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    Coronavirus - 17 February 2022

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    • Post n°1

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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 13:17

    Summary for Thursday, 17th February 2022


    So far today:


    • Israel’s prime minister says the country’s coronavirus vaccination “green pass” system will be suspended as new daily cases of Covid continue to decline.

    • Police in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, have warned truck drivers blockading city’s downtown to leave or face arrest in a crackdown seeking to end a three-week-long protest over Covid restrictions.

    • The Hong Kong government plans to make up to 10,000 hotel rooms available for Covid patients as the city battles a surge in cases and local media reported the government will make testing compulsory from March.

    • Japan is to ease its strict border controls from next month, media reports said on Thursday, after criticism from students, workers and family members who have been in effect “locked out” of the country for up to two years.

    • Restrictions introduced to curb the spread of Omicron across Australia’s two most populous states will be eased over the next week as cases continue to drop in New South Wales and Victoria.

    • Moderna has applied for patents in South Africa relating to its Covid vaccine, prompting fears the company could eventually seek to prevent a new African vaccine manufacturing hub from making its own version of the mRNA shot.

    • Most Covid deaths in Australia have affected migrants, with people born in the Middle East suffering the highest death rate, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.

    • In the UK, cabinet splits have emerged over the government’s “living with Covid” strategy, with Sajid Javid expected to push to retain some free testing and community surveillance of the virus in the face of a Treasury demand to slash the budget.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 13:38

    Indonesian cases hit record but less severe, fewer deaths

    Associated Press
    Coronavirus - 17 February 2022 A8f138eacb0bfe65732dfff1e4045b5d
    Workers in protective suits burry a coronavirus victim during a funeral at a cemetery in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)

    JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's confirmed coronavirus infections since the pandemic began crossed 5 million on Thursday, the highest in Southeast Asia, but the related deaths and bed occupancy fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant remained lower than in the previous outbreak.
    Since Tuesday, daily COVID-19 cases have outpaced July's record that had overwhelmed hospitals on the main island of Java, hitting 63,956 on Thursday. The Health Ministry also reported 206 deaths compared to more than 2,000 a day at the peak of the surge last year. Data showed the bed occupancy rate at 33%, and 25% for intensive case units.
    Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said that cases and deaths are expected to increase further but hospitals are unlikely to overflow again because omicron generally causes less severe symptoms.
    The government was equipping hospitals with more beds, and Jakarta continues to be the hardest hit in Indonesia. Bed occupancy rates at 140 coronavirus hospitals in the city rose from 5% in early January to 59% on Thursday.
    Nearly half of all beds for COVID-19 patients in West Java, Yogyakarta and Bali were full, according to the Health Ministry.
    National COVID-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said the situation remained under control. He said 71% of 74,838 hospitalized patients were asymptomatic or with mild symptoms.
    “Let us help those who are in bad need of hospital care as they suffer from severe symptoms, have comorbidities or in critical condition,” he told a news conference.
    Data showed 68% of the omicron-related deaths were unvaccinated people, while 49% were elderly and 48% with other severe illnesses. Only 66% of Indonesia’s 208 million people eligible for shots have been fully vaccinated.

    Coronavirus - 17 February 2022 7e9215f83a865bd41bf001b4873bb765
    Workers in protective suits carry the body of a coronavirus victim during a burial at a cemetery in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)

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    People wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus chat as they walk at a bus station in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

    Coronavirus - 17 February 2022 810e9c7d743a6fe19cb88bced0029805
    Men wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus walk past a coronavirus-themed mural in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday Feb 17 2022 (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

    Hong Kong to make up to 10,000 hotel rooms available for Covid cases

    Tom Ambrose - The Guardian
    Hong Kong government plans to make up to 10,000 hotel rooms available for Covid patients as the city battles a surge in cases and local media reported the government will make testing compulsory from March.
    The chief executive, Carrie Lam, renewed an appeal for support from the global financial hub’s 7.5 million people, many of whom are fatigued by some of the world’s most stringent restrictions even as most other major cities adjust to living with the virus.
    Daily infections have surged by more than 40 times since the start of February and authorities have shut schools, gyms cinemas and most public venues. Many office employees have reverted to working from home.
    Lam’s comments, in a statement released late on Wednesday, came after the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, told Hong Kong’s leaders their “overriding mission” was to stabilise and control coronavirus in the global financial hub.
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    Medical staff work among patients lying in beds at a makeshift treatment area outside a hospital in Hong Kong. Photograph: Lam Yik/Reuters

