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- This daily news summary brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, along with tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
- In the news: Omicron is now present in a third of US states; New report warns of ‘extreme vaccine discrimination’ leaving Africa behind; Around the world, countries continue to report new cases of Omicron COVID-19.
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the world
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 265.8 million worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now exceeded 5.25 million. Over 8.18 billion vaccine doses were administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
Thailand has detected its first case of Omicron COVID-19 varianta health official said today.
South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions as the Omicron COVID-19 variant is pushing the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
The UK reported 86 new cases of the Omicron variant on Sunday, bringing the total identified so far to 246.
The Australian Medicines Regulatory Authority has provisionally approved the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5 to 11 years.
The Spanish Hipra is convinced that there will be a demand from the European Union for his experimental vaccine COVID-19 once approved, because it’s designed to protect against new variants, can be moved easily and produced in large quantities, a senior executive said.
South Korea has reported three more cases of the Omicron variant. It comes after reporting a record daily number of new cases of COVID-19 on Friday – 5.352.
Senegal has reported its first confirmed case of Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The Indian state of Maharashtra said yesterday it had detected seven new cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant, bringing the country’s total to 12.
New daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million people in some countries.
Image: Our world in data
2. Omicron variant found in a third of US states
U.S. health officials said yesterday that the Omicron variant has been detected in about a third of states. However, they said the Delta variant remains responsible for the majority of cases across the country.
Although the emergence of the new variant has alarmed the world, Dr.Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease official, told CNN, “So far there doesn’t appear to be a big degree of severity “. He added that it was too early to draw firm conclusions and that further study is needed.
United States Centers for Disease Control director Dr Rochelle Walensky told ABC News that the Delta variant still accounts for 99.9% of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States.
The COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship is a coalition of 85 world leaders, organized by the World Economic Forum. Its mission: to join hands to support social entrepreneurs around the world as essential first responders to the pandemic and as pioneers of a green and inclusive economic reality.
Its COVID Social Enterprise Action Agenda presents 25 concrete recommendations for key stakeholder groups, including funders and philanthropists, investors, government institutions, support organizations, and businesses. In January 2021, its members launched its 2021 roadmap through which its members will roll out an ambitious set of 21 action projects in 10 work areas. Including business access and policy change in support of a social economy.
For more information, see the Alliance’s website or its ‘Impact Story’ here.
3. ‘Extreme’ vaccine discrimination risks leaving Africa behind: report
A new report has warned that Africa is unlikely to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic unless 70% of its population is vaccinated by the end of next year, but “extreme vaccine discrimination” leaves the continent behind.
Only five of Africa’s 54 countries are on track to meet the World Health Organization’s goal of fully immunizing 40% of the population by the end of 2021, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said in a report on the COVID-19 in Africa.
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered by continent.
Image: Our world in data
“From the onset of this crisis, our Foundation and other African voices warned that an unvaccinated Africa could become a perfect incubator for variants,” said its president Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese telecommunications billionaire, in a statement. .
“The emergence of Omicron reminds us that COVID-19 remains a global threat and that vaccinating the whole world is the only way forward,” he added. “Yet we continue to live with extreme discrimination when it comes to vaccines, and Africa, in particular, is being left behind.”