A health worker inoculates a woman with a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at a school in India’s Hyderabad city on 13 July, 2021
(AFP via Getty Images)
India has reported more than twice as many Covid-19 cases in 2021 as it had the entire last year as a second wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc in the country, an analysis showed.
Two-thirds of the over 30 million cases that have been reported in India have come in less than six and a half months of 2021, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data said.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of fatalities. The analysis showed that 259,302 deaths have been reported this year while 148,738 fatalities were seen in 2020.
Meanwhile, some areas in China will begin administering the Covid-19 vaccine to those aged between 15 and 17 this month. Authorities will start inoculating those between 12 and 14 in August.
Tokyo reported 1,149 new cases on Wednesday, the highest rise in daily infections in almost six months, with the Olympics set to open on 23 July. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has said that strict measures are in place and vaccination rates among participants are high.
Outbreak on South Korean military vessel on anti-piracy patrol
Six service members aboard a South Korean military unit on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden have tested positive for Covid-19.
The defense ministry said the members were tested after an officer showed symptoms of pneumonia. The ministry also said it is working to test some 300 people living on the vessel. None of them have been vaccinated yet.
South Korea is struggling to contain the spread of the virus as it reported 1,600 new cases on Thursday.
Akshita Jain15 July 2021 06:51
Indian cricketer tests positive for Covid-19 in England
A member of the Indian cricket team which is touring England has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently isolating at a relative’s home, according to reports.
The player, who has not been identified, was tested for the virus after he experienced a sore throat, the Indian Express quoted sources as saying. Other team members and the support staff were kept in isolation for three days.
The player will not be travelling with the team to Durham on Thursday and is likely to join later. In Durham, the team is scheduled to play a tour game against Select County XI from 20 July.
Akshita Jain15 July 2021 06:35
‘Delta plus unlikely to be more transmissible than Delta variant’
Sub-lineages of the Delta variant of Covid-19, including one known as “Delta plus”, are unlikely to be more transmissible, according to India’s INSACOG.
INSACOG is a consortium of 28 government laboratories across India involved in genome sequencing of Covid-19.
It said that Delta sub-lineages are “declining globally with near-zero cases in the last week of June in either the UK or US, where they were most frequently seen.”
In India, they continue to be below 1 per cent in sequences from June, INSACOG said.
61 cases of Delta plus have been detected in India so far and three deaths due to the variant have been registered, according to the National Centre for Disease Control.
Akshita Jain15 July 2021 05:55
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic for Thursday 15 July, 2021.
Akshita Jain15 July 2021 05:14
