World Coronavirus Dispatch: Severe cases in Africa more likely to be fatal

Deadly wave catches Argentina off-guard, Thailand extends emergency by two months, WHO reports steep drop in Europe cases and other pandemic-related news across the globe

Thailand extends state of emergency as Covid cases, deaths soar

With the fresh wave of coronavirus showing no sign of subsiding, Thailand has extended the state of emergency by another two months. The South-East Asian country is battling the third wave of outbreak that has quadrupled the nation’s case count in just seven weeks, with deaths jumping seven-fold. The wave of infections, which started in Bangkok’s night entertainment venues in early April, has now spread to crowded communities, construction camps and prisons, with dozens of clusters in the capital. Thailand has administered 2.5 million shots and its pace of vaccinations has been slow due to limited supplies. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 165,547,299

Global deaths: 3,430,955

Nations with most cases: US (33,056,853), India (26,031,991), Brazil (15,894,094), France (5,979,099), Turkey (5,160,423).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center
 

More critical Covid patients die in Africa due to poor resources

If people in Africa fall critically ill from coronavirus, it is highly likely that they may die mainly on account of the dismal health infrastructure in the continent, a study has found. The death rate in the month after admission to intensive care is about 48 per cent on the continent, compared with about 32 per cent globally, according to a report published in The Lancet. The study focused on 64 hospitals in 10 countries including Ethiopia, Ghana and Mozambique. About 3,140 patients were included, of which the majority were middle-aged men. Read here

Steep drop in new cases in Europe over the past month: WHO

Europe has recorded a 60 per cent drop in new coronavirus infections over the past month, the World Health Organization said, in an encouraging sign that comes as the continent plans to reopen its borders. However, "the progress is still fragile,” it said. The 27 member states of the European Union agreed that the bloc would reopen its borders to non-essential travelers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus with an approved shot, as well as to those coming from a list of countries where the coronavirus is relatively under control. Read here

Deadly wave catches Argentina off-guard

A devastating second wave of Covid cases has caught Argentina off-guard, with relaxed restrictions and a low vaccination rate. Cases have risen from a daily total of about 5,000 in early March to a record 35,000 this week, while deaths surged from 112 at the start of March to a record 744. With both the Brazilian and UK variants circulating widely in Argentina, the patients are younger and dying faster: one recent victim was just 42 when he died. The figures put the country third in daily cases after India and Brazil, and fourth in Covid deaths, after India, Brazil and the US. Read here