The number of Covid-19 infections officially registered worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic has now exceeded 150 million, according to data from the American University Johns Hopkins. Over 87 million were healed. The dead more than 3.1 million. The country most affected in absolute terms by the new coronavirus remains the United States, with 575,000 deaths out of 32 million cases. Brazil follows with 401,000 deaths out of 14.6 million infections and India with almost 205,000 deaths out of 18.4 million cases. Mexico reports 216,000 deaths despite ‘only’ 2.34 million infections.
In the last 24 hours, record numbers for infections and covid deaths in Latin America, where there are problems with vaccines. In Colombia, 500 deaths in one day were exceeded for the first time. In Argentina, a new record of daily deaths with 561 deaths. Brazil has exceeded the threshold of 400,000 deaths for covid in just fourteen months.
Argentina: new record of daily deaths with 561 deaths. Delay in delivery of AstraZeneca vaccines
Argentina marked the highest number of daily deaths associated with this Thursday Covid-19, with 561 victims. The latest epidemiological bulletin of the health authorities also notes 23,718 new infections. The total number of infected people reached 283,779, with an increase of about 100,000 cases since the beginning of April. Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been a total of 2,928,890 infections and 62,947 deaths. The level of employment of the intensive care units (UTI) also marks a record both nationally, with 68.3 per cent, and in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (Amba), with 76.8 per cent.
The total number of people admitted to the UTI is 5,178 units. The level of saturation is even more critical if we consider exclusively the district of the city of Buenos Aires, where the official figures indicate an overall occupancy of 85 per cent but with various structures operating over 100 per cent. In this context, in the Argentine capital, waiting times for hospitalizations are several hours with frequent deviations from the private to the public sector.
Argentine Foreign Minister Felipe Solà regretted the delay in Argentina of the first shipments of 22.4 million AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines. “We have a big problem called AstraZeneca,” Solà told El Uncover radio analyzing the current vaccine landscape in the South American country which today recorded 561 deaths from covid, reaching a new record of deaths in 24 hours.
AstraZenecea had committed about 150 million doses for Latin America, with the Argentine laboratory mAbxience, which produces the active ingredient, and the Mexican Liomont, in charge of the packaging.
Of those 150 million, 75 million were destined for Mexico; 22.4 million in Argentina and the rest in other Latin American countries. According to Sola ‘, the Argentine laboratory has already sent “more than 30 million of active ingredients” to Mexico but the production “has stopped” in that country, so the packaged vaccines have not arrived in Buenos Aires.
The government exponent underlined that “in addition to the lack of vaccines, what is missing is information. We do not have written and detailed information. AstraZeneca has not explained the delay, but we are in contact with them”.
Health Minister Carla Vizzotti met AstraZeneca’s representative in Argentina. “We are sorry to confirm a delay in our intention to start shipments to Latin America earlier, despite the fact that we work tirelessly to speed up the supply,” the Anglo-Swedish laboratory said in a statement after that meeting.
Covid: Colombia, over 500 deaths in one day, is the first time
Colombia today recorded 505 deaths for covid, the highest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic broke out. This was reported by the Ministry of Health.
The country, which is currently facing a third wave of the virus, passed 400 deaths on April 19 and passed the 500 mark ten days later, according to the daily casualty register.
Covid: Bolsonaro against restrictions, but 400 thousand dead in Brazil
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has once again come back to harshly criticize the measures of social isolation, despite Brazil having exceeded the threshold of 400,000 deaths for covid in just fourteen months.
According to Bolsonaro, the policies of “closing everything”, “staying at home” and “isolation” generate unemployment and lead cities “to misery”.
“The federal government did not close the trade, nor did it say that everyone had to stay at home,” explained the president visibly irritated, alluding to the restrictions imposed by regional and municipal governments to contain the virus.
The covid “It will not go away unfortunately – added Bolsonaro -, we will have to live with the virus, also because it is changing more and more. I hope that there is not a third wave; we ask God not to have one, but we must face it because politics of the ‘blockade’, of staying at home, he continues “, will lead the cities to” misery “.
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