Lalita Panicker

COVID-19 deaths lowest recorded since March 2020

Lalita Panicker · Sep 20, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 concept. a covid-19 blood test tube with result of positive on yellow background the X has clipping path and can be removed. COVID-19 testing concept. Antibody tests concept. Image credit: 罗宏志 / 123rf. COVID-19 cases now number at one million: concept. Testing illustration. Symptomatic COVID-19 illustration. Cases of COVID-19 in India concept. COVID-19 clusters concept.. new covid-19 variant mutant strain long covid. COVID-19 cases concept. Even after recovery from COVID-19, long-COVID symptoms may persist. Image credit: 罗宏志 / 123rf. B.1.617 concept. black fungus. Delta plus variant concern. Delta variant concept. Excess mortality illustration. Fresh COVID-19 cases illustration. — Image credit: 罗宏志 / 123rf

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said: “Last week, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020. We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic.” But the WHO chief also warned that if the world does not seize the opportunity now, there will be more risks ahead.

As per the ourworldindata COVID-19 dashboard, as of September 16, a total of 4,53,481 new cases had been recorded across the world. On the same day, the cumulative count of cases was 611.33 million. In contrast, the seven day average of new cases hit a peak on 24 January 2022 at 3.44 million cases per day.

Dr Tedros further added that the WHO is releasing six policy briefs outlining the key actions that all governments must take to finish the race.

The briefs are a summary, based on the evidence and experience of the last 32 months, of what works best to save lives, protect health systems, and avoid social and economic disruption. The briefs are an urgent call for governments to take a hard look at their policies, and strengthen them for COVID-19 and future pathogens with pandemic potential.

The WHO chief urged nations to invest in vaccinating 100% of the most at-risk groups, including health workers and older people, indicating that these groups are the highest priority to achieving 70% vaccine coverage.

Dr Tedros made a strong case for putting in place a system in order to integrate care for COVID-19 into primary health, and said patients should continue to receive the care that is right for them. While the numbers are dropping globally, it is better to plan for surges of cases, ensuring at the same time that one is always prepared to handle emergency or pandemic situations with the necessary supplies, equipment and health workers.

The six policy briefs of the WHO set out guidelines for clinical management of COVID-19; managing infection prevention and control measures for COVID-19 in health care facilities; reaching COVID-19 vaccination targets; COVID-19 infodemic management; and building trust through risk communication and community engagement.

Polio outbreak leads to state of emergency in New York

Lalita Panicker · Sep 16, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Image ID: 71451526 (L) — Poliomyelitis vaccine bottles. Image credit:
andreypopov / 123RF

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday over a growing polio outbreak, in an effort to better equip health care providers with tools to curb the spread of the sometimes disabling virus before it takes further hold in the state. www.nytimes.com/2022/09/09/nyregion/new-york-polio-state-of-emergency.html?

The order allows emergency service workers, midwives and pharmacists to administer the polio vaccine. The declaration also requires health care providers to send polio immunization data to New York health officials so that they can determine where in the state to target vaccination efforts.

“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” Dr Mary T. Bassett, the state health commissioner, said in a statement on Friday. “Do not wait to vaccinate.”

The first polio case in nearly a decade was identified in July in New York State. Officials said an unvaccinated man in Rockland County was infected by virus that had been shed from someone who received the oral polio vaccine, which has not been administered in the United States since 2000. The oral vaccine is safe, but contains small amounts of weakened live virus that can circulate and strengthen if communities are under vaccinated.

No other cases have been identified by the state, but officials have been monitoring wastewater for polio — which is typically found in the faecal matter of an infected person — to track whether the virus is spreading.

In August, New York City officials said they had identified polio in the city’s wastewater. On Friday, state health officials announced that they had identified polio in 57 samples collected from wastewater in several downstate counties between May and August. The majority of the samples were collected in Rockland County, and 50 of them were genetically linked to the case of the Rockland resident.

Hochul’s declaration came as many New York students began their first week of school, and as some parents continue to worry about the spread not only of polio but also the monkeypox virus. However, the risk of a polio infection is low for most students in New York City, and attending school is also unlikely to expose students to monkeypox.