Bahrain authorises AstraZeneca's anti-Covid drug – latest updates

Covid-19 has infected more than 253M people and killed over 5M worldwide. Here are coronavirus-related developments for November 14:

Bahrain has become the first country to authorise the drug.
Reuters

Bahrain has become the first country to authorise the drug.

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Bahrain authorises AstraZeneca's drug

Bahrain has approved the emergency use of AstraZeneca's anti-Covid drug Evusheld.

Bahrain has become the first country to authorize the drug, which will be limited to adults who suffer from immunodeficiency or who are taking immunosuppressants, as well as individuals with occupations that put them at risk of transmission, the news agency said.

UK logs 36,517 new cases

Britain has reported 36,517 cases of Covid-19 and 63 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government data. 

It reported 157 deaths on the previous day.

Italy sees 36 deaths 

Italy has reported 36 coronavirus-related deaths against 53 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 7,569 from 8,544.

Italy has registered 132,775 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.9 million cases to date.

Turkey reports 21,624 fresh cases

Turkey has recorded 21,624 new coronavirus cases and 189 deaths and 20,550 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

The country has so far administered over 118.36 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

More than 55.82 million people have been given a first vaccine dose and over 49.62 million are fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry said.

Austria orders non-vaccinated people into lockdown

Austria is placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus on lockdown as of Monday to deal with a surge in infections to record levels, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said.

"We must raise the vaccination rate. It is shamefully low," Schallenberg told a news conference announcing the new measure after a video call with the governors of Austria's nine provinces. 

Roughly 65 percent of the population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe.

Australia to start administering shots for children under 12

Australia will likely start administering the shots for children under the age of 12 in January.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said medical regulators are still reviewing the health and safety data for the vaccinations to be administered for children between the ages of five and 11.

"The expectation that they have set is the first part of January, hopefully early January," Hunt told the Australian Broadcast Corp's Insiders programme.

"We have actually purchased sufficient supply for doses and boosters down to infants," army Lieutenant-General John Frewen, Australia's COVID-19 Taskforce commander, told The Age newspaper.

On Friday, Australia crossed the 90% single-dose mark for those aged 16 and over, with 83% having two shots.

The country has also vaccinated 57.7% of children between the ages of 12 and 15, according to health ministry data.

Bulgaria faces new surge in cases

Bulgarian health authorities reported 8,178 patients in Covid-19 wards, 745 of them in intensive care.

The Balkan country of 7 million remains the least-vaccinated in the 27-nation European Union, with less than one-third of its adults fully vaccinated.

Moreover, officials reported that a fire broke out on a ward for Covid-19 patients, killing three people.

The new surge in cases is overwhelming the country’s ailing health care system.

Cambodia to end quarantine for vaccinated travellers

Cambodia will stop requiring quarantine for travellers who have been vaccinated for Covid-19 starting on November 15, after over eighteen months of requiring lengthy quarantine.

"After seeing that people have two doses and a negative Covid test, they will be allowed to travel all over the Kingdom of Cambodia," Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in a voice message on social media.

Vaccinated foreigners and Cambodians who are in quarantine will be allowed to leave from Monday.

Travellers will have to show their negative test 72 hours prior to travel and have two vaccine doses. Those who are unvaccinated will be quarantined for 14 days

Cambodia has vaccinated nearly 90% of its more than 16 million people, one of Asia's highest inoculation rates.

Mexico reports 217 further deaths

Mexico reported 217 new confirmed deaths from Covid-19, bringing the country's official death toll from the pandemic to 291,089, according to health ministry data.

Officials have said the ministry’s figures likely represent a significant undercount of Covid-19 deaths.

Venezuelans crossing into Colombia for coronavirus vaccines

Hundreds of Venezuelans have been traveling to Colombia for coronavirus shots as Venezuela struggles to get enough doses for its people.

These trips replicate previous efforts by Venezuelans to seek medical care abroad as their country’s health care system crumbled amid years of medicine shortages, economic recession and mismanagement of public hospitals.

The country of 28 million has been able to import vaccines from China, Russia and most recently Cuba, but still has one of the lowest vaccination rates in South America.

Many are seizing the opportunity to get shots in Colombia, which has greater access to European and North American vaccines and only uses shots that have been approved by the WHO.

Colombian officials in North Santander said the number of Venezuelans travelling for vaccines has increased since November 3, when vaccination for all children over age 3 opened in the state.

Japan increases hospital beds, boosters shots before winter

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has outlined an urgent plan to increase hospital beds and medical resources in preparation for a possible resurgence of Covid-19 infections this winter.

After a deadly fifth wave of infections almost overwhelmed the medical system during the summer, infections and deaths have fallen dramatically as vaccinations have increased to cover more than 70% of the population.

Emergency measures covering most of the country were lifted last month, but health experts warn that cases will likely rebound, as they did in Japan last winter.

Meanwhile, vaccine booster shots are due to start from next month, and the government is considering expanding inoculations to children as young as five

Residents of nursing home die of virus at Connecticut 

Eight residents of a nursing home in Connecticut have died during a outbreak while 89 residents and employees have tested positive for the disease.

The outbreak at the Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canaan began September 30, chief executive Kevin O’Connell and nursing director Cady Bloodgood said in a statement.

The eight residents who died had serious health problems, according to the officials. Those who tested positive included 67 residents and 22 staff members. The officials said 48 residents and 21 employees have recovered.

Germany records 33,498 new infections 

Germany reports 33,498 Covid-19 infections and 55 fatalities over the past 24 hours.

Germany's likely new chancellor Olaf Scholz urged more citizens to get vaccinated against the virus on Thursday as the parliament debated new rules to tackle a fourth wave of infections without imposing lockdowns or making shots mandatory for anyone.

Brazil reports 14,642 new cases

Brazil has registered 14,642 new cases in the last 24 hours.

The country's health ministry also reported 731 new deaths. 

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