let in ceca lah
gxgx
now singkies too sabo
gxgx
now singkies too sabo
-
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New covid-19 mutant virus variant from India will reach Singapore, if it has already not
- Thread starter LITTLEREDDOT
- Start date
India, Brazil, South Africa, UK, SG got many type to choose from
Prepare for second wave
Hospitals reduce non-urgent surgery to prepare for surge in Covid-19 cases in S'pore
Most hospitals are reducing non-urgent surgery.ST PHOTO: MOHD KHALID BABA
Joyce Teo
May 5, 2021
SINGAPORE - Most hospitals are reducing non-urgent surgery as they ramp up capacity to prepare for a rise in Covid-19 cases but life-saving treatment for afflictions like cancer or stroke will not be affected.
All hospitals were asked on Monday (May 3) to defer non-urgent surgery and appointments at specialist outpatient clinics until further notice.
The authorities are on the alert as worrisome new variants of Covid-19 are spreading fast in the community.
The number of new community cases had risen to 64 in the past week, from 11 the week before, noted the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.
It added that 10 cases of the variants spreading in India have been identified here; half are part of Singapore's largest active cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). TTSH has ceased taking in new patients as it focuses on containing the spread and caring for existing patients.
Professor Terrance Chua, the group chairman of SingHealth's medical board, said its institutions will be temporarily deferring non-urgent surgery, admissions and specialist outpatient clinic appointments until further notice.
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Changi General Hospital are among the hospitals under SingHealth.
"The rescheduling of procedures and appointments will only be done for non-urgent cases which our clinical teams have reviewed to be safe for a temporary deferment," said Prof Chua.
He said patients will be contacted, adding: "We are also working closely with them to arrange teleconsultations and alternative care arrangements where suitable."
Professor Fong Kok Yong, co-chair of the SingHealth Disease Outbreak Taskforce, said hospitals are prepared to increase capacity as necessary: "Besides our existing isolation facilities and the possibility of converting existing wards, we also have dedicated facilities that can support the care of Covid-19 patients."
SGH has 50 isolation units at Ward @ Bowyer that opened last July, while its Bright Vision community hospital continues to receive clinically stable Covid-19 patients who require inpatient care, he said.
There's a sense of deja vu at the hospitals, which started to defer non-urgent or elective procedures some time in February last year before gradually resuming around the end of the April-June circuit breaker period.
The hospitals will assess which non-urgent appointments to defer. While it's not clear which ones will be deferred, they could include complex, open surgery such as those for the prostate or spine, or total knee replacement done for elderly patients, who may require a few days in hospital.
Some private hospitals are also helping with Singapore's Covid-19 fight.
Dr Noel Yeo, chief operating officer of IHH Healthcare Singapore, said it is managing its surgical and admission loads in consultation with doctors "so as to avail capacity, resources and manpower to support our colleagues in the public sector". It has committed up to 70 beds in three hospitals for Covid-19 patients.
Raffles Hospital, too, is involved.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told a briefing on Tuesday that MOH is preparing the healthcare system for any potential rise in community cases and new clusters as it continues to test and contain the TTSH cluster. He said: "We hope it will not happen, but we must be prepared for it."
There are 131 Covid-19 patients in hospitals around the city, including two in intensive care.
Hospitals reduce non-urgent surgery to prepare for surge in Covid-19 cases in S'pore
Most hospitals are reducing non-urgent surgery.ST PHOTO: MOHD KHALID BABA
Joyce Teo
May 5, 2021
SINGAPORE - Most hospitals are reducing non-urgent surgery as they ramp up capacity to prepare for a rise in Covid-19 cases but life-saving treatment for afflictions like cancer or stroke will not be affected.
All hospitals were asked on Monday (May 3) to defer non-urgent surgery and appointments at specialist outpatient clinics until further notice.
The authorities are on the alert as worrisome new variants of Covid-19 are spreading fast in the community.
The number of new community cases had risen to 64 in the past week, from 11 the week before, noted the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.
It added that 10 cases of the variants spreading in India have been identified here; half are part of Singapore's largest active cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). TTSH has ceased taking in new patients as it focuses on containing the spread and caring for existing patients.
Professor Terrance Chua, the group chairman of SingHealth's medical board, said its institutions will be temporarily deferring non-urgent surgery, admissions and specialist outpatient clinic appointments until further notice.