    “With the utmost concern and staunch support of President Xi Jinping … all in society must now join hands in riding out the fifth wave of the epidemic, displaying the Hong Kong spirit in full,” she said.
    “I am optimistic that, through the joint efforts by the government and hotel sector, at least 10,000 hotel rooms could be made available.”
    In a move to free up beds for isolation, Lam said she had spoken with local hotel owners and the security chief, Chris Tang, would oversee the operation of participating hotels.
    Hong Kong was expected to report around 5,000 new cases on Thursday, Now TV reported, up from the previous day’s record high of 4,285 confirmed infections and an additional 7,000 preliminary positive cases.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 13:42

    Police in Ottawa warn truck drivers over blockade

    Police in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, have warned truck drivers blockading city’s downtown to leave or face arrest in a crackdown seeking to end a three-week-old protest over Covid restrictions.
    The interim police chief Steve Bell vowed “to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space” in “coming days”, Reuters reported.
    The federal public safety minister, Marco Mendicino, accused extremist groups of helping organise protests in Ottawa and at US border crossings and repeated suggestions that some actors wanted to overthrow the Liberal government.
    Police handed leaflets to truckers that said “You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets … may be arrested.” Police also ticketed some of the hundreds of vehicles blocking Ottawa’s downtown.
    At least one large rig left while some demonstrators put the leaflets into a toilet placed in front of a truck. Some truckers blew their horns in violation of a court order forbidding such behaviour.
    Wendell Thorndyke, who has parked in front of parliament for 21 days, insisted he had no intention of leaving. “We think it’s cute. They turned all the cops into meter maids,” he said as he filled his engine with oil.
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    A shirtless protester participates in a blockade of downtown streets near the parliament building in Ottawa. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

    Japan to ease Covid border controls after two years of ‘seclusion policy’

    Justin McCurry - The Guardian
    Japan is to ease its strict border controls from next month, media reports said on Thursday, after criticism from students, workers and family members who have been in effect “locked out” of the country for up to two years.
    The restrictions, which limit arrivals to Japanese citizens and returning foreign residents, have affected 150,000 students, triggering accusations from politicians and business leaders that the ban is damaging the country’s economy and international image.
    Japan briefly relaxed the rules last year but tightened them again in November in an attempt to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
    The opening up will be incremental, however, and will not apply to tourists. The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, is expected to announce later on Thursday an increase in daily arrivals from 3,500 to 5,000, as well as a reduction in quarantine from a week to three days for people with a negative test result and proof they have had a booster shot.
    Read more here.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 17:17

    Israel to scrap Covid passport system as Omicron wanes

    Israel’s prime minister says the country’s coronavirus vaccination “green pass” system will be suspended as new daily cases of Covid continue to decline.
    Naftali Bennett said on Thursday after meeting health officials that Israel’s Omicron wave “has been broken” and that additional reductions in coronavirus restrictions were forthcoming.
    The green pass system, Israel’s digital vaccination passport, limited entry to indoor venues and large gatherings to people who had recovered from coronavirus or received at least three doses of the vaccine.
    Although new infections remain high, Israel’s health ministry has reported a steady decline in serious cases of Covid since the peak of the country’s Omicron wave earlier in February.

    The UK government may announce an end to the provision of free lateral flow tests (LFTs) next week

    James Heappey, the armed forces minister, has suggested Boris Johnson may scrap free do-at-home tests when he outlines his “living with Covid” plan.
    In an interview with Sky News this morning, Heappey said it was time to “reconsider” whether some measures should remain in place as he argued Britons need to “change behaviours” in the face of future variants.
    Asked whether free LFTs will be “taken away”, Heappey said:
    I think that is the direction of travel but the prime minister will shortly announce his conclusions on that.
    There are also reports that the availability of free PCR tests could also be withdrawn as part of Boris Johnson’s blueprint for the future, amid warnings that the public could be left “flying blind” on Covid if left without free testing provision.
    The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said ending free testing would be “a mistake, [as] Covid isn’t going away”.
    Starmer said on Wednesday:
    It’s still important that people test if they have symptoms or if they’re going to see someone vulnerable.
    If you take away free tests, that will … make it worse in the long run. It’s not good to get rid of free tests on health grounds nor is it economically the right thing to do.

