,302.

COVID-19 in Brazil: 63,340 new cases, 2,202 deaths today

A screenshot from the Conass dashboard:

Brazil has now gone 10 weeks with over 400,000 cases per week. Its last week with deaths below 10,000 was week 8, the end of February:

Covid-induced black fungus cases on rise in Maharashtra, Gujarat: How deadly is it?

Via the Times of India: Covid-induced black fungus cases on rise in Maha, Gujarat: How deadly is it? Excerpt:

New Delhi: At least eight COVID-19 patients have lost vision in one eye due to mucormycosis, a rare and deadly fungal infection which has a mortality rate of over 50%.

The cases of mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, are on the rise in Maharashtra and Gujarat during the second wave of the pandemic.

Dr. Tatyarao Lahane, who heads the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), told PTI that cases of mucormycosis are on the rise and 200 patients are being treated in Maharashtra alone.

Here's all you need to know about this deadly infection...

What is mucormycosis?

It is a type of serious fungal infection that occurs most often in people with weakened immunity from an illness or chronic health condition.

Niti Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul had said that mucormycosis is caused by a fungus named mucor, which is found on wet surfaces.

Why are Covid survivors vulnerable to the infection?

In pre-Covid times, the ‘black fungus’ mucormycosis used to be rare and seen mainly in immunocompromised people. However, after the pandemic, three factors have led to an exponential rise — Covid itself, diabetes and abuse of steroids that lower immunity.

Dr Lahane said the fungal disease is already known but the cases are increasing because of Covid-19 related complications, wherein the use of steroids elevates the sugar level in blood while some medicines result in suppression of immunity of patients.

"In such a scenario, the black fungus infects the patient easily and spreads. If the fungus reaches the brain of the infected person, it can prove fatal. In one such case, one of the eyes of a patient had to be removed permanently to save his life," he said.

He said that Covid-19 patients with co-morbidities are also vulnerable and can catch the infection early.

What are the symptoms caused by the infection?

The infection typically starts growing from the nose, upper jaw and travels to the brain. Pain under the eyes, one-sided facial swelling, headache, fever, nasal or sinus congestion, black lesions on nasal bridge and partial vision loss are some of the common symptoms.

"Once it reaches the brain, it's almost a death sentence," a Mumbai-based doctor said.

4th wave of COVID-19 likely if Canada reopens too fast — and seasonal return may be inevitable

Via CBC News: 4th wave of COVID-19 likely if Canada reopens too fast — and seasonal return may be inevitable. Excerpt:

While Canada is still beating back its third wave of surging coronavirus cases, experts warn a fourth wave could strike at any time if restrictions are lifted too quickly — but there's hope rising vaccination rates and careful reopenings could prevent another dire surge. 

The potential for a fourth surge of cases comes as multiple provinces are still struggling to get case counts back down after the gruelling country-wide third wave started in March.  

In recent weeks, B.C. hit record-high intensive care admissions, Alberta reported the highest case rate in Canada, and Ontario has been struggling to boost hospital capacity amid an overwhelming level of COVID-19 admissions by transferring patients across the province, halting non-emergency procedures, and bringing in medical teams from the Canadian Armed Forces. 

But that is starting to turn. Provincial restrictions and rising vaccination rates are bringing new cases down, and warmer weather is on the way, prompting words of caution from medical experts over reopening too fast and too soon. 

Physician-epidemiologist Dr. Nitin Mohan, a public health consultant and assistant professor at Western University in London, Ont., said lifting the bulk of restrictions before Canada boosts vaccination rates and achieves high levels of protection in hot spots could derail all the recent progress and spark a fourth wave. 

"This is not to fear-monger," he said. "This is very much factual, and we have evidence from previous waves." 

'We need to be prudent' 

Speaking of the current situation in Ontario, Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, said the province could have avoided a record-breaking third wave if officials had implemented a lockdown several weeks earlier. 

"We'd have a much shorter lockdown right now," he said. "And the important part is just now not to fall into the same trap once more and make the same mistakes." 

Caroline Colijn, the Canada 150 Research Chair in mathematics for evolution, infection and public health and a professor at Simon Fraser University in B.C., said both the timing and severity of another surge in Canada will depend on "when we reopen, how fast we reopen, and how many people are vaccinated at the time we do it." 