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Changi General Hospital are among the hospitals under SingHealth.
"The rescheduling of procedures and appointments will only be done for non-urgent cases which our clinical teams have reviewed to be safe for a temporary deferment," said Prof Chua.
He said patients will be contacted, adding: "We are also working closely with them to arrange teleconsultations and alternative care arrangements where suitable."
Professor Fong Kok Yong, co-chair of the SingHealth Disease Outbreak Taskforce, said hospitals are prepared to increase capacity as necessary: "Besides our existing isolation facilities and the possibility of converting existing wards, we also have dedicated facilities that can support the care of Covid-19 patients."
SGH has 50 isolation units at Ward @ Bowyer that opened last July, while its Bright Vision community hospital continues to receive clinically stable Covid-19 patients who require inpatient care, he said.
There's a sense of deja vu at the hospitals, which started to defer non-urgent or elective procedures some time in February last year before gradually resuming around the end of the April-June circuit breaker period.
The hospitals will assess which non-urgent appointments to defer. While it's not clear which ones will be deferred, they could include complex, open surgery such as those for the prostate or spine, or total knee replacement done for elderly patients, who may require a few days in hospital.
Some private hospitals are also helping with Singapore's Covid-19 fight.
Dr Noel Yeo, chief operating officer of IHH Healthcare Singapore, said it is managing its surgical and admission loads in consultation with doctors "so as to avail capacity, resources and manpower to support our colleagues in the public sector". It has committed up to 70 beds in three hospitals for Covid-19 patients.
Raffles Hospital, too, is involved.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told a briefing on Tuesday that MOH is preparing the healthcare system for any potential rise in community cases and new clusters as it continues to test and contain the TTSH cluster. He said: "We hope it will not happen, but we must be prepared for it."
There are 131 Covid-19 patients in hospitals around the city, including two in intensive care.
close borders no need to prepare
COVID-19 virus variants from India detected in Singapore: What you need to know
Relatives of a person who died of COVID-19 mourn outside a field hospital in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. COVID-19 infections and deaths are mounting with alarming speed in India with no end in sight to the crisis. (Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool)Bookmark
SINGAPORE: Amid a rise in community cases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has found that nearly half of the 60 COVID-19 local cases detected here last week were infected with variants of concern or interest.
These 29 local cases have viral variants that were first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil or India.
On Tuesday (May 4), MOH director of medical services Kenneth Mak said that seven cases in three local clusters have one of the Indian variants - the B16172. This includes the Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster which had 40 cases as of Tuesday.
READ: Authorities studying possibility of airflow and ventilation issues at Tan Tock Seng Hospital ward
Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the COVID-19 task force, said that while there were unlinked cases of COVID-19 before, these did not develop into clusters.
"The new variant strains have higher attack rates, they are more infectious, they are causing larger clusters than before," he said. "Due to the new variants, (the cases) are more infectious and larger clusters are forming."
Here's what we know so far about the new variants:
VARIANTS DETECTED IN SINGAPORE
Mr Wong noted at the task force press conference on Tuesday that the global COVID-19 situation had worsened, with new variants and cases spreading from South Asia to Southeast Asia.
MOH has listed the COVID-19 variants detected in local or imported coronavirus cases in Singapore, and six different strains were also found among local cases in the past week.
Ten local cases have one of two sub-variants from India. Seven have been infected with the B16172 variant, while three were found with the B16171 variant.
Eight local cases in the last week have the B1351 variant that was first found in South Africa.
New COVID-19 variants: Do the UK and South Africa virus strains pose a danger to Singapore?
The B117 or UK variant, which had been flagged earlier, was detected in seven cases and there were three cases of the P1 Brazilian strain of SARS-CoV-2.
LOCAL CLUSTERS WITH VARIANTS
A number of COVID-19 clusters that have formed in Singapore are tied to the coronavirus variants.
"Of note, seven cases in three of our local clusters have the B16172 or Indian variant," said Assoc Prof Mak on Tuesday.
Five of these cases are part of the cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, one case is the immigration officer deployed at Changi Airport Terminal One and a case in the third cluster is a cleaner at a community care facility at Tuas South.
Professor Mak added that these viruses had been found to be "phylogenetically distinct", suggesting that the clusters were not linked.
