The world has surpassed 5 million Covid-19 deaths, Singaporean officials make shocking predictions

According to the Guardian, the above figure means that the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 has far exceeded any other infectious disease in the 21st century and most epidemics in the 20th century. Covid-19 ranks third among the causes of death globally, after stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Statistics on the Worldometers website show that more than 247 million people worldwide have been infected with Covid-19 as of November 1.

After a period of fighting the pandemic and achieving a certain vaccination rate, many countries and territories have begun to open up and learn to live with Covid-19.

Novavax vaccine gets emergency authorization

Novavax said on November 1 that Indonesia had become the first country in the world to grant emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine.

The emergency use authorization of Novavax’s vaccine is a “significant step” for Indonesia’s vaccination program, epidemiologist Dicky Budiman said. “This vaccine will be easier to transport, store and distribute in a place with a unique geography of many islands like Indonesia,” he said.

Novavax said the first batch of its vaccine to Indonesia is about to depart. According to the Indonesian government, 20 million doses of Novavax's vaccine are expected to arrive in the country this year. The vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India and is being supplied under the brand name of the Indian company Covovax.

Indonesia allows Sinovac vaccine for children 6-11 years old

The Indonesian Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) announced that it has officially licensed the use of Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 6 to 11 years.

The approval comes as Indonesia has entered its second month of testing in-person learning methods. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, an official at the country's Health Ministry, said vaccinations for children could begin early next year, pending further recommendations from the Indonesian Pediatric Society.

Before Indonesia, Chile and Cambodia approved Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine for children.

Singapore officials warn of 2,000 deaths each year

Singapore’s Covid-19 death rate of 0.2% is now on par with the death rate from common pneumonia before the outbreak, according to Janil Puthucheary, senior minister of state at the Ministry of Communications and Information. This figure is also much lower than countries that saw a spike in infections before vaccination campaigns.

He warned that Singapore would see about 2,000 deaths a year from Covid-19, although he did not specify how many years that figure would last. However, he said Singapore was trying to live with Covid-19 and treat it as an endemic disease.

About 95% of Covid-19 deaths in Singapore in the past six months have been in people over 60. In addition, 75% of Covid-19 deaths in the island nation have been in people who have not received two doses of the vaccine.

More than 30,000 people "trapped" in Shanghai Disneyland

Disneyland and the nearby Disneytown shopping district in Shanghai, China, were briefly locked down overnight on October 31, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded inside and having to undergo testing before going home.

According to CNN, the cause was a woman infected with Covid-19 who had visited Shanghai Disneyland two days earlier. The Jiangxi Provincial Health Commission said that this person took a train to Shanghai on October 29, returned a day later and was quarantined because of close contact with a case in Jiangxi. This person later developed a fever and tested positive for coronavirus on October 31.

As of the morning of November 1, 33,863 people who had visited Disneyland and Disneytown had tested negative for Covid-19. However, Chinese media reported that about 100,000 people had visited the amusement park over the past two days.

According to the South China Morning Post, the management of Disneyland and Disneytown will close two locations from November 1-2 to "comply with Covid-19 prevention and control regulations", and the subway station in this area will also stop operating until further notice.