Health News Roundup: Brazil cuts number of vaccines expected to be delivered by 30%; Modi says India shaken by coronavirus 'storm' and more

The reported death toll rose by 120 to 81,564, the tally showed. U.S. racing to send aid to India as COVID-19 cases soar The United States is deeply concerned by a massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and will race additional support to the Indian government and health care workers, a White House spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Brazil cuts number of vaccines expected to be delivered by 30%

The Brazilian government cut by nearly 30% the number of COVID-19 vaccines expected to be delivered between January and April, according to a new calendar released by the country's health minister on Saturday. Last month, former health minister Eduardo Pazuello said Brazil would receive roughly 103 million doses in the first four months of the year. But the latest calendar released by minister Marcelo Queiroga showed only 73 million doses.

PM Modi says India shaken by coronavirus 'storm', U.S. readies help

India set a new global record of the most number of COVID-19 infections in a day, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying the "storm" of infections had shaken the country. The United States said it was deeply concerned by the massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and was racing to send aid to India.

Russia reports 8,780 new COVID-19 cases, 332 deaths

Russia reported 8,780 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including 2,526 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 4,762,569 since the start of the pandemic. The coronavirus crisis centre said 332 more deaths of coronavirus patients had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the national death toll to 108,232.

Thailand ramps up efforts to rein in COVID-19, deaths hit daily record of 11

Thai authorities are stepping up travel restrictions and other measures to combat a rapidly spreading third wave of COVID-19 infections as the country logged 11 deaths on Sunday, a daily record. Although Thailand had success in limiting the spread of the virus last year, a new outbreak driven by the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant has resulted in over 24,000 cases and 46 deaths in just 25 days.

Indian coronavirus variant reaches Switzerland -government says

The first case of the Indian variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Switzerland, the Federal Office for Public Health (BAG) said, as other countries introduce travel bans to contain its spread. The case involved a passenger who arrived in Switzerland via a transit airport and not directly from India, which has been hit hard by a massive wave of infections in recent days, the BAG said on Twitter.

China reports 13 new COVID-19 cases vs nine a day earlier

China reported 13 new COVID-19 cases on April 24, up from nine cases a day earlier, the national health authority said on Sunday. All of the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas, the National Health Commission said in a statement. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to 14 from 12 a day earlier.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 18,773 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 18,773 to 3,287,418, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 120 to 81,564, the tally showed.

U.S. racing to send aid to India as COVID-19 cases soar

The United States is deeply concerned by a massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and will race additional support to the Indian government and health care workers, a White House spokeswoman said on Saturday. "We are in active conversations at high levels and plan to quickly deploy additional support to the Government of India and Indian health care workers as they battle this latest severe outbreak. We will have more to share very soon," the spokeswoman told Reuters via email.

Japan to open large vaccination centers in Tokyo, Osaka -media

The Japanese government is planning to open large vaccination centres in Tokyo and Osaka in the coming weeks in a bid to speed up its inoculation drive, local media reported on Sunday. The Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday the government will open a vaccination site in central Tokyo as early as May that will be able to vaccinate around 10,000 people a day.

Costa Rica hits new daily record of COVID-19 infections

Costa Rica on Saturday registered 1,830 new COVID-19 infections, its highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic, with space for the most critical patients at public hospitals nearly full, health authorities said. There have been 238,760 cases and 3,143 deaths from COVID-19 in the Central American country of 5 million people, whose tourism-driven economy has been hit by the pandemic's toll on global travel.