Covid Crisis Deepens And Vaccine Supplies Run Out In India
Meanwhile, covid deaths in Brazil have topped 400,000 victims, with only the U.S. recording more fatalities. A surge is reported developing across South America, including in Uruguay, which was once noted for its control of the disease.
Axios:
India's COVID-19 Crisis Is Only Getting Worse
India's runaway coronavirus surge is only getting worse, and doctors are growing increasingly concerned about the risks of a new variant. "The current wave of COVID has a different clinical behavior," Sujay Shad, a surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told The New York Times. "It's affecting young adults. It's affecting families. It's a new thing altogether. Two-month-old babies are getting infected." (Reed, 4/29)
Reuters:
Indian States Run Out Of COVID-19 Vaccines, Nationwide Inoculation Delayed
Several Indian states have run out of COVID-19 vaccines a day before a planned widening of a nationwide inoculation drive, authorities said on Friday, as new infections in the crisis-hit country surged to another daily record. India reported 386,452 news cases in the past 24 hours, while deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,498 over the last 24 hours, according to health ministry data. However, medical experts believe actual COVID-19 numbers may be five to 10 times greater than the official tally. (Mehta and Monnappa, 4/30)
CNBC:
Covid Vaccine: BioNTech CEO Confident Shot Works Against India Strain
BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin told CNBC on Thursday he is “confident” the company’s Covid-19 vaccine with U.S. partner Pfizer is effective against a coronavirus variant first identified in India. The strain, known as B.1.617, contains two key mutations that have been found separately in other coronavirus variants. The variant, also referred to as the “double mutant,” was first spotted in India, where it’s thought by some to be behind a recent surge in new Covid-19 cases there. (Lovelace Jr., 4/29)
Reuters:
Explainer: What We Know About The Indian Variant As Coronavirus Sweeps South Asia
The B.1.617 variant contains two key mutations to the outer "spike" portion of the virus that attaches to human cells, said senior Indian virologist Shahid Jameel. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the predominant lineage of B.1.617 was first identified in India last December, although an earlier version was spotted in October 2020. (4/29)
And in updates on the covid surge in South America —
NPR:
Brazil COVID-19 Deaths Top 400,000 Amid Fears Of Worsening Crisis
Brazil surpassed 400,000 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, at the tail-end of the country's deadliest month of the pandemic. At last count, 401,186 people had died in Brazil, based on data tracked by Johns Hopkins University, a toll only the U.S. has topped. More Brazilians have died from the virus in the first four months of this year than in all of 2020, with the death toll having jumped from 300,000 to 400,000 in the past five weeks alone. The daily average of deaths has dipped recently, from over 3,000 two weeks ago to an average of less than 2,400 deaths, according to Brazil's health ministry. (Bowman and Reeves, 4/29)
Fox News:
Brazil Bans Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Due To Carrying Live Cold Virus: Report
Health regulators in Brazil announced the country’s intention to ban Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine after they said they found traces of the live common cold-causing virus in the drug, reports said. Angela Rasmussen, the country’s top virologist, told the AFP that the discovery raises concerns about the "integrity of the manufacturing process." Her agency said in a statement that analysis indicated that the adenovirus on which the vaccine is based has the capacity to replicate, which could cause sickness or death, particularly among those with low immunity or respiratory problems. (DeMarche, 4/29)
The New York Times:
After A Year Of Loss, South America Suffers Worst Covid-19 Death Tolls Yet
In the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, the mayor is warning residents to brace for “the worst two weeks of our lives.” Uruguay, once lauded as a model for keeping the coronavirus under control, now has one of the highest death rates in the world, while the grim daily tallies of the dead have hit records in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru in recent days. (Turkewitz and Tag, 4/29)
