India may be reaching ‘endemicity’ after emerging from second COVID-19 wave

‘The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in India has dropped dramatically since a second wave of the virus peaked in May. First the Alpha and then the Delta variant — which was first detected in India and is now causing strife elsewhere in the world — ravaged the country. But the seven-day average of daily reported cases this week is just a tenth of the 400,000 recorded during the peak.

‘According to health authorities, more than 439,000 people in India have now died with the virus. The relatively stable numbers, which lasted throughout August, prompted the World Health Organization's chief scientist to suggest India may have reached a state of "endemicity". That is, it may be endemic or constantly present in a particular place. So how did they get there and is the worst of the pandemic over for India?’

Read here (ABC News, Sept 6, 2021)

Vaccine makers say coronavirus could be stopped around the globe in months rather than years. Here's how

‘[Bangladhesh's] drug makers say they could produce hundreds of millions of doses in a quick timeframe, if only they could secure a vaccine blueprint... Incepta Pharmaceuticals lies on the outskirts of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, in an industrial neighbourhood. Fitted out with the latest technology from Germany, the company already produces vaccines to fight a wide array of diseases such as hepatitis b, typhoid, the flu, tetanus, measles, meningococcal and rabies.

‘Mr [Abdul] Muktadir [chairman of Incepta Pharmaceuticals] said the company had plenty of capacity to produce more drugs and could manufacture between 600 to 800 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines annually. "If we get the ready-to-fill material or antigen, instead of waiting until 2023, we can make this vaccine available to our entire nation population within two to three months' time," he said.’

Read here (ABC News, Mar 20, 2021)

Experts warn coronavirus may cause 'wave' of neurological conditions including Parkinson's disease

‘COVID-19 can cause worrying neurological symptoms like a loss of smell and taste, but Australian scientists are warning the damage the virus causes to the brain may also lead to more serious conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

‘It has happened before... Five years after the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 1900s, there was up to a three-fold increase in the incidence of Parkinson's disease. Kevin Barnham from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health said he believed a similar "silent wave" of neurological illness would follow this pandemic. "Parkinson's disease is a complex illness, but one of the causes is inflammation, and the virus helps to drive that inflammation," he said.’

Read here (ABC News, Sept 23, 2020)

Covid-19 vaccine makers issue rare safety pledge as fears of political pressures swirl

‘A coalition of nine pharmaceutical chief executives issued a joint pledge Tuesday that they will not rush the development of a COVID-19 vaccination for political purposes and will not seek approvals until the vaccines have gone through Phase 3 clinical trials.

‘The unusual joint move from nine industry leaders comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified states to be ready to distribute a vaccine to certain groups just two days before the presidential election, stoking concerns that the Trump administration may be putting political pressure on companies and health officials to fast-track vaccine approvals ahead of the November vote.’

Read here (ABC News, Sept 8, 2020) 

Bali's move to shut out foreign tourists during coronavirus pandemic sparks 'cultural shift'

"Tourism is the backbone of Bali and the economy has fallen because we rely too much on it," said Gede Robi Supriyanto, a musician and environmental activist in Bali. He said the problem had sparked a "cultural shift", with people who had lost their jobs in tourism moving back to their home villages. "We see an increase of employment in the agricultural sector, more people doing farm work."

Read here (ABC News, August 27, 2020)

Thailand had the world's first coronavirus case outside China. Here's how it avoided disaster

‘James Wise, a former Australian ambassador to the country and author of Thailand: History, Politics and the Rule of Law, said the Village Health volunteers were "enormously important". "The key factor is they were well prepared for it," Mr Wise said... "[The volunteers] work closely with the local communities and then once coronavirus comes along you've got an army of foot soldiers who can be quickly briefed on the coronavirus and then can go out into the communities, spread information, dispel misinformation and check people's symptoms. And that's what they did".’

Read here (ABC News, June 22, 2020)

India's richest city Mumbai is rapidly turning into the world's next coronavirus catastrophe

‘With more than 37,000 infections and 1,200 deaths, Mumbai accounts for more than a fifth of India's total coronavirus tally and almost a quarter of all deaths. There are no clear signs the situation is improving, with hundreds — if not thousands — testing positive each day. Last week videos were uploaded to social media showing bodies lying on hospital beds next to living COVID-19 patients.’

Read here (ABC News, June 1, 2020)

How has Vietnam, a developing nation in South-East Asia, done so well to combat coronavirus?

Key points: Despite sharing a border with China, Vietnam has reported less than 300 cases. Experts believe that Vietnamese coronavirus caseload statistics are accurate. Success has been attributed to aggressive testing, contact tracing and public messaging

Read here (ABC News, May 13, 2020)

Virus outbreak in India market could cause cases to snowball

‘Health officials are rushing to contain a coronavirus outbreak in one of Asia’s largest fruit and vegetable markets in the southern Indian city of Chennai. So far, the market has been linked to more than 500 cases in several districts of Tamil Nadu state and adjacent Kerala state. Over 7,000 people with connections to the Koyambedu market are being traced and quarantined, said J. Radhakrishnan, the leader of Chennai's response to the coronavirus.

‘The market, which had remained open during India's six-week virus lockdown, is central to the region’s food supply chain. The challenge for public health officials is to track the many traders, workers and shoppers who visited the market. Experts said the virus cluster has exposed India’s poor surveillance during the pandemic. They said the country’s long denial of how prevalent the virus was resulted in people not taking precautions, and warned that the market cluster could result in cases in India snowballing.’

Read here (ABC News, May 6, 2020)