Cuba struggles to get oxygen to the sick, vaccines to the healthy
Havana, CubaReuters Cuba has turned to the military to provide oxygen amid a surge of the coronavirus even as doctors rush to administer locally developed vaccines to the population. The government announced on Sunday that the Caribbean island’s main oxygen plant had broken down in the midst of a Delta variant-driven coronavirus surge that has […]
Indonesian ferry turns into a floating isolation centre for COVID-19 patients
Makassar, IndonesiaReuters A vehicle with a flashing siren and “Makassar COVID Hunter” written on the side pulls up to a ship docked at a jetty in the Indonesian port city of Makassar, and masked COVID-19 patients carrying bags board the boat. This ship, called the KM Umsini, used to ply a route ferrying up to […]
Global COVID-19 cases surpass 200 million as Delta variant spreads
Reuters Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 200 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the more-infectious Delta variant threatens areas with low vaccination rates and strains healthcare systems. The global surge in cases is highlighting the widening gap in inoculation rates between wealthy and poor nations. Cases are rising in about one-third of the […]
WHO’s pandemic project faces cash crunch amid vaccine, oxygen shortages
Brussels, BelgiumReuters The World Health Organization is seeking $US11.5 billion in urgent funding to fight the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, a draft report seen by Reuters shows, amid worries wealthy nations are partly bypassing its COVID-19 programs. A large portion of the cash being requested from the WHO’s partners is needed to […]
Delta spreads “like wildfire” as doctors study whether it makes patients sicker
Los Angeles, USReuters With a new wave of COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people – mainly the unvaccinated – sicker than before. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Delta, first identified in […]
Hard-won gains at risk as Delta variant spreads – WHO
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The world is at risk of losing hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19 as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads, but WHO-approved vaccines remain effective, the World Health Organization said on Friday. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has described the Delta variant of the coronavirus as being as transmissible as chickenpox […]
SOS: Stranded and shattered seafarers threaten global supply lines
JONATHAN SAUL and ROSLAN KHASAWNEH, of Reuters, report on the plight of tens of thousands of seafarers around the world…
Australia’s COVID-19 lockdowns cover more than half the 25 million population
Sydney, AustraliaReuters More than half of Australia’s 25 million population is under lockdown after a third state imposed movement restrictions on Tuesday to contain the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant. Australia’s coronavirus case numbers and deaths are well below other developed nations, but the country’s use of lockdowns due to a sluggish […]
Delta COVID variant now dominant strain worldwide, US deaths surge – officials
Reuters The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide, accompanied by a surge of deaths around the United States almost entirely among unvaccinated people, US officials said on Friday. US cases of COVID-19 are up 70 per cent over the previous week and deaths are up 26 per cent, with outbreaks occurring […]
PM Modi urges India to get COVID-19 shots amid Delta variant concerns
New Delhi, IndiaReuters India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people on Sunday to overcome their hesitancy and get COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as possible, as concerns grow about the highly infectious Delta variant being detected in some states. After a fall in infections from May’s daily peak of 400,000, India has redoubled its efforts to […]