    The Solomon Islands is experiencing its first major community outbreak of coronavirus, and at a frightening pace.
    With just 11% of its population fully vaccinated, the Pacific Island nation’s fragile healthcare system is at risk of becoming overwhelmed, the Red Cross warned today.
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    Ships are docked offshore in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

    The nation of some 690,000 is spread across hundreds of islands, and many are served by only small clinics or have no nearby facilities at all. The capital Honiara has only one small hospital and authorities have already turned a sports building into a field hospital.
    Clement Manuri, secretary general of the Solomon Islands Red Cross Society, said the virus was spreading “faster than the wind from our cities and towns to the most remote communities”.
    Local authorities said last week that one in every two people in Honiara now has Covid symptoms, but with the lack of testing it is hard to say exactly how many are currently ill with the virus.
    Officials have struggled with the country’s vaccine rollout programme, particularly in hard-to-reach outlying islands. Misinformation and rumours have contributed to vaccine hesitancy, and getting vaccines out to remote island communities creates a major logistical challenge.
    With the current outbreak, however, people are now rushing to be vaccinated. “People are lining up all day,” Manuri told the Associated Press:
    I think the fear now is if it goes to the villages it will be a very serious problem.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 17:23

    Returning to Hong Kong, where authorities say the city’s hospitals have reached 90% capacity and quarantine facilities are at their limit.
    Current policy dictates that any individual who is infected with Covid-19 must be admitted to a hospital or community isolation facility. Hong Kong reported 6,116 new cases today and 24 further deaths over the past week, the Associated Press reports.
    To ease the strain on the city’s healthcare system, officials said they would allow some patients to be discharged sooner. Under the new approach, people who are infected but present mild symptoms will be allowed to leave just after seven days if they test negative on the seventh day. Those who do not meet these criteria must complete the full 14-day isolation period or wait until they test negative.
    The move comes amid reports of patients being treated on beds outside a hospital in the city’s working-class neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po.
    From DW News’ correspondent, Phoebe Kong:
    https://twitter.com/phoebe_kongwy/status/1494150826780098560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494150826780098560%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2022%2Ffeb%2F17%2Fcovid-news-live-hong-kong-battles-surge-in-cases-canada-warns-truck-drivers-over-blockade%3FfilterKeyEvents%3Dfalse

    Chuang Shuk-kwan, the head of Hong Kong’s Communicable Disease Branch, said medical staff are “very unhappy” because of the number of emergency cases where patients are being held in tents.
    The public hospitals are in a “crisis situation,” said Sara Ho of Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority.
    If a large number of patients are waiting outdoors and if this continues, then no matter how hard our medical professionals work around the clock, there’s no way to solve this problem relying on our own effort.

    Government ministers in India have dismissed a recent study that suggests the country’s pandemic death toll could be six to eight times higher than the official count as “fallacious and completely inaccurate”.
    The claim that Covid-19 deaths have been under-reported is “without basis and devoid of justification”, the health ministry said in a statement, The Times of India reports.
    The study, published on Wednesday, estimates that the Covid death toll in the country till early November was between 3.2 million and 3.7 million, compared with the official figure of 460,000. The official count has since increased to more than 510,400.
    The estimates are close to the figure provided by a separate team at the University of Toronto last year, who estimated 3.2 million Covid deaths in India between 1 June 2020 and 1 July 2021.
    If these latest estimates are correct, India would become the country with by far the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world, overtaking the United States (928,518) and Brazil (641,096). It would also take the global coronavirus death toll till last November from 7.8 million to 8.3 million.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 17:30

    Indonesia's total confirmed Covid cases surpass five million

    Indonesia registered 63,956 new cases today, down from 64,718 on Wednesday, but more than the previous record set in July last year that had left hospitals on the main island of Java overwhelmed.
    Health officials also reported 206 deaths on Thursday, compared with more than 2,000 a day at the peak of the surge last year. Data showed the bed occupancy rate at 33%, and 25% for intensive care units.
    Health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said cases and deaths are expected to increase further but hospitals are unlikely to be overwhelmed again, and the country’s national Covid-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said the situation remained under control.