"We have not completed the phylogenetic testing of all cases that we have and we're likely to see more viral variants identified over time," he said.
He added that the presence of these viral variants of concern affirmed Singapore's strategy to vaccinate all healthcare workers and prioritise vaccination for older Singaporeans.
"Had we not done so, the Tan Tock Seng cluster would have been significantly larger at this time," he said. "And the likelihood of that cluster getting out of control that much greater."
WHAT IS THE INDIAN VARIANT?
The COVID-19 virus is constantly mutating, but the the World Health Organization (WHO) has a "watchlist" of the variants that pose a risk to public health.
The Indian viral variant B1617 has been classified as one of seven "variants of interest" by WHO. These are variants that are being monitored as they show mutations that have epidemiological implications, such as the transmissibility or severity of the disease.
Assistant Professor October Sessions from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said that as the virus spreads, the likelihood of new variants appearing increases and these will co-circulate until one gains a fitness advantage over the others.
"The majority of these variants will be neutral - they will not change the behaviour of the virus," he said.
Variants of concern, as opposed to variants of interest, must have an impact on diagnostics, treatments or vaccines, be more contagious or cause more severe disease. The UK, South African and Brazilian variants have been listed as variants of concern by WHO.
"Though this work is in progress, these criteria have not been characterised for the majority of variants that are rapidly evolving in India."
READ: India COVID-19 variant: What we know so far
Scientists are still studying whether the Indian variant is driving an unexpected explosion in cases in India. WHO said in its Apr 27 update that preliminary modelling suggests it has "a higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India, suggesting potential increased transmissibility".
"It is often hard to tease out whether increased spread is due to relaxation of societal measures, decreased compliance or the virus itself," said Professor of Medicine at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Dale Fisher.
"I think most of us believe that all these variants of concern are more transmissible because they have quite quickly become dominant and there are shared mutations."
KEY MUTATIONS IN INDIAN VARIANT
There are three sub-strains of the B1617 variant - B16171, B16172 and B16173, and they share some characteristic mutations.
The variant has been called the "Bengal strain" as it was first detected in that region in India. It has also been called a triple mutant - although the variant contains a total of 13 spike protein mutations, there are three which are of concern.
All three mutations have been detected in other globally circulating variants and experts say they have evolved independently as the virus adapts to better infect humans.
One of the mutations, E484Q, which is very similar to the E484K mutation found in the South African and Brazilian variants, has been called the "escape mutation". This is because it appears to partially "escape" immunity from prior infection or vaccines.
Another mutation, L452R, was associated with large outbreaks in California and is estimated to be 20 per cent more transmissible than earlier waves of the virus. A third mutation, P681R, is also thought to make the virus more infectious.
Professor Fisher said that the variants have an increased capacity to bind: "It is like a lock and a key where the virus spike protein is the key and the receptors on the host cell are the lock. The mutations have a better key shape so it takes less virus to cause disease."
This means that precautions such as safe distancing, masks and hand hygiene have to be "done very well", he said.
"The measures still work but the new viruses are better at infecting so (they) will take advantage of small breaches that you may have gotten away with when the virus was the earlier strains."
Asst Prof Sessions added there have now been many documented cases of people shedding the virus beyond the 14-day mark.
"In response to this and the increased presence of more highly transmissible strains currently circulating in nearby countries, the stay-home notice has now been increased to 21 days to prevent the escape of the viruses into the community," he said.
Relatives of a person who died of COVID-19 mourn outside a field hospital in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. COVID-19 infections and deaths are mounting with alarming speed in India with no end in sight to the crisis. (Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool)Bookmark
SINGAPORE: Amid a rise in community cases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has found that nearly half of the 60 COVID-19 local cases detected here last week were infected with variants of concern or interest.
These 29 local cases have viral variants that were first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil or India.
On Tuesday (May 4), MOH director of medical services Kenneth Mak said that seven cases in three local clusters have one of the Indian variants - the B16172. This includes the Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster which had 40 cases as of Tuesday.
READ: Authorities studying possibility of airflow and ventilation issues at Tan Tock Seng Hospital ward
Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the COVID-19 task force, said that while there were unlinked cases of COVID-19 before, these did not develop into clusters.
"The new variant strains have higher attack rates, they are more infectious, they are causing larger clusters than before," he said. "Due to the new variants, (the cases) are more infectious and larger clusters are forming."
