United Kingdom, new peak of infections: 26 thousand
Still a peak of Covid infections in the United Kingdom, now 99% fueled by the aggressive Delta variant imported from India: today’s data from the British government certify this with another 26,068 cases in the last 24 hours surveyed (out of almost 900,000 swabs), record in the country since 23 January. This is a new surge, even if the effect of vaccines (with the administration of the first doses rising to 85% of the adult population and the recalls to 62.4%) continues for now to slow down the impact on the increase in admissions to hospitals and especially on daily deaths: no higher than 14, down from the 23 recorded yesterday.
Vaccines, three billion doses administered
More than three billion doses of Covid vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to an AFP tally. About 40% of the administered doses (1.2 billion) were taken in China. India (329 million) and the United States (324 million) complete the podium. “High-income” countries (as defined by the World Bank) administered an average of 79 doses per 100 population, compared to a single dose in “low-income” countries.
In Russia, 652 deaths from covid
Russia reported on Tuesday 652 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, the worst daily toll since the start of the pandemic, caused by the rise of the highly contagious Delta variant. More than 20,000 new contaminations have also been identified. About 151,000 coronavirus patients are hospitalized, according to the Minister of Health, a “tense” situation while the country currently has 182,000 beds for Covid-19. For its part, the Kremlin has admitted that Russia will not be able to vaccinate 60% of its population in the fall, burying the goal Vladimir Putin set for itself in the spring.
North Korea, Kim removes officials for serious Covid-related incident
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un denounced an unspecified “serious accident” linked to the pandemic of Covid-19 which could jeopardize the security of the country and its citizens. According to reports from the KCNA, the supreme commander, presiding over the extended meeting of the Politburo of the Workers’ Party yesterday, removed some high-level officials from their posts. The latter, “neglecting important party decisions, caused a serious accident that poses an enormous crisis for the security of the nation and its people”. Pyongyang has so far claimed the absence of coronavirus cases. The KCNA did not elaborate on the nature of the serious incident, the announcement of which follows months of announcements in which North Korea claimed to be free from the coronavirus, after deciding in early 2020 the de facto closure of the borders with China and Russia and other measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
In July last year, however, Pyongyang reported that a person who defected to South Korea a few years ago had returned “illegally” to the North Korean border town of Kaesong and was, according to the KCNA, “suspected of having been infected. from the virus “. In addition, at the end of 2020, North Korea locked down Hyesan on the border with China and Nampo, which has the largest port in the country on the west coast, banning people from other cities from entering the capital.
According to the latest updates from the WHO, Pyongyang has not reported infections after testing another 735 people, bringing the total to 31,083. According to a report released on Friday by the UN agency in Geneva, the latest tests conducted from 11 to 17 June include 149 people with flu and similar illnesses or “severe acute respiratory infections”. Finally, no information was provided on people quarantined or released in the country, as North Korea has not shared such data with WHO since December.
South Korea: Covid, record of infections in the last two months
South Korean health authorities have reported 794 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours. This is the highest daily toll recorded in that country for two months now, and a jump of almost 200 cases compared to the previous 24 hours. In the country, the total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic has increased to 156,961, while the number of deaths caused by the Covid-19 in the country increased to 2,018. The Minister of Health, Kwon Deok-cheol, urged people between the ages of 20 and 30 to respect more assiduously the measures of social distancing, highlighting that most of the new cases of contagion concern young people.
India, 817 deaths in the past 24 hours
India recorded 45,751 cases of new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday in the past 24 hours, according to data from the health ministry. Coronavirus-related deaths in India increased by 817 overnight.
Covid: 1,893 deaths in Brazil, but infections begin to decline
Brazil recorded 1,893 deaths from Covid-19 in one day, bringing the deceased to 515,985; but, according to reports from the government, there are signs of a decline in the pandemic in the country. The confirmed cases of contagion since the beginning of the pandemic have reached 18,513,305, of which 64,903 in the last 24 hours. The daily averages of deaths and confirmed cases stood at 1,610 and 65,522, down by 19.6% for deaths and 12% for infections in the last week. The figures, according to the government, are starting to drop in Brazil, one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus in the world. According to data released today by Imperial College, the transmission rate of the virus in Brazil in the last week has gone from 1.13% to 0.98%. Since May, the country has been experiencing an increase in infections, but in recent days there has been a decline in numbers and hospitalizations for the virus. Although vaccination in the country is still slow due to lack of doses, the South American giant has already immunized more than 25.6 million people at full capacity, which represents 12% of its population, estimated at around 212 million inhabitants. Brazil is the second country on the planet for the number of victims from Covid-19, after the United States, and the third for infections behind the United States and India.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian Ministry of Health has announced the suspension of the contract for the purchase of the vaccine against Covid-19 Covaxin developed by the Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech. The contract, negotiated between the ministry and the pharmaceutical company through the Brazilian company Precisa medicamentos, ended up at the center of an investigation for administrative misconduct by the federal prosecutor. The judiciary highlighted the risk of over-invoicing of the purchase, underlining that according to the agreements the government would have given approval to the purchase at 15 dollars for each dose, while the price estimated by the manufacturing industry is 1.34 dollars. The extreme difference in price suggests, for the power of attorney, a disproportionate advantage for the Precisa medicamentos and a damage for the state coffers
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