Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
‘So many bodies piled up’: Hong Kong funeral services overwhelmed by COVID
Traditional wooden coffins are running short in Hong Kong as authorities scramble to add mortuary space in the global financial hub’s battle on COVID-19, which is swamping funeral parlors. “I have never seen so many bodies piled up together,” said funeral director Lok Chung, 37, who has been working round the clock, with about 40 funerals organized in March, up from roughly 15 in an average month.
Hong Kong reports 2,777 new COVID cases
Hong Kong health authorities reported 2,777 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, down from 3,254 the previous day, and 111 deaths as cases in the global financial centre continue to fall.
EU investigates chocolate-linked salmonella outbreak before Easter
Europe’s health agency said on Wednesday it was investigating dozens of reported and suspected cases of salmonella linked with eating chocolate in at least nine countries. Ferrero recalled Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs from British and Irish shelves on Monday in what it said was a precautionary move. The Italian confectionary group said on Wednesday that no Kinder products released to the market had tested positive for salmonella.
‘COVID is not a cold’ – Germany U-turns on ending mandatory isolation
Germany will not end mandatory isolation for most people who catch COVID-19, the health minister said on Wednesday, reversing course after concerns were raised that lifting quarantine restrictions would suggest the pandemic was over. “Coronavirus is not a cold. That is why there must continue to be isolation after an infection,” Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Twitter, adding he had made a mistake by suggesting an end to mandatory quarantine.
Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Guardians of children with special needs who are infected with COVID can apply to escort them, a Shanghai city official said on Wednesday, pointing to a relaxation of a child-separation policy that has triggered widespread public anger. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
China relies on traditional medicine to fight COVID surge in Shanghai
Shanghai is distributing to residents millions of boxes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as herbal products and flu capsules, which it says can treat COVID-19 in the battle to control its largest virus outbreak. China’s commercial capital, now under an extended lockdown, reported more than 17,000 new COVID-19 infections on April 5, including 311 symptomatic cases, among a population of more than 26 million.
Second booster shields elderly from COVID but protection wanes quickly – study
A fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine lowered rates of COVID-19 among the elderly but the protection against infection appeared short-lived, a large study in Israel has found. The second booster’s protection against infection dwindled after four weeks, Israeli researchers showed in their study published on Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In Shanghai, a long, fruitless wait for help amid COVID lockdown
The elderly woman slouched in a chair in Shanghai’s cool spring weather as her three companions squabbled with police and others clad in white biohazard suits, the only people visible on a street emptied by the COVID-19 lockdown. They spoke loud enough for residents to hear them from an apartment building a dozen floors up.
Spain to mostly ditch indoor mask-wearing from April 20
Spain will lift a requirement to wear face masks indoors except on public transport and in hospitals and retirement homes from April 20, Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Wednesday. Since the Omicron variant of the coronavirus drove up infections to record highs in January the caseload has receded sharply and COVID patients now account for just 3.5% of hospital occupation.
Taiwan aims for zero serious COVID cases as infections edge up
Taiwan is aiming for zero serious COVID-19 infections and an “effective” control of the virus, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday, responding to a gradual increase in the number of domestic cases as it pledges to keep its reopening on track. Unlike large parts of the rest of the world, Taiwan has kept the pandemic well under control with strict and early control measures, including an efficient contact tracing system and largely closing its borders.
(With inputs from agencies.)