Here's what we know so far about the new variants:
VARIANTS DETECTED IN SINGAPORE
Mr Wong noted at the task force press conference on Tuesday that the global COVID-19 situation had worsened, with new variants and cases spreading from South Asia to Southeast Asia.
MOH has listed the COVID-19 variants detected in local or imported coronavirus cases in Singapore, and six different strains were also found among local cases in the past week.
Ten local cases have one of two sub-variants from India. Seven have been infected with the B16172 variant, while three were found with the B16171 variant.
Eight local cases in the last week have the B1351 variant that was first found in South Africa.
New COVID-19 variants: Do the UK and South Africa virus strains pose a danger to Singapore?
The B117 or UK variant, which had been flagged earlier, was detected in seven cases and there were three cases of the P1 Brazilian strain of SARS-CoV-2.
LOCAL CLUSTERS WITH VARIANTS
A number of COVID-19 clusters that have formed in Singapore are tied to the coronavirus variants.
"Of note, seven cases in three of our local clusters have the B16172 or Indian variant," said Assoc Prof Mak on Tuesday.
Five of these cases are part of the cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, one case is the immigration officer deployed at Changi Airport Terminal One and a case in the third cluster is a cleaner at a community care facility at Tuas South.
Professor Mak added that these viruses had been found to be "phylogenetically distinct", suggesting that the clusters were not linked.
"We have not completed the phylogenetic testing of all cases that we have and we're likely to see more viral variants identified over time," he said.
He added that the presence of these viral variants of concern affirmed Singapore's strategy to vaccinate all healthcare workers and prioritise vaccination for older Singaporeans.
"Had we not done so, the Tan Tock Seng cluster would have been significantly larger at this time," he said. "And the likelihood of that cluster getting out of control that much greater."
WHAT IS THE INDIAN VARIANT?
The COVID-19 virus is constantly mutating, but the the World Health Organization (WHO) has a "watchlist" of the variants that pose a risk to public health.
The Indian viral variant B1617 has been classified as one of seven "variants of interest" by WHO. These are variants that are being monitored as they show mutations that have epidemiological implications, such as the transmissibility or severity of the disease.
Assistant Professor October Sessions from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said that as the virus spreads, the likelihood of new variants appearing increases and these will co-circulate until one gains a fitness advantage over the others.
"The majority of these variants will be neutral - they will not change the behaviour of the virus," he said.
Variants of concern, as opposed to variants of interest, must have an impact on diagnostics, treatments or vaccines, be more contagious or cause more severe disease. The UK, South African and Brazilian variants have been listed as variants of concern by WHO.
"Though this work is in progress, these criteria have not been characterised for the majority of variants that are rapidly evolving in India."
READ: India COVID-19 variant: What we know so far
Scientists are still studying whether the Indian variant is driving an unexpected explosion in cases in India. WHO said in its Apr 27 update that preliminary modelling suggests it has "a higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India, suggesting potential increased transmissibility".
"It is often hard to tease out whether increased spread is due to relaxation of societal measures, decreased compliance or the virus itself," said Professor of Medicine at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Dale Fisher.
"I think most of us believe that all these variants of concern are more transmissible because they have quite quickly become dominant and there are shared mutations."
KEY MUTATIONS IN INDIAN VARIANT
There are three sub-strains of the B1617 variant - B16171, B16172 and B16173, and they share some characteristic mutations.
The variant has been called the "Bengal strain" as it was first detected in that region in India. It has also been called a triple mutant - although the variant contains a total of 13 spike protein mutations, there are three which are of concern.
All three mutations have been detected in other globally circulating variants and experts say they have evolved independently as the virus adapts to better infect humans.
One of the mutations, E484Q, which is very similar to the E484K mutation found in the South African and Brazilian variants, has been called the "escape mutation". This is because it appears to partially "escape" immunity from prior infection or vaccines.
Another mutation, L452R, was associated with large outbreaks in California and is estimated to be 20 per cent more transmissible than earlier waves of the virus. A third mutation, P681R, is also thought to make the virus more infectious.
Professor Fisher said that the variants have an increased capacity to bind: "It is like a lock and a key where the virus spike protein is the key and the receptors on the host cell are the lock. The mutations have a better key shape so it takes less virus to cause disease."
This means that precautions such as safe distancing, masks and hand hygiene have to be "done very well", he said.
