Covid Cases In India Dip But Deadly ‘Black Fungus’ Cases Rise
Nearly 9,000 cases of mucormycosis, known as "black fungus," have been reported in India. Experts say it is tied to the high use of steroids in treating covid patients. As India struggles to determine its next steps to fight the pandemic, other countries are concerned about possible spread of the covid variant that has developed in India. Plus, other news about the battle around the world to defeat covid.
The Washington Post:
India Gears Up To Fight ‘Black Fungus’ Infections As New Covid Cases Dip Below 200,000
India on Tuesday reported fewer than 200,000 new covid-19 infections for the first time since mid-April, in a respite for the coronavirus-ravaged country. On Monday, it had become the third country in the world to record more than 300,000 covid-linked deaths, a number that experts consider a vast undercount. The latest pandemic wave has left Indian hospitals overwhelmed, but as pressure from new cases is easing, a rise in the number of cases of mucormycosis, which is also known as “black fungus,” has become a growing concern. The infection is significantly more lethal than covid-19, doctors say. (Masih, 5/25)
CNBC:
India Covid Crisis: People Use Social Media To Find Hospitals, Medicine
As India’s devastating second wave of coronavirus outbreak overwhelmed the health-care system, desperate users turned to social media to seek help from the public as hospital beds and oxygen supplies ran out. People in need of assistance, either for themselves or their relatives, posted requests on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Others collated information on the availability of beds in hospitals as well as contact details of vendors with oxygen cylinders and other resources in short supply. In many instances, the efforts helped save lives. (Choudhury, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Delhi Considers Lifting Covid Limits, Despite Vaccine Shortage
Delhi is considering relaxing its Covid-19 restrictions six weeks after a devastating coronavirus surge rocked the Indian capital, with a pledge to ramp up vaccinations to protect the city’s more than 20 million people from another wave. But the vow came after a weekend in which city officials were forced to close vaccination centers for lack of supply, a problem plaguing the entire country as the coronavirus continues to spread. India does not have the vaccine manufacturing capacity to inoculate a big portion of its population anytime soon, while the prospect of importing new supplies from abroad has bogged down amid squabbling between the central and local governments. (Deep Singh, 5/24)
The New York Times:
A Variant First Detected In India Is Spreading Fast In Britain, Highlighting The Dangers Of Faltering Global Vaccinations
A new and potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus has begun to outpace other versions of the virus in Britain, putting pressure on the government to shorten people’s wait for second doses of vaccines and illustrating the risks of a faltering global immunization drive. The new variant, which has become dominant in India since first being detected there in December, may be responsible in part for a virus wave across Southeast Asia, including Nepal. (Mueller, 5/25)
CNBC:
Covid: Argentina, Nepal And Others See Cases Rising Rapidly Like India
India is currently at the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic — but it is not the only country with a worsening Covid-19 outbreak. From Argentina in Latin America to Nepal in Asia, many other countries have also reported record increases in Covid cases in the last few weeks, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Lee, 5/25)
Stat:
European Regulatory Body Plans 'Joint Action' To Boost Clinical Trial Reporting
The Heads of Medicines Agencies, an umbrella group for regulators in 30 European Union countries, plans to launch a “joint action” with the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency to bolster required clinical trial reporting by drug makers and universities. The move, which emerged from an HMA meeting last week, follows ongoing criticism that too many clinical trial sponsors fail to report study results, an issue that has embroiled drug makers, universities, and policy makers in the U.S. and Europe. (Silverman, 5/24)
AP:
Haiti Imposes Curfew, Orders Mask Use For Pandemic Emergency
Haiti’s government imposed a nightly curfew and other restrictions Monday under an eight-day “health emergency” meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. All outdoor activity will be banned from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. under the decree issued by President Jovenel Moise .... The decree also makes the use of face masks mandatory for anyone out in public, while temperature checks and handwashing stations are required for all public or private buildings such as banks, schools, hospitals and markets. (5/24)
Reuters:
Masks, Social Restrictions Return To Australia’s Melbourne After Fresh Outbreak
Australia’s second largest city Melbourne reinstated COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday as authorities scrambled to find the missing link in a fresh outbreak, prompting New Zealand to pause a “travel bubble” with the state of Victoria. Amid worries the cluster, which has grown to nine cases in two days, could spark a major outbreak, Victoria imposed social restrictions and made face masks mandatory in hotels, restaurants, and other indoor venues from 6 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Tuesday until June 4. (Jose, 5/25)