    Germany to lift most Covid restrictions in March

    Kate Connolly - The Guardian
    Most of Germany’s coronavirus restrictions are to be lifted by March 20, a day some commentators have already dubbed ‘Freedom Day’ in a nod to similar moves elsewhere.
    The Omicron wave has reached a peak and the number of cases has been going down for several days in a row, though the 7-day incidence rate per 100,000 people remains very high, at 1385.
    Government leaders who met yesterday to hammer out the new framework have been quick to point out there will be conditions attached to relaxing rules over everything from gatherings to quarantines and home office working, in order to protect health care facilities and have urged caution over believing the pandemic is over.
    As part of the cautionary approach the government has become famous for, but which Karl Lauterbach, the health minister has insisted had “saved lives”, a vaccine mandate has still not been excluded despite pressure from some quarters that it is no longer needed.
    The chancellor Olaf Scholz urged those who had not yet been vaccinated to go ahead and do so ahead of the autumn, when experts say infection rates might spike again. And he said he continues to back plans for a mandate saying he hoped that MPs would be able to pass such legislation by the autumn.
    Around 75% of Germans have been double-jabbed. However, the rate of older people who have yet to receive a jab remains too high, Lauterbach said. Germany’s death rate is also still high, he said - 261 more deaths were reported on Thursday - and the majority of deaths are of unvaccinated people.
    The proposals will initially see the lifting of the number of vaccinated and recovered people who are allowed to meet, and removes the requirement of customers in non-essential shops to show proof of their vaccination or recovery status.
    On 4 March, vaccinated and recovered people will no longer need to show an up to date negative test to enter restaurants, bars and hotels. While clubs can open from 4 March if the infection rate remains stable, tests for everyone except for those who are boosted, will apply.
    The wearing of FFP2 medical masks in indoor spaces, especially on public transport, which is currently mandatory, is expected to be upheld.
    Scholz said he rejected use of the term ‘Freedom Day’, as it “does nothing to convey the seriousness of the situation”.
    Critics pointed out that there was little discussion about children in the meeting. In many parts of Germany, the testing regime for children has been increased in recent days. In some states, they have to carry out a daily lateral flow test in order to attend school. Mask-wearing also remains a requirement from primary school upwards.
    Under current rules, those children who are unvaccinated would be required to quarantine if returning from a country considered to be a high-risk area. ‘High risk’ includes all countries where the incidence rate is above 100.
    The government has said it is looking to update the legislation.
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    • Post n°7

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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 17:34

    Afternoon summary


    • Government ministers in India have dismissed a recent study that suggests the country’s pandemic death toll could be six to eight times higher than the official count as “fallacious and completely inaccurate”.

    • Authorities in Hong Kong said the city’s hospitals have reached 90% capacity and quarantine facilities are at their limit. To ease the strain on the city’s healthcare system, officials said they would allow some patients to be discharged sooner.

    • Israel’s prime minister says the country’s coronavirus vaccination “green pass” system will be suspended as new daily cases of Covid continue to decline.

    • Switzerland’s president Ignazio Cassis is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19. The news comes on the day that Switzerland lifted almost all remaining coronavirus restrictions.

    • The Solomon Islands is experiencing its first major community outbreak of coronavirus and its fragile healthcare system is at risk of becoming overwhelmed, the Red Cross warned today.

    • Indonesia’s confirmed Covid cases since the pandemic began crossed 5 million on Thursday, the highest in Southeast Asia.

    • Police in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, have warned truck drivers blockading the city’s downtown to leave or face arrest in a crackdown seeking to end a three-week-long protest over Covid restrictions.

    • Japan is to ease its strict border controls from next month, media reports said, after criticism from students, workers and family members who have been in effect “locked out” of the country for up to two years.

    • Moderna has applied for patents in South Africa relating to its Covid vaccine, prompting fears the company could eventually seek to prevent a new African vaccine manufacturing hub from making its own version of the mRNA shot.

    • Most Covid deaths in Australia have affected migrants, with people born in the Middle East suffering the highest death rate, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.

    • In the UK, cabinet splits have emerged over the government’s “living with Covid” strategy, with the health secretary, Sajid Javid, expected to push to retain some free testing and community surveillance of the virus in the face of a Treasury demand to slash the budget.

