تەندروستی
The Asian giant, which follows the zero-Covid strategy, officially recorded 4,641 deaths related to the Coronavirus that appeared on its soil at the end of 2019.
The Shanghai government said on social media that it was about three elderly people suffering from diseases. Their condition "deteriorated" after being admitted to hospital, and "died after all efforts to revive them proved futile."
She explained that the three deceased were women (89 and 91 years old) and a man (91 years old), noting that they were suffering from diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
The economic capital, Shanghai, is facing the worst outbreak of the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, and the entire population of about 25 million people has been quarantined since early April.
Shanghai, the epicenter of the latest outbreak of the disease in China, announced on Saturday that it had recorded 3,590 asymptomatic cases, an unprecedented increase, and 19,923 asymptomatic cases on Friday.
Cases in the city account for most of the infections recorded nationwide, and a lockdown is still imposed on most of Shanghai's residents.
In a weekly report, the Geneva-based United Nations health agency added that about 5.59 million infection cases were reported between April 11 and 17, 24% less than the previous week. The number of reports of deaths also decreased by 21% to 18,215.
WHO also stated that new infections decreased worldwide, although it was only 2% in the Americas.
"These trends should be interpreted with caution as many countries are gradually changing their COVID-19 testing strategies, resulting in a lower total number of tests performed and thus a lower number of cases being detected and reported," the agency said.
The countries that recorded the highest number of case reports last week were South Korea with more than 972,000, France with more than 827,000, and Germany with more than 769,000, the agency declared.
The United States recorded the highest number of new deaths, with 3,076, Russia with 1,784, and South Korea with 1,671.
Indeed, masks work best when everyone around you wears them because when an infected person wears them, a large proportion of the infectious particles they exhale are trapped, which stops the virus from the source. And when fewer viral particles come out around the room, the masks other people wear are more likely to block those particles.
Evidence confirms
But there is strong evidence showing that masks protect the wearer, even when others around them are not wearing them, so the amount of protection depends on the quality and suitability of the mask, according to a report published by the "New York Times".
Health experts recommend using N95, KN95 or KF94 to protect yourself from omicron, which is now the dominant version of the Coronavirus and is much more contagious than previous strains.
Other variables, such as the amount of time we interact with an infected person and how well the place is ventilated, will also affect the risk of contracting the virus.
For example, in most aircraft, cabin air is frequently purified through High-Efficiency Filters (HEPA), which are very good at reducing the transmission of viruses.
But this does not completely eliminate the risk. In a study published in December 2021, researchers found that passengers sitting in the same row with a person infected with Covid 19 were still at risk of infection while wearing a mask reduced infection by 54%.
For his part, Linsey Marr of Virginia, a virus expert, said, "I know everyone is talking about planes, but I would say that buses are probably the most dangerous, then trains and then planes, in order from top to bottom."
Realistic data showed that masks reduce infection. A 2020 investigation into an epidemic in a hotel in Switzerland found that many employees and guests who tested positive for the Coronavirus were wearing only face shields (no masks); those who wore masks were not infected.
Less hospital admission
A study in Tennessee also found that communities that mandated masks had lower hospitalization rates than areas where masks were not required.
Also, a number of laboratory studies documented that a mask protects its wearers, although the level of that protection can vary depending on the type and composition of the mask.
Sum of all studies conclude that the mask reduces the possibility of infection with the Coronavirus.
With the emergence of new mutations from the emerging coronavirus and the disappearance of others and diving more into the mysteries of immunity and vaccines, medical studies are continuing tirelessly.
Two new studies have shown that people who have "hybrid immunity," that is, they received the full vaccine against the epidemic and were infected later, enjoy a solid immune system.
One of the two studies analyzed the health data of more than 200,000 people in 2020 and 2021 in Brazil, which recorded the second-highest death toll in the world. The study was published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
The data also indicated that the infection provided people who had contracted COVID19 and received the "Pfizer" or "AstraZeneca" vaccine with 90% protection from hospitalization or death, compared to 81% for the Chinese "Coronavac" vaccine and 58% for the "Johnson & Johnson" vaccine that is taken as a dose.
These four vaccines have proven to provide significant additional protection for those previously infected with Covid-19, according to the study's author, Julio Costa, from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul.
It found that hybrid immunity resulting from exposure to natural infection and vaccination is likely to become the global standard and may provide long-term protection against emerging mutants.
The study indicated that Sweden's national records until October 2021 showed that people who have recovered from Covid maintain a high level of protection against a new infection, which may last about 20 months.
