[ad_1]
Some 33 million people have been ordered to stay at home in the U.S. state as the COVID crisis spirals out of control faster than expected.
- Millions of people across California brace themselves for tight restrictions within hours as the US state records more than 30,000 cases a day.
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in orders the government to deploy the military, mobilizing all available resources to track infections and expand testing as cases increase.
- Britain is set to administer the first doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. The NHS will prioritize immunization of people over 80, frontline healthcare workers, nursing home staff and residents.
- Globally, deaths from COVID-19 have exceeded 1.5 million with more than 67 million infections.
Urgent use requested for AstraZeneca vaccine in India
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine producer by volume, has applied for emergency use authorization in the country for AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, media reports show Indians, citing the Press Trust of India.
According to SII’s request, data from four clinical studies, two in the UK and one each in Brazil and India, showed the vaccine, Covishield, to be highly effective against serious COVID-19 infections, according to the report. .
AstraZeneca’s vaccine is logistically feasible for distribution in India because it could be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures of two to eight degrees Celsius (36 to 46 Fahrenheit). Pfizer Inc applied for similar authorization for its vaccine, which requires temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius (-94 F), in India on Saturday.
Army to help with COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered the government to mobilize all available resources to track infections and expand testing by deploying the military and officials, Blue House presidential spokesman Chung Man said. ho during a briefing, as the country struggled to control its biggest wave of infections.
Moon said testing sites should operate longer hours to allow people working to get tested at their convenience and more drive-through testing facilities should be set up. The positive rate for the latest batch of tests was about 4.2 percent, compared with the year’s average of 1.2 percent, according to the KDCA.
California imposes stay-at-home order
People wait to be tested for COVID-19 at a site in Los Angeles [Richard Vogel/AP]
A new stay-at-home order has been imposed on Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, as the coronavirus crisis spirals out of control at a rate that has exceeded the most dire predictions of health officials.
Some 33 million Californians will be subject to the new order, representing 84% of the state’s population. The state has imposed restrictions in Southland and the Central Valley as the capacity of hospital intensive care units has reached dangerously low levels.
[ad_2]
