COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today, Wednesday 10th of March:
- World: 117,717,343 confirmed cases and 2,613,276 confirmed deaths.
- EU/UK: New row blows in following an EU leaders suggestion that the UK has a ban on the export of vaccines produced on the island. "The United Kingdom and the United States have imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory." and later tweeted that there were "different ways of imposing bans or restrictions on vaccines/medicines". UK prime minister states: "Let me be clear: we have not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine or vaccine components."
- UK: Study by researchers in the Universities of Exeter and Bristol suggests UK COVID Kent varient B117 is twice as deadly as the previous widest spread version. "In the community, death from Covid-19 is still a rare event, but the B117 variant raises the risk." [...] "Coupled with its ability to spread rapidly, this makes B117 a threat that should be taken seriously."
- UK: Government continues to defend itself on the 1% NHS pay rise, this time stating the starting pay had risen for nurses, too.
- UK: UK's £37 Billion Track and Trace (in connotation with the NHS if you can remember that running gag from a few months ago) system found to be spectacular waste of money by the Public Accounts Commission, stating the budget was unbelievable and that even at the vase expense it didn't have a clear impact on reducing infection rates.
- Vitamin D: Two early studies on hospital case data fail to find any link between Vitamin D and resistance to COVID infection, illness or death. Experts concede that this is not conclusive but strongly suggests there is no benefit. Controlled trials continue and will provide more definitive data once they conclude.
- US: Texas lifts mask mandate, however many shops will still require them and Austin votes to retain mandate, inviting the state of Texas to sue them if they disagreed.
- Brazil: Report warns health system in most major cities close to collapse.
- Czech Republic: Number of active patents in hospital reaches new record high.
- Hungary: This wave has passed the previous ones peak in December.
- Vaccines: Jordan, Morroco and Kenya approve SputnikV candidate.
- Israel: 600 children between the ages of 12 and 16 injected with Pfizer vaccine, no serious side-effects observed.
- Pakistan: Opens vaccine program to the general public.
- China: No new symptomatic COVID cases reported in the last 2 weeks, and no active sick remain in hospitals - Only asymptomatic carriers detected by random tests known.
- Mauritius: Goes in to lockdown.