As of Monday, May 31, Peru’s official death toll due to COVID-19 had almost tripled

As of Monday, May 31, Peru’s official death toll due to COVID-19 had almost tripled, reaching 180,764 deaths, compared with the 69,342 deaths reported the previous day.

This is a rate of more than 500 deaths per 100,000 people, which means that Peru now has the highest COVID-19 death rate per capita in the world.

The data were initially publicized by Johns Hopkins University, which led Peruvian officials to revise and update their own information.

According to the officials, this discrepancy was due to insufficient testing, which made it unclear whether some of the deaths had been due to COVID-19 or other causes.

Fast & Furious 9

Fast & Furious 9

Fast & Furious 9

However, “we think it is our duty to make public this updated information,” Peru’s prime minister, Violeta Bermudez, commented during a press conference.

06/01/2021 11:35 GMT — WHO renames SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and concern using ‘simple, easy to say and remember labels‘

On May 31, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source announced the decision to call SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and concern by new and simple names using Greek letters.

According to the new labeling, B.1.1.7, the variant that scientists initially identified in the United Kingdom, is now the “Alpha” variant, while B.1.351, which emerged in South Africa, is now the “Beta” variant.

Similarly, P.1, the variant of concern that scientists identified in Brazil, is now labeled the “Gamma” variant, and B.1.617.2, which scientists first identified in India, is the “Delta” variant.

“These labels do not replace existing scientific names […], which convey important scientific information and will continue to be used in research,” the WHO press release clarifies.

However, the new labels will allow the media and the public to avoid referring to the variants by the names of the geographical locations where they first emerged. The hope is that this will prevent misunderstandings and discrimination.

“While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting. As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory. To avoid this and to simplify public communications, WHO encourages national authorities, media outlets and others to adopt these new labels,” the press release notes.

05/28/2021 11:10 GMT — California announces huge vaccine pay out

Californian officials have announced a $116.5 million pot of vaccine prize money. As the state plans to fully reopen in June, the officials hope that this incentive will entice the 12 million Californians who are eligible for a vaccine but have not yet been vaccinated.

Read more on this story here.

05/28/2021 09:42 GMT — Production of new COVID-19 vaccine to begin shortly

Yesterday, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline announced the imminent start of a phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial. The study will involve more than 35,000 adults from the United States, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. If the trial is successful, they expect the vaccine to be available toward the end of 2021.

Read more on this story here.

05/27/2021 10:38 GMT — Number of COVID-19 cases by country

United States: 33,190,560
India: 27,369,093
Brazil: 16,274,695
France: 5,683,143
Turkey: 5,212,123
05/27/2021 09:58 GMT — Vaccine mix-up in India

In the Siddharthnagar district of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, healthcare workers gave 20 people two different vaccines for their first and second shots. They received Covishield (AstraZeneca) first, followed by Covaxin. According to Indian officials, there were no side effects.

Read more on this story here.

05/27/2021 09:31 GMT  — Vaccination may ease symptoms of long COVID

In the largest survey to date of vaccinated people with long COVID, 57% of respondents reported an overall improvement in their symptoms following vaccination, while 19% reported an overall deterioration. Possible explanations for improvements after vaccination include clearing the residual virus and restoring a healthy balance to the immune system.

Read more about the survey here.

05/27/2021 09:27 GMT — COVID-19 increases black fungus infection risk in India

Mucormycosis, or black fungus, is a rare but serious infection that requires medication or removal surgery. India is currently experiencing a significant rise in cases. In a recent article, Medical News Today looks at the links between COVID-19 and black fungus.

Read the article here.

05/26/2021 11:02 GMT — Moderna announces results of adolescent COVID-19 vaccine study

In a press release on Tuesday, Moderna announced that their mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) was safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents aged 12–17. The company plans to submit the data to vaccine regulators in early June.

Find out more about Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine here.

05/26/2021 10:29 GMT — Report describes three cases of stroke following vaccination

Researchers in the United Kingdom present an analysis of three people who experienced a stroke after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, also called Covishield in India. Knowledge of who is likely to experience very rare side effects of this kind gives doctors a better chance to administer effective treatments, experts comment.

Read more here.

05/25/2021 15:00 GMT — CDC reports on the number of COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued their report on vaccine breakthrough infections between January 1 and April 30, 2021. 

