The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
9:30 a.m. — Iran’s health minister said Thursday the country has marked its first day after more than two years without a single COVID-19 death, lauding this as a significant milestone for a nation that long had the highest number of coronavirus cases in the Middle East.
The ministry reported 175 new cases over the past day, bringing Iran’s number of confirmed cases during the pandemic to more than 7,230,000. Iran’s officially registered death toll stands at 141,318.
“Iran has experienced the first day without a coronavirus death while America and Europe still have high casualty rates,” tweeted Health Minister Bahram Einollahi.
At its peak in the pandemic, in August 2021, Iran registered more than 50,000 new cases a day. That same month also marked the highest daily number of fatalities, 709 deaths a day.
Earlier this year, in February, authorities said the aggressive omicron variant was dominant in Iran and urged hospitals to prepare for a new wave of infections and hospitalizations.
Like many middle-income countries, Iran has relied on Sinopharm, the state-backed Chinese vaccine. The country also offers citizens an array of other shots to choose from — Oxford-AstraZeneca, Russia’s Sputnik V, Indian firm Bharat’s Covaxin, as well as its homegrown COVIran Barekat shot.
With anti-American hostility simmering, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had banned the import of Western shots. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech remain forbidden.
9:20 a.m — The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Africa may fall 94 per cent to about 23,000 this year if current variants and transmission rates remain the same, according to a World Health Organization model.
8:05 a.m. — More than two-thirds of the world’s population probably have significant levels of COVID-19 antibodies, meaning they have either been infected or were vaccinated, the World Health Organization said.
So-called seroprevalence rates surged to 67 per cent in October from 16 per cent in February of 2021, the WHO said, in a summary of studies from around the globe. Given the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the figure is probably even higher now.
The WHO’s roundup offers a snapshot of how well the world is increasing resistance to the pandemic. While vaccines provide only modest protection against infection from omicron, the WHO still urged countries to boost vaccination rates, especially for people in high-risk groups, because immunization gives higher levels of protection against severe disease than a previous COVID infection.
People who have both been infected with COVID and vaccinated have the best protection against severe outcomes, according to most studies, though it’s unclear if that will be true with new variants, the WHO said.
Data show lower levels of seroprevalence in children aged 9 and under and in people over 60 compared with those in their 20s, the WHO said. In low- and middle-income countries, most seroprevalence indicates past infections rather than vaccinations.
The presence of antibodies generally wanes over time and the level and persistence of immunity depend on a host of factors, the health body said, adding that further studies are necessary to determine how quickly protection diminishes.
6:14 a.m. — China declared victory over Shanghai’s coronavirus outbreak as the nation reported its fewest new cases in more than three months, vindicating COVID Zero in the eyes of Beijing despite the policy’s rising economic and social toll.
A report on the front page of the People’s Daily newspaper Thursday headlined “Great Achievements Have Been Made in the Defense of Shanghai” claimed victory in the fight against the virus in the city of 25 million. In a separate commentary, the chief mouthpiece of the Communist Party said it proved yet again that COVID Zero is the strategy most suited for China because of the country’s aging population, relatively low vaccination rate among the elderly and children, and inadequate medical resources.
New infections fell to 61 across China on Wednesday, from 68 on Tuesday and the lowest since Feb. 17. It’s a marked turnaround from the tens of thousands of cases reported daily in the first half of April, when Shanghai’s outbreak appeared to be spiralling out of authorities’ control, triggering a citywide lockdown that disrupted business and upended people’s lives.
4:07 a.m. — Hong Kong’s revival of mandatory centralized quarantine for people linked to cases of new omicron sub-variants raises fresh concerns from the business community over the city’s reputation as a financial hub.
A return to harsh COVID Zero measures like quarantine camps risk further damaging confidence in the city and runs counter to the easing of restrictions in recent months, business groups said. The new sub-variants also do not pose a threat of igniting a major outbreak, according to a local public health expert.
“The initial reaction among our members is one of frustration and renewed loss of trust,” said Johannes Hack, president of the German Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. “For our stakeholders abroad, until they can visit Hong Kong entirely freely again — like practically all other places — we will find it hard to make a convincing case of the city’s benefits.”
Health officials said Wednesday that people infected with sub-variants including BA. 2.12.1 who aren’t severely sick, as well as their close contacts, will be sent to government facilities like Penny’s Bay. It’s a reversal of a practice that had allowed most mildly ill patients and their close contacts to stay at home that’s been in place since February.
The government said Wednesday the move is a precaution and doesn’t signify a change in the overall quarantine and isolation policy.
Business groups remained fearful.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)