And it showed that for people who received two doses of the vaccine with hybrid immunity, the risk of infection again decreased by 66% compared to people who had only natural immunity.
It is noteworthy that the World Health Organization has stressed that Covid-19 vaccines remain incredibly effective in preventing severe Covid cases and death, including Omicron, the latest variant classified as "of concern."
WHO stressed that it is working with stakeholders worldwide to deliver vaccines and ensure that they are used correctly.
More than 480.48 million people have been infected with the emerging coronavirus worldwide. In contrast, the total number of deaths resulting from the virus has reached 6,499,880, Reuters reported.
Since its appearance in December 2019 in China, COVID19 cases have been recorded in more than 210 countries and regions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) tracks dozens of infections with two new highly contagious omicron sub-strains of the coronavirus to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous.
On Monday, the WHO said it had added the PA4 and PA5 sub-strains of the original Omicron PA1 strain to its watch list. It is already tracing the PA1 and PA2 strains now circulating the world and PA1.1 and PA3 strains.
The organization stated that it had begun tracing them because of "the additional mutations that need to be studied further to understand their effects on the possibility of overcoming immunity."
Viruses mutate all the time, but only some mutations affect their ability to spread or overcome immunity acquired from vaccination, previous infection, or the severity of the disease they cause.
For example, the PA2 strain currently accounts for nearly 94 percent of all sequential cases. It is more likely to spread than other Omicron subspecies. Still, the evidence indicates that it is not expected to cause severe disease.
The World Health Organization says that only a few dozen infections with the two strains (PA4) and (PA5) have been detected in the global database (Global Initiative for the Exchange of All Influenza Data).
Last week, Britain's Health Security Agency said that the BA4 sub-strain had been detected in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana, Scotland, and England from January 10 to March 30.
Britain announced the discovery of a new mutant of Omicron strain, whose symptoms are very similar to common cold. It coincided with India's announcement that it had recorded its first case of the new mutant (Omicron XE) of the new Corona virus that causes Covid-19 disease in its financial capital, Mumbai.
The British National Health Service (NHS) updated its official list of Covid symptoms as Omicron cases continued to rise in the UK. Nine new somatic symptoms have been linked to the current mutant as well as to the latest Omicron XE strain. Many of the symptoms of the Corona virus are similar to other diseases.
The official NHS list now includes a total of 12 physical presentations, but they are not exclusive to this prominent virus. Many of the labels listed are also so generic that the NHS has issued a warning on its website. It states that "the symptoms are very similar to those of other diseases, such as colds and influenza."
The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States maintained a long list of symptoms. Although the NHS has only listed three for about two years. The official symptoms of the general COVID-19 are a high temperature or shivering (chills), and persistent cough, loss or change in the sense of smell or taste, as well as shortness of breath, feeling tired or exhausted, physical pain, and headache not to mention a sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, loss of appetite, diarrhea, feeling really sick or ill.
Symptoms of Omicron and the common cold?
It is not yet believed that omicron XE (the mutant of the original omicron strain) has exclusive symptoms, although many of the reported signs are known to closely resemble those associated with cold and flu.
The most common symptoms of the original Omicron strain include a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat - especially in people who have received the vaccination - headache, muscle aches, coughing, as well as sneezing, high temperature, pressure in the ears and face, loss of taste and smell.
The two lists of symptoms are almost identical, the organization added, although diarrhea and loss of appetite are likely to be linked to Covid-19.
The organization revealed that determining the source of the test is the only way to know if you are infected with the Covid virus. There are a number of other possible ways to identify your disease.
According to Rudd in British newspapers, Chris Moy, Vice President of the Australian Medical Association, claims that some symptoms are a stronger indicator of Covid-19, unlike other respiratory infections. "High fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, fatigue and nausea, as well as diarrhea and loss of sense of taste or smell without a stuffy nose, are more consistent with Covid-19 than a sore throat, runny nose or cough," he said.
And while Omicron may seem like nothing more than a cold, symptom-tracking app Zoe Covid warns that it can still 'put you in the hospital and kill people'.
Even though a record number of more than 6,000 cities in 117 countries now monitor air quality, people in those cities still breathe in dangerous levels of fine particles and nitrogen dioxide, with people in low and middle-income countries suffering the highest exposures, WHO said.
The findings encouraged WHO to ask for a reduction in fossil fuel use and other effective measures to lower air pollution levels.