As of April 30th, 2021, the CDC recorded a total of 10,262 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine breakthrough infections.

These infections are deemed as a breakthrough if they occur at least 14 days after people have received all their recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses. Scientists can identify a breakthrough infection by the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen.

“Even though FDA-authorized vaccines are highly effective, breakthrough cases are expected, especially before population immunity reaches sufficient levels to further decrease transmission,” the report concludes.

Read the full story hereTrusted Source.

05/25/2021 13:20 GMT — New COVID-19 cases drop to lowest levels in 11 months

New COVID-19 cases have plummeted to the lowest levels in almost a year across the United States, reports the Associated Press. The 7-day average of daily new cases has now dropped below 30,000, which is the lowest threshold since last June. 

Health officials and experts believe this is down to the nationwide vaccination efforts, whereby 60% of all U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and almost 50% have received both shots.

Read the full story here.

05/24/2021 15:02 GMT — Japan warns of hospital “system collapse” in Osaka due to COVID-19

The medical system in Osaka, one of Japan’s largest cities, is collapsing under the pressure of ever-rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, authorities have announced.

According to Yuji Tohda, the director of Kindai University Hospital in Osaka, “[t]he highly infectious British variant and slipping alertness have led to this explosive growth in the number of patients.”

The Osaka Prefecture registered 3,849 new COVID-19 positive tests last week, and hospitals cannot cope with the abrupt increase.

Only 14% of those with COVID-19 in the prefecture have been able to access hospital care.

Osaka health workers have warned that the pressure on the medical system is leading to a rapid collapse.

“Some of [the nurses] are racking up 100, 150, 200 hours of overtime, and that has been going on for a year now. […] When on duty, they sometimes go home at 1 or 2 in the morning and go to bed only to be awakened by a phone call at 3 or 4,” said Yasunori Komatsu, a union leader for community nurses.

05/24/2021 14:36 GMT — COVID-19 increases risk of new health conditions in significant number of people

A new study in the BMJTrusted Source found that many people who become ill with COVID-19 may have a greater risk of developing a new health condition after their illness.

The study took into account the health records of over 200,000 participants from the United States.

Of these, 14% developed at least one new condition that required treatment after the acute phase of their COVID-19 illness.These include “cardiovascular, neurologic, kidney, respiratory, and mental health complications,” according to the study authors.

Read the story in full here.

05/21/2021 10:22 GMT — UK Prime Minister announces plan for ‘Global Pandemic Radar’

The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has announced a plan to set up a Global Pandemic Radar. This system will be designed to track new SARS-CoV-2 variants and other emerging diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) will help develop this “international pathogen surveillance network.”

According to a U.K. government press release, “The pathogen surveillance network will save lives and protect health systems by spotting diseases before they cause future pandemics and enabling the rapid development of vaccines, treatments, and tests.”

They believe that the Global Pandemic Radar will be operational by the end of 2021. According to Johnson:

“The world must never be caught unawares again by a virus spreading among us unchecked. We need to build a system of disease surveillance fit for the 21st century, with real-time data sharing and rapid genomic sequencing and response.”

Talking about the new system, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says: “The U.K. has set a strong example for pathogen surveillance and sequencing, as well as vaccine development. I am delighted that under P.M. Johnson, the U.K. will partner with WHO to contribute to stronger global surveillance and a safer world.”

05/21/2021 09:33 GMT — Japan approve Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines

As COVID-19 case numbers rise, Japanese officials have now approved the use of both the Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The decision was announced just hours before the country rolled out extended restrictions for much of its territory. 

Read more on this story here. 

05/20/2021 09:36 GMT — China provides vaccines to multiple countries in Africa

The Chinese government has announced that it will provide vaccines to almost 40 African countries. According to Wu Peng, director of the foreign ministry’s Africa department, China is either providing the vaccines for free or selling them at “favorable prices.”

Read more on this story here.

05/20/2021 09:13 GMT — In Conversation: COVID-19, sleep trackers, and the immune system

For a recent article and associated podcast, Medical News Today spoke with a group of sleep experts. Among the topics covered, they discussed how COVID-19 has changed our sleep and how sleep professionals interact with their patients.

Read the article and find the podcast here.

05/19/2021 12:01 GMT — COVID-19 may reduce gray matter v