New records for COVID cases and deaths around the world

Providence, Rhode Island: Nations around the world have set new records for COVID-19 deaths and new coronavirus infections, and the disease surged even in some countries that had kept the virus in check. In the United States, Detroit leaders began making a plan to knock on every door to persuade people to get shots.

Brazil this week became just the third country, after the US and Peru, to report a 24-hour tally of COVID-19 deaths that exceeded 4000. India hit a peak of almost 127,000 new cases in 24 hours, and Iran set a new coronavirus infection record for the third straight day, reporting nearly 22,600 new cases.

Globally, the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 133.6 million, causing nearly 2.9 million deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute.

A healthcare worker administers the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to an aged care resident in Michigan.Credit:Bloomberg

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to get vaccinated, writing in a tweet: “Vaccination is among the few ways we have to defeat the virus. If you are eligible for the vaccine, get your shot soon.”

The US has now fully vaccinated nearly 20 per cent of its adult population, and New Mexico became the first state to get shots in the arms of 25 per cent of its residents — milestones that are still far off for many hard-hit countries.

In India, home to 1.4 billion people, only 11 million are fully vaccinated. In Brazil, less than 3 per cent of the country’s 210 million people have received both doses, according to Our World in Data, an online research site.

South Korea reported 700 more cases, the highest daily jump since January 5. Health authorities were expected to announce measures to strengthen social distancing following a meeting on Friday.

A medical worker attends a training session to learn how to give coronavirus vaccine shots at the Korean Nurses Association in Seoul. Credit:AP

In Thailand, which has reported only 95 deaths from the pandemic, health officials reported the country’s first local cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain. The news comes when only 1 per cent of the population has been vaccinated and as Thais prepare to celebrate the traditional Songkran New Year holiday next week, typically a time of widespread travel.

That variant is more contagious, and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that it is now the most common variant in the United States, raising concerns it will drive up infections.

Michigan has averaged more than 7000 new cases a day — a number that makes the state second in the nation behind New York. It also has the highest number of new cases per capita, with 1 of every 203 Michigan residents getting diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 31 and April 7, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In Detroit, officials said they planned to start visiting homes to talk about the importance of protecting themselves from the virus with vaccinations and how to sign up to receive the shots.

“We’re going to knock on every residential door in the city, making sure every Detroiter knows how to make an appointment,” Victoria Kovari, an executive assistant to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, told The Detroit News.

Only 22 per cent of Detroit residents have received at least one vaccine dose compared to 38 per cent for all of Michigan, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. The statistic is a worry for the city whose population is about 80 per cent black – African Americans are three times more likely to die of the coronavirus than white Americans, they are also far more sceptical about taking a vaccine.

Other mid-western states have seen troubling signs in recent days, including a school district in Iowa where 127 students and five staff members tested positive for the coronavirus or are presumed positive.

In Massachusetts, where the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen to over 2100 new cases per day, the Public Health Association called on Republican Governor Charlie Baker to reinstate public health measures. The group urged Baker to limit indoor dining capacity and other indoor activities, saying the rise in cases and hospitalisations followed Baker’s decision to loosen those restrictions.

“We are currently in a race between the vaccines and the variants,” Carlene Pavlos, the group’s executive director said. “Without these public health measures, even more innocent lives will be needlessly lost.”

AP

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