Many countries face sad records in the spread and death rate of Covid-19
In the past 24 hours, the world has had nearly 472,000 new cases of Covid-19 and more than 7,000 deaths. A series of countries have suffered sad records in the spread and death rate of the disease.
According to an update from the global statistics site Worldometers, as of 6 a.m. on July 14, a total of 188.5 million people were infected with the virus and more than 4.06 million people died as the pandemic raged in 220 countries and territories.
The US still tops the list in terms of the number of infections (about 34.8 million) and deaths (623,400), but the country's epidemic situation has eased thanks to a rapid and effective mass vaccination campaign.
India ranks second with about 31 million positive cases, an increase of more than 40,000 in the past 24 hours, and 411,400 deaths, an increase of 623 cases.
Brazil ranked third with more than 19.1 million people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, an increase of 45,000 cases on July 13. The country leads the world in the number of new deaths, adding 1,527 cases to the total of 535,800 unfortunate victims ofCovid-19.
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| Burial of a Covid-19 infected person in Bekasi, a suburb of Jakarta. Photo: Reuters |
Sad records in Indonesia and Malaysia
Indonesia on July 13 recorded 47,899 new Covid-19 infections, far exceeding the record of 38,124 new cases set 24 hours earlier. The number of 869 Covid-19 patients who died in the island nation during the same period is the third highest since the pandemic broke out in the country in March last year.
According to experts, the epidemic situation in Indonesia became difficult to control as a result of the Eid al-Fitr holiday in May and variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the Delta variant.
The rapid increase in cases has overwhelmed hospitals in Indonesia. Thousands of infected people are being treated at home while medical staff are under great pressure to care for the huge number of patients.
To date, Indonesia has about 2.6 million infections and more than 68,200 deaths.
On the same day, Malaysia recorded 11,079 new infections – the first time the number of infections reached five figures in a single day. The previous record was 9,353 cases on July 10.
With a total of 855,949 cases to date, Malaysia has one of the highest infection rates per capita in Southeast Asia. However, it is also ahead in vaccination rates, with 25% of its 32 million population having received at least one dose.Covid-19 vaccine.
Thailand decides to combine 2 Covid-19 vaccines
Thailand on July 13 defended the use of two different vaccines to control Covid-19, despite a warning from a top scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) that this is an unproven "dangerous trend".
Thai authorities said they will combine two vaccines from AstraZeneca and Sinovac, using Sinovac for the first dose and AstraZeneca for the second.
Thai virologist Yong Poovorawan said the combination achieved immunity within six weeks of vaccination, instead of the usual 12 weeks. He stressed that Thailand cannot afford to wait 12 weeks to achieve immunity while the number of infections and deaths is rising. He said there may be a better solution in the future when the epidemic eases and vaccines are improved.
In a separate move, Thailand will allow mild cases to self-isolate at home and test themselves using kits to ease pressure on the health system. They will be reimbursed up to 1,100 baht ($33) per day for medical expenses for up to 14 days, which is also the maximum reimbursement for the cost of using medical equipment at home. In addition, they will be reimbursed by the government for the costs of medicine and testing.
Thailand has recorded a total of 353,700 infections and 2,850 deaths.
Deadly Day in Russia
Russia on July 13 recorded 780 more deaths from Covid-19, the highest since the outbreak in the country, and over 24,700 new cases. To date, the country has had more than 141,000 deaths, while the number of people infected with the virus has reached 5.8 million.
The prevalence of the Delta variant and the slow pace of vaccination are the reasons for the sharp increase in the epidemic in Russia, where only about 30 million people have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
India to produce 300 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine per year
Russian vaccine developers say they have reached an agreement with the Serum Institute of India to produce 300 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in the country each year.
"The parties plan to produce more than 300 million doses of vaccine per year in India, with the first batch expected to be completed in September 2021," the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) - the unit financing the development of the Sputnik V vaccine - confirmed.
Sputnik V, registered by Russia in August 2020, is the first of four vaccines developed in the country and has been licensed for use in 67 countries. Director of the Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla, affirmed that Sputnik V has proven to be highly effective and safe, so it is necessary to give access to this vaccine to the people of India and the world.
