(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Mumbai runs out of vaccines as India hits another record
All vaccination centres in India’s financial capital of Mumbai were shut for three days starting Friday due to a shortage of vaccines, authorities said, as the country posted another record daily rise in coronavirus cases.
Scientists are studying what led to this unexpected surge in India, and whether a variant of the novel coronavirus named B.1.617 first detected in India with two key mutations is to blame.
Brazil passes 400,000 COVID-19 fatalities
Brazil on Thursday became the second country to pass 400,000 COVID-19 deaths after the United States, and experts warned the daily toll could remain high for several months due to slow vaccinations and loosening social restrictions.
Brazil’s COVID-19 deaths have fallen slightly from a peak of more than 4,000 in a single day in early April, prompting many local governments to ease lockdowns. But infectious disease experts warned that this easing will keep deaths elevated for months as vaccines alone cannot be counted on to contain the virus.
Japan says Olympics must not burden regional medical systems
The Olympics must not be a burden on regional medical systems, Japan’s chief government spokesman said on Friday, amid worries that daily athlete testing will tax health resources already stressed in fighting a rebound of COVID-19 cases.
Tokyo 2020 organisers this week issued the second edition of “playbooks” that lay out infection prevention standards for the Summer Games, which are due to start in less than three months after a one-year delay because of the pandemic. The rules require daily testing of athletes and restrict their use of public transportation, complicating logistics in more remote venues.
Vaccine summit to prepare for future pandemics
Britain said on Friday it would host a summit in 2022 to raise money for vaccine research and development to support an international coalition seeking to speed up the production of shots for future diseases.
Britain said the summit with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) next year would support the body’s goal of cutting the development time for new vaccines to 100 days in future pandemics.
‘Light at end of the tunnel’: NY mayor envisions full reopening by July 1
New York City aims to “fully reopen” on July 1 after more than a year of closures and capacity restrictions, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday, citing satisfactory progress in vaccinating its more than 8 million residents.
Even though the July 1 date is still aspirational and other jurisdictions such as Texas have already declared complete reopening, de Blasio’s announcement is significant. New York is the country’s most populous city and was the early epicenter of the pandemic in the United States.
COVID cluster at Singapore hospital
Singapore has detected a COVID-19 cluster at one of its largest hospitals, among 16 new locally transmitted infections that were reported on Thursday, its highest number of domestic cases in seven months.
Authorities have isolated two wards in the hospital to test staff and patients, and increased quarantine and movement curbs after the cluster, which is the first in a Singapore hospital. Seven other local cases on Thursday were linked to an airport immigration officer.
(Reporting by Karishma Singh; Editing by Kim Coghill)
