Health News Roundup: India posts lowest daily rise in coronavirus cases in nearly 3 months; Taiwan welcomes US vaccine aid, bolstering its COVID fight and more

The government coronavirus task force said 450 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 129,361. Small COVID-19 outbreaks keep plaguing Australia Australia's state of Queensland recorded one locally acquired coronavirus infection on Sunday, the latest streak of small outbreaks that have been plaguing the country in recent months.


Reuters | Updated: 20-06-2021 19:05 IST | Created: 20-06-2021 18:30 IST
Health News Roundup: India posts lowest daily rise in coronavirus cases in nearly 3 months; Taiwan welcomes US vaccine aid, bolstering its COVID fight and more
Representative image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India posts lowest daily rise in coronavirus cases in nearly 3 months

India reported 58,419 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours on Sunday, the lowest daily number in nearly three months, data from the health ministry showed. The total number of cases of COVID-19 in India have risen to 29.9 million and so far 386,713 people have died. Deaths rose by 1,576 overnight.

Taiwan welcomes US vaccine aid, bolstering its COVID fight

Taiwan welcomed 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the United States on Sunday as help from a true friend, more than doubling the major semiconductor-producing island's arsenal of shots as it deals with a cluster of domestic infections. Washington, competing with Beijing to deepen geopolitical clout through "vaccine diplomacy," initially had promised to donate 750,000 doses but increased that number as President Joe Biden's administration advances its pledge to send 80 million U.S.-made shots around the world.

Russia reports 17,611 new COVID-19 cases, 450 deaths

Russia reported 17,611 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 8,305 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 5,316,826. The government coronavirus task force said 450 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 129,361.

Small COVID-19 outbreaks keep plaguing Australia

Australia's state of Queensland recorded one locally acquired coronavirus infection on Sunday, the latest streak of small outbreaks that have been plaguing the country in recent months. The Queensland case comes as a cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant has grown by two cases to nine in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, prompting health officials to expand mask wearing rules.

Vietnam receives 500,000 Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses donation from China

Vietnam has received a shipment of 500,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses donated by China, the health ministry said on Sunday, as the country is ramping up inoculations to battle against a more widespread outbreak. The Southeast Asian nation approved China's Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use against COVID-19 in early June.

Olympics-Venue medical officers want no spectators amid COVID-19 fears

Facing the daunting task of keeping the world's largest sporting event safe, some emergency medicine officers overseeing Tokyo Olympic venues are calling on the organisers to bar spectators over risks of a jump in COVID-19 cases. Organisers are to decide as soon as Monday whether to allow domestic spectators into the stadiums for the Games, which were delayed by a year due to the pandemic and now set to start in about a month. Foreign spectators have already been banned.

Philippines seals deal for 40 million Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 doses

The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE in its biggest coronavirus vaccine deal to date. Deliveries of the vaccine, among several brands of coronavirus shots allowed for emergency use in the Southeast Asian country, will begin in August, Carlito Galvez, head of the government's COVID-19 vaccine procurement, said on Sunday.

South Korea to loosen social distancing rules on July 1

South Korea will relax social distancing rules and allow private gatherings of up to six people in the greater Seoul area from the current four starting July 1, the government said on Sunday. The announcement comes as South Korea has inoculated 29.2% of its population as of Saturday, putting it on track to meet a target of 70% by September.

Swiss to start inoculating youngsters against COVID-19 as early as next week

Switzerland plans to allow 12- to 15-year olds to receive vaccinations against COVID-19 as soon as next week, government vaccine chief Christoph Berger told Swiss newspaper NZZ in an interview published on Sunday. "Young people who want to be vaccinated should be given the opportunity," Berger told NZZ, adding the government's approval was expected to be communicated next week.

Brazil passes half a million COVID-19 deaths, experts warn of worse ahead

Brazil's death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 500,000 on Saturday as experts warn that the world's second-deadliest outbreak may worsen due to delayed vaccinations and the government's refusal to back social distancing measures. Only 11% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated and epidemiologists warn that, with winter arriving in the southern hemisphere and new variants of the coronavirus circulating, deaths will continue to mount even if immunizations gain steam.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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