"The measures still work but the new viruses are better at infecting so (they) will take advantage of small breaches that you may have gotten away with when the virus was the earlier strains."
Asst Prof Sessions added there have now been many documented cases of people shedding the virus beyond the 14-day mark.
"In response to this and the increased presence of more highly transmissible strains currently circulating in nearby countries, the stay-home notice has now been increased to 21 days to prevent the escape of the viruses into the community," he said.
More contagious
WHO labels Covid-19 mutation in India 'variant of concern'
There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility.PHOTO: AFP
May 11, 2021
GENEVA (AFP) - A Covid-19 variant spreading in India, which is facing an explosive outbreak, appears to be more contagious and has been classified as being “of concern”, the World Health Organisation said Monday (May 10).
The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 first found in India last October seemed to be transmitting more easily.
“There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility of the B.1.617,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s lead on Covid-19, told reporters. She also pointed to early studies “suggesting that there is some reduced neutralisation”, a reference to the possibility that vaccines might be less effective against it.
“As such, we are classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level,” she said.
She also pointed to early studies “suggesting that there is some reduced neutralisation”, meaning that antibodies appeared to have less impact on the variant in small-sample lab studies.
The WHO insisted though that it was far too early to interpret this to mean that the variant might have more resistance to vaccine protections.
“Based on current data, the Covid-19 vaccines remain effective at preventing disease and death in people infected with this variant,” it said in a statement.
More details would be provided in the WHO’s weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday, Van Kerkhove added.
India, suffering from one of the worst outbreaks in the world, reported nearly 370,000 fresh infections and more than 3,700 new deaths on Monday.
The devastating wave has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system, and experts have said the official figures for cases and fatalities are much lower than the actual numbers.
It has for some time been feared that B.1.617 – which counts several sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics – might be contributing to the alarming spread. But until now, WHO has listed it merely as a “variant of interest”.
‘Balanced approach’
Now it will be added to the list containing three other variants of Covid-19 – those first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa – which the WHO has classified as being “of concern”.
They are seen as more dangerous than the original version of the virus by being more transmissible, deadly or able to get past some vaccine protections.
Even if vaccine efficacy may be diminished against some variants of Covid-19, the jabs can still provide protection against serious illness and death.
And Van Kerkhove stressed that when it comes to the B.1.617 variant, for the time being “we don’t have anything to suggest that our diagnostics or therapeutics and our vaccines don’t work”.
WHO classifies India variant as being of global concern
The WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan agreed, urging a “balanced approach".
“What we know now is that the vaccines work, the diagnostics work, the same treatments that are used for the regular virus work,” she told journalists.
“So there’s really no need to change any of those, and in fact... people should go ahead and get whatever vaccine is available to them and that they are eligible for.”
Experts highlight that the more the virus spreads, the bigger the risk it will find ideal conditions to mutate in concerning ways, stressing that everything must be done to rein in transmission.
“We will continue to see variants of concern around the world, and we must do everything that we can to really limit the spread,” Van Kerkhove said.
WHO labels Covid-19 mutation in India 'variant of concern'
There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility.PHOTO: AFP
May 11, 2021
GENEVA (AFP) - A Covid-19 variant spreading in India, which is facing an explosive outbreak, appears to be more contagious and has been classified as being “of concern”, the World Health Organisation said Monday (May 10).
The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 first found in India last October seemed to be transmitting more easily.
“There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility of the B.1.617,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s lead on Covid-19, told reporters. She also pointed to early studies “suggesting that there is some reduced neutralisation”, a reference to the possibility that vaccines might be less effective against it.
“As such, we are classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level,” she said.
She also pointed to early studies “suggesting that there is some reduced neutralisation”, meaning that antibodies appeared to have less impact on the variant in small-sample lab studies.
The WHO insisted though that it was far too early to interpret this to mean that the variant might have more resistance to vaccine protections.
“Based on current data, the Covid-19 vaccines remain effective at preventing disease and death in people infected with this variant,” it said in a statement.
More details would be provided in the WHO’s weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday, Van Kerkhove added.
India, suffering from one of the worst outbreaks in the world, reported nearly 370,000 fresh infections and more than 3,700 new deaths on Monday.
The devastating wave has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system, and experts have said the official figures for cases and fatalities are much lower than the actual numbers.