"High fossil fuel prices, energy security, and the urgency of addressing the twin health challenges of air pollution and climate change, underscore the pressing need to move faster towards a world that is much less dependent on fossil fuels," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is able to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory disorders, the statement said, adding that nitrogen dioxide is associated with respiratory diseases, especially asthma.
WHO estimated that more than 13 million deaths worldwide each year are due to preventable environmental causes, including seven million deaths related to air pollution.
"After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have seven million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution," said Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health under the WHO.
To improve air quality and health, WHO suggests safe and affordable public transport systems and networks suitable for pedestrians and cyclists, investment in energy-efficient housing and power plants, improved management of industrial and municipal waste, reduction of agricultural waste incineration and some agro-forestry activities such as charcoal production.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and three other global organizations on Tuesday called for the allocation of $15 billion (USD) in grants in 2022 to fight pandemics and boost health systems both domestically and globally.
The IMF, in partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Global Fund, and Wellcome Trust, published "A Global Strategy to Manage the Long-term Risks of COVID-19" working paper, which calls for a more "comprehensive" and "integrated" pandemic response from the international community.
"It is now evident that COVID-19 will be with us for the long term, and there are very different scenarios for how it could evolve, from a mild endemic scenario to a dangerous variant scenario," the working paper claims.
"This realization calls for a new strategy that manages both the uncertainty and the long-term risks of COVID-19," it added.
"Overall, health security is economic security," said IMF's First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath, who previously served as the Fund's chief economist. "The international community should recognize that its pandemic financing addresses a systemic risk to the global economy."
Gopinath noted that the IMF's January World Economic Outlook Update estimated the combined losses from the pandemic to reach $13.8 trillion from 2020 to 2024. "The cost of inaction - for all of us - is very high. We need to act now."
Echoing her remarks, Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome Trust and a celebrated medical researcher, said "now is not the time to ease up," mentioning that the virus' next move is "anything but certain" and the risk of new variants remains high.
"We need to set our sights on developing next generation vaccines that can block transmission and won't require endless boosters, strengthening genomic surveillance globally so we can identify and track new variants and improving global access to vaccines, treatments and tests," Farrar said. "Leaving any countries unprotected puts us all at risk."
The newly released working paper laid out four policy implications:
Achieve equitable access beyond vaccines to encompass a comprehensive toolkit; monitor the evolving virus and dynamically upgrade the toolkit; transition from the acute response to a sustainable strategy toward COVID-19, balanced and integrated with other health and social priorities; adopt a unified risk-mitigation approach to future infectious disease threats beyond COVID-19.
Accordingly, the international community should allocate additional funding to fight pandemics and strengthen health systems both domestically and overseas, the paper argued. This will require about $15 billion in grants in 2022 and $10 billion annually after that.
South African government announced that there’s a new virus called the Omicron. This virus was detected in hundreds of people. DW-News reported that it’s 500% more infectious than the Delta virus.
The Delta virus has ravaged so many lives not only in America but across the globe. You were hearing that a new virus called the Omicron has forced countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany, and many others to place travel bans on countries near Southern Africa. This alarming news report has been put on the World Health Organization’s radar. On N.B.C. News, in an interview with Dr. Fauci, “Booster shots give you a very very important edge .”The Omicron has stronger proteins, which means the booster shot is vital to your survival.
Covid-19 origins did start in Wuhan, China, and spread across the globe. At the pandemic's beginning, we saw a complete shutdown of the world. The United Nations estimates that 25 million jobs were lost. This year 2021, comes to a close. We are reopening around the globe. People are pleased, but the cost of reopening created a new mutation that has been devastating. The virus has mutated multiple times. The strongest form of the virus so far is the Delta Variant. The world has felt the impact of covid-19. Haaretz covid-19 tracker recorded more than 5.9 million global deaths.
On April 15th, 2020, Former President Trump halted funding for the World Health Organization (W.H.O.). At this time, two million tested positive around the globe for Covid. When W.H.O. needed the money during the pandemic, the Trump Administration said they would withhold money until there were significant changes to punish China. Fast forward to 2022 continents like Africa and South America have suffered tremendously.
Vaccine inequality and lack of medical supplies have hurt both of these continents. The past of colonialism has been the cause of why continents like Africa and South America cannot make strides in medical and economic development. These two continents have depended on the United Nations and W.H.O. to survive. Halted funding has helped the virus spread rapidly throughout the continents, and the lack of medical equipment to track it has created new mutations like Delta and Omicron.