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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 17:47

    Portugal to scrap coronavirus restrictions

    Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal has also announced that it will lift its coronavirus restrictions as the number of registered new daily Covid cases dropped to around 16,500, compared with more than 50,000 last month.
    People will no longer have to produce a digital vaccination certification to gain entry to restaurants and other venues, and proof of a negative test to enter sports events, bars and night clubs. There will also no longer be limits on the number of people gathering in public areas.
    However, face masks must still be worn indoors and a digital vaccination certificate must be shown to enter the country and during hospital and care home visits.
    Cabinet spokesperson Mariana Vieira da Silva told a press conference:
    This is one more step toward normal life that was snatched away almost two years ago.
    Wales’ health minister Eluned Morgan has warned that “England alone” cannot decide to end free lateral flow tests, BBC Wales reports. She said such a move for England, by UK ministers, would affect Wales, which had already paid for many tests.
    Morgan said:
    There’s been some very clear messages given to the UK government on this, both from us here in Wales, but also from the other devolved administrations.
    There is another meeting this week to discuss this very issue, to make sure that they understand that actually, all the decisions can’t be made by England alone, that there’s an impact on us and also that actually, we’ve paid for a lot of the provisions that they are providing already.
    Morgan’s comments come after recent reports that the UK government is reviewing free tests under plans to “live with Covid” in England, expected to be announced next week.

    UK reports 51,899 new Covid cases and further 183 deaths

    The UK recorded 51,899 new Covid cases today, government figures showed, and a further 183 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
    That is compared to 54,218 infections and 199 fatalities in the 24 hours prior.

    Swiss president tests positive as Covid rules lifted

    AFP / Khaleej Times
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    President Ignazio Cassis has tested positive for Covid-19, the government said on Thursday - the same day Switzerland lifted almost all remaining coronavirus restrictions despite high case numbers.
    Wednesday's "test came back positive and the president went into self-isolation this morning as soon as he learned of the test result," a government statement said.
    "Mr Cassis has no symptoms and is in good health."
    The former cantonal doctor, aged 60, who holds the annually-rotating Swiss presidency alongside his foreign affairs brief, will return to his office next week.
    Cassis struck an upbeat tone on Wednesday as he announced Switzerland was joining European countries including Austria, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway in dropping almost all of Covid-19 restrictions.
    "The light is definitely there on the horizon," he told a press conference, adding it was time to "learn to live with the virus".
    "We shouldn't be afraid of a return to normal, but we shouldn't be too enthusiastic either," he said.
    The only remaining coronavirus requirements in Switzerland are the obligation to self-isolate for five days after a positive test and to wear masks on public transport and in healthcare institutions.
    To enter the country, it is no longer necessary to provide proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test, or complete an entry form.
    Switzerland, population 8.6 million, has registered more than 2.6 million Covid-19 cases and over 12,500 deaths during the pandemic.
    At around 20,000 a day, recorded new infections are now around half of the peak witnessed towards the end of January. However, the case rate is still higher than in the surrounding European Union.
    Nearly 69 per cent of Swiss residents are fully vaccinated and 41 percent have had a booster dose.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 17:52

    Ontario reports 1,342 in hospital, 356 in ICU due to COVID-19

    Toronto Star
    TORONTO - Ontario is reporting 1,342 people in hospital with COVID-19 and 356 patients in ICU.
    That’s down from 1,403 hospitalizations and 364 people in intensive care the previous day.
    There are also 36 more COVID-19 deaths being reported today.
    Ontario is reporting 2,327 new COVID-19 cases, though Public Health Ontario has said the true number is likely higher because of limits on access to PCR tests.
    Capacity limits are lifting today in more Ontario settings as the province continues to roll back pandemic restrictions in light of improving COVID-19 indicators.
    Restaurants, gyms and cinemas that must screen patrons for vaccination against COVID-19 have no limits on capacity.
    Other indoor spaces that are using the proof-of-vaccination system are also no longer subject to capacity limits, while sports arenas and theatres can open to half capacity.
    Social gatherings and public events can include up to 50 people indoors, and settings deemed higher risk like nightclubs and sex clubs can open to 25 per cent capacity.
    Outdoor social gatherings can have up to 100 people and organized events have no limit on the number of people if they are held outdoors.
    Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical health officer, is to take questions on the pandemic later this afternoon.
    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2022.