In late April, federal officials suggested that once Canada hits at least three-quarters of the population getting one vaccine dose, it may be possible to start winding down lockdowns over the summer. 

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, also noted once 20 per cent of the country has been fully vaccinated, officials can begin easing the most stringent restrictions and, "if you're careful," there won't be a resurgence. 

With that in mind, Canada is far from out of the woods, according to Juni, who said any missteps could bring case counts right back up again. 

"Summer in itself may not be enough to protect us against the fourth wave," he said. "Therefore we need to be prudent."

Japan's daily COVID-19 cases top 7,000 for first time since January

Via The Japan Times: Japan's daily COVID-19 cases top 7,000 for first time since January. Excerpt:

Japan’s daily COVID-19 cases topped 7,000 for the first time since mid-January on Saturday, a day after the government’s decision to expand the ongoing state of emergency beyond Tokyo and the greater Osaka region, amid growing fears over spreading variants of the coronavirus. 

While some people expressed weariness about having to put up with longer restrictions, 13 of the country’s 47 prefectures saw record daily coronavirus cases, including Aichi and Fukuoka, which are due to be placed under the emergency from Wednesday. 

While Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures confirmed a record 575 and 519 cases, respectively, Hokkaido reported an all-time daily high of 403 infections. Ten other prefectures also saw record daily highs: Okayama, at 189, Gunma, at 113, Kumamoto, at 111, Oita, at 93, Ishikawa, at 80, Kagawa, at 78, Saga, at 76, Shiga, at 74, Nagasaki, at 65, and Niigata, at 50. 

Tokyo, which is set to host the Olympics in less than three months, meanwhile, reported 1,121 new cases, the highest daily level since Jan. 22, when the second state of emergency was still in place. Osaka Prefecture reported 1,021 new cases, with its daily count falling below that in Tokyo for the first time since March 29. New fatalities linked to the virus in Osaka came to 41, exceeding 40 for the second day in a row. 

Meanwhile, the number of severely ill coronavirus patients nationwide stood at a record 1,131, unchanged from Friday.

At 4,187, India records its highest 1-day Covid deaths

Via Times of India, a summing-up: At 4,187, India records its highest 1-day Covid deaths.

India’s Covid-19 wave crossed another grim milestone with the country reporting more than 4,000 deaths from the virus in a single day, even as daily cases stayed over 4 lakh for the third day running. 

India reported 4,187 fatalities on Friday, only the third country after the US and Brazil to report more than 4,000 deaths in a day. As per worldometers.info, the highest single-day toll in any country is 4,490 deaths reported in the US on January 12.

With 401,522 fresh cases reported on Friday, as per TOI’s Covid database, India has recorded more cases in 82 days of the second Covid wave than in over a year prior to that. Since February 14, the country has documented 10,968,039 cases of the coronavirus as opposed to 10,916,481 cases recorded from January 30 last year till February 14 this year. 

Although no single day can be pinned down as the start of the second wave in the country, February 14 is the date since when the seven-day rolling average of daily cases in India has risen uninterruptedly. 

In other words, India’s Covid caseload has doubled in 82 days — a very rapid surge considering the number that has doubled is 1.1 crore. Assuming that the first wave in the country really began from April 1 last year, the second wave has already seen four times higher daily case counts than the first. 

There have been more than 82,000 recorded Covid deaths in the country since February 14, more than half of all earlier fatalities. India has recorded a total of 238,197 Covid-related deaths so far. On Friday, at least five states reported their highest daily death toll from the pandemic. These included Karnataka, which saw a big surge in deaths with 592 people succumbing to the virus. 

Other states where the highest daily tolls were recorded were Uttar Pradesh (372 deaths), Tamil Nadu (197), Rajasthan (164) and Himachal Pradesh (56). Maharashtra continued to report the highest number of fatalities at 898. 

Other states where the toll continued to be high were Delhi (341), Chhattisgarh (208), Punjab (165), Haryana (162), Uttarakhand (137), Jharkhand (136) and Bengal (112), among others. 

The total death toll crossed the 10,000 mark in Punjab and Chhattisgarh on Friday. In all, the Covid toll has topped 10,000 in eight states. Punjab has the highest case fatality rate in the country CFR at 2.4%.