Rich Nations have bought more vaccines than their population needed. Canada, Australia, the United States, and the European Union bought four times their population, according to Quartz. Reporter Annalisa Merelli stated, “Poor countries will have to wait until 2023 to buy Vaccines.” B.B.C. reported Malawi and South Sudan both had to destroy more than 20,000 AstraZeneca vaccines; by the time the vaccine arrives, they will have expired before they are put into use.
Nigeria also destroyed 1 million doses of AstraZeneca because the vaccines were expired. Another problem with vaccine inequality is that the countries in Africa are charged more per dose than countries in Europe. According to a report in Best Medical Journal (B.M.J.), “South Africa, for example, reportedly paid $5.25 per dose for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in January, more than twice the price of $2.15 per dose paid by the European Union.”
Another problem with vaccine exportations is patent rights. India and South Africa both suffered from the pandemics and tried to waive patent rights. Waving patent rights would give India and South Africa access to create Moderna, and Pfizer in their own country without worrying about being sued. Companies like Biotech created the Pfizer Vaccine, which has been used to help people all around the world. The vaccine was made in Germany. They have been very adamant about sharing the vaccine recipe.
Max Lawson, who works for Oxfam International, said “Chancellor Merkel is blocking moves at the World Trade Organization (W.T.O.) to share the vaccine recipe.” This has hurt countries worldwide and is only giving the virus a chance to mutate.
Racism has been another cause for some people not to receive the vaccine or formulas not to be created in other countries. Tahir Amin, Co-director I-Mak, said, “One of the arguments the vaccine industry is making is that we can’t trust these Global South countries’ manufacturers to make these vaccines .”Global South countries are Latin America, Africa, Caribbean islands, Pacific islands, and the Middle East. The argument used is that the scientists in these countries do not have the intellectual capacity to create the vaccine embedded in racism. On an annual basis, India produces around 15 million kilograms of the vaccine.
Profits from Vaccine companies have greatly benefited from the pandemic. In March 2021, Intercept reported, “Johnson & Johnson and Moderna promised their Investors there will be price hikes .”J&J kept its promise in the Reuters report “J&J estimated it’s vaccine price was $5 per dose in the first half of the year and said it would likely be as much as $8 by the year-end.” Corporations seeing this as an opportunity to profit from this pandemic puts everyone’s lives at risk.
The temporary travel ban will not fix the problem we face with the pandemic. Southern African nations were unfairly punished for reporting the Omicron. Omicron was discovered in Europe before South Africa Scientists announced the new variant. This unfair treatment shows how the Continent of Africa has been punished.
We all need to come together if this virus continues to mutate. China pledges to donate 1 billion vaccines to Africa. It’s all talk until the transaction is made.
China, the United States, and the European Union need to share the vaccine. Patent rights need to be waived; human lives are more important than profit. The virus doesn’t care about race, religion, or borders drawn to split countries. The virus will kill you.
Roman Gorenkov, a Russian expert and specialist in family medicine sciences, said: “High blood pressure may be caused by stress or inactive lifestyle. Spending a lot of time in front of tv or computer screens can lead high blood pressure, as well as stress and stress which contributes to same problems.”
“When noting that there is a problem with high blood pressure, especially in cases of sharp jumps in pressure, you should consult your doctor to determine the cause and put in place the appropriate treatment, but in addition to medications there are other ways to fight this problem, switching to a low-calorie diet, for example, will lead to low weight and thus low blood pressure, and getting rid of 5 pounds of excess blood pressure by 10 millimeters of mercury,” he said.
“Regular physical activity or exercise also helps reducing high blood pressure, but at the same time stress should be avoided, and walking can sometimes be useful in fighting this problem rather than taking medications,” the doctor said, explaining that anyone who accepts any treatment for the problem should see a specialist.
Passengers aged 12 and above may travel to Iraq if vaccinated with the following vaccines "Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sinovac. They may only travel if they have received the dose 14 days prior", Iran's Homa Airline said in a statement.
The statement also said, "unvaccinated passengers have to get PRC test, and the test shall not pass 72 hours."
The list of the mentioned vaccines does not mention Iranian-made vaccines. it indicates that the Iranian vaccine would not help in international borders, and WHO has not approved the vaccine yet.
The Iraqi government is yet to announce the new regulation.
Shanghai, in particular, reported 438 local confirmed and 7,788 asymptomatic cases on Sunday. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, on Saturday made an official visit to the city to help battle the virus.
Sun stressed that the dynamic zero-COVID strategy must be upheld with resolute and swift action while recognizing the enormous challenges that the megacity of 25 million faces in both maintaining the regular operation of its core functions and battling the Omicron variant outbreak.