    Maharashtra reports 2,797 new COVID-19 cases, 40 deaths, 6,383 recoveries

    PTI
    Maharashtra reported 2,797 fresh coronavirus cases and 40 new fatalities linked to the infection on Thursday, while 6,383 more patients were discharged following recovery, the health department said.
    With this, the state’s COVID-19 tally rose to 78,53,291, while the death toll increased to 1,43,532, the department said in a bulletin.
    On Wednesday, the state had reported 2,748 cases and 41 fatalities.
    There are 23,816 active cases in the state, it said.
    The bulletin did not mention any fresh Omicron infections in the state. But it said, “A total of 4,456 patients infected with the Omicron variant have been reported in the state (so far). Out of these, 3,455 cases have been discharged following a negative RT-PCR test.” Until now 8,904 samples have been sent for genome sequencing, out of which, results of 7,991 patients have been received, while 913 results are awaited, it said.
    Mumbai reported 259 new cases and zero fatality, while Pune recorded 450 infections and three deaths.
    Of the eight administrative circles, Pune recorded 983 fresh cases, followed by Mumbai (473), Nashik (373), Nagpur (311), Akola (296), Latur (170), Kolhapur (100), Aurangabad (91).
    Each eight administrative circle consists of multiple districts.
    Of the 40 fatalities, Pune recorded 10, Mumbai (nine), Kolhapur (six), Nashik (five), Latur and Nagpur (three each), Akola and Aurangabad (two each).
    With 6,383 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the number of those recovered rose to 76,81,961, the bulletin said.
    The recovery rate in the state is 97.82 per cent.
    The bulletin said 1,19,536 coronavirus tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative count to 7,68,76,774.
    Currently, 2,51,023 people are in home quarantine and another 1,146 in institutional quarantine, it added.
    Maharashtra’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Total cases 78,53,291; fresh cases 2,797; death toll 1,43,532, recoveries 76,81,961, active cases 23,816; total tests 7,68,76,774.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 17 Feb 2022, 18:14

    Indonesia managed to delay COVID importation longer: official

    Jakarta (ANTARA)
    Coronavirus - 17 February 2022 MessageImage_1645094054471
    COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito addressing a virtual press conference on Thursday (February 17, 2022). (ANTARA/Hreeloita Dharma Shanti/uyu)

    Indonesia has consistently succeeded in delaying COVID-19 importation longer than other countries due to strict quarantine policies and test requirements for international travelers, COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito has said.
    "Throughout the two years of the pandemic, Indonesia has always experienced a spike in cases after the number of global cases has started to decline," he remarked at a virtual press conference here on Thursday.
    Currently, the number of global cases has declined by around 60 percent compared to during the fourth global wave of COVID-19 – which occurred around November to December 2021, he noted.
    Meanwhile, Indonesia only experienced a surge in cases from the middle of January 2022, he pointed out.
    In contrast, most European countries as well as the United States, Canada, and Australia, are experiencing a consistent decline in cases, with only Denmark continuing to report a significant increase in infections, Adisasmito said.
    Denmark's death toll has been equal to the mortality recorded at the peak of the previous COVID-19 wave, he noted.
    Meanwhile, in the United States, mortality has been 20 percent higher compared to the peak of the previous COVID-19 wave, he said.
    In Asia, Japan and the Philippines are among the countries where cases have declined, he added.
    The number of cases in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Indonesia is still rising, he said.
    The increase in the number of hospitalized patients and the death toll depends on public awareness in implementing health protocols because only countries where people are disciplined in conducting health protocols can curb virus transmission, Adisasmito said.
    "It shows that although there are new COVID-19 variants or changes in the development of COVID-19 cases, applying strict health protocols is key to handling the pandemic," he added.
    On February 17, 2022, Indonesia reported 63,956 additional confirmed cases, taking the total number of active cases to 469,868, he informed.

    Delhi records 739 Covid cases, 5 deaths; positivity rate 1.48 per cent

    PTI - Financial Express
    Delhi on Thursday reported 739 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, while the positivity rate stood at 1.48 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
    With this, the national capital’s case count increased to 18,54,167 and the death toll climbed to 26,091, the latest health bulletin stated.
    The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 50,035, it said.
    Delhi had on Wednesday reported 766 cases with a positivity rate of 1.37 per cent, and five deaths.
    The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.
    The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic.
    It took just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000-mark.

    Turkey reports 92,406 new coronavirus cases, 258 more deaths

    Hürriyet Daily News
    Turkey's confirmed cases of the coronavirus increased by 92,406 in the past 24 hours, and 258 more people have died, the Health Ministry announced on Feb. 17.
    The ministry’s infographic said that some 103,988 patients recovered in the last 24 hours.
    It also added that 465,563 tests were conducted over the past day.
    The infographic also showed that Turkey has so far administered over 144.5 million doses since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, 2021. 
    More than 57.6 million people have received their first doses, while over 52.6 million have been fully vaccinated.
    The number of people who have received their third COVID-19 vaccine doses crossed 26.5 million.
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      Current date/time is Thu 02 May 2024, 16:08