Even with the Omicron variant, as long as we take proactive measures, it still can be brought under control, said Zhang Boli, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), adding that the high percentage of asymptomatic cases in the current epidemic outbreak is due to the characteristics of the variant itself, but is also tied to the speedy mass testing rollout.
Zhang also noted that the increase in vaccination rates among residents had boosted herd immunity against the virus, and those who get infected will show lighter or no symptoms. As of Sunday, the Chinese mainland had administered a total of over 3.27 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health officials.
Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Friday that the reason that China reports more asymptomatic cases and fewer severe cases is not the result of the characteristics of Omicron, as foreign countries are reporting even more deaths caused by Omicron compared with that of Delta.
"It is the result of our effective epidemic prevention work, namely the early identification of the epidemic, timely response, and the whole-process management for all infected people, including the asymptomatic cases, giving them traditional Chinese medicine to improve their immunity and prevent severe infection," Wu said.
If more asymptomatic cases are to be discovered as the epidemic progresses, there is a possibility that the asymptomatic cases who meet the quarantine conditions can be quarantined at their own homes, Chen Erzhen, the deputy head of Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, said in an interview with the People's Daily on Friday.
Wu said that epidemic control would be more challenging for a city when infections exceed 10,000 within a short period. For one thing, more patients need to be treated and greater quantities of close contacts need to be quarantined; for another thing, medical staff are put under increased pressure. However, he believed that the Chinese tradition of helping others in need will help regions win this hard battle eventually.
With Shanghai's hospital system on the verge of being overwhelmed, medical teams and supplies from across the country are flooding in to help fight the outbreak, with thousands of medical workers coming from neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to assist in nucleic acid testing and the building of makeshift hospitals among other epidemic prevention tasks.
Apart from medical supplies, food and other daily necessities are being sent to Shanghai to ensure local residents maintain a state of normalcy. A total of 10 regions from across China had come to the aid of Shanghai as of Sunday.
Shanghai has distributed antigen self-testing kits to help with citywide screening. The renowned local infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong said that through the antigen test, authorities can acquire the basic infection data and contain parts of the infection sources so that they can prevent the transmission in a timely manner. To conduct antigen tests aside from the nucleic acid test can also boost the efficiency, he said.
Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province, which borders Shanghai, discovered a confirmed coronavirus disease patient infected with a mutation VOC/Omicron variant BA.1.1, unidentified in previously found strains worldwide, posing new threats to the already dangerous situation in the region.
Another hard-hit region by the epidemic, Jilin Province, has seen little sign of improvement, recording 4,455 cases on Sunday. Jilin city announced on Sunday that it had successfully curbed the virus.
Many hospitals of Sulaymaniyah governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan ran out of medicine and medical supplies, including Hiwa Cancer Hospital resulting in the closure of the hospitals. The manager of Dr Jamal Ahmad Rashid's Pediatric Teaching Hospital told Kurdsat News, "the medicine shortage we face costs patients 100 million Iraqi dinars [69,000 USD] that is why I ask the public to protest against the government"
The city of Shanghai will be locked down in two stages over nine days while COVID-19 testing is carried out. The lockdown includes suspension of transportation and stopping work in some factories.
The important financial hub has battled a new wave of infections for nearly a month, although case numbers are not high by some international standards. Authorities had so far resisted locking down the city of some 25 million people to avoid destabilizing the economy.
But after Shanghai recorded its highest daily number of cases on Saturday since the early days of the pandemic, authorities appear to have changed course.
The lockdown will happen in two stages, with the eastern side of the city under restrictions from Monday until 1 April, and the western side from 1-5 April.
The city government published the instructions on its WeChat account, asking the public "to support, understand and cooperate with the city's epidemic prevention and control work".
It is China's commercial capital and by some calculations the biggest city in the country - but is now one of the worst-hit areas as China fights to contain a resurgence of the virus with Omicron, leading to a spike in new cases.
An international team of scientists described the first-ever sequencing of a complete human genome – the set of instructions to build and sustain a human being – in research published Thursday in the journal Science. The previous effort, was incomplete because DNA sequencing technologies of the day weren’t able to read certain parts of it. Even after updates, it was missing about 8% of the genome.
“Some of the genes that make us uniquely human were actually in this ‘dark matter of the genome’ and they were totally missed,” said Evan Eichler, a University of Washington researcher who participated in the current effort and the original Human Genome Project. “It took 20-plus years, but we finally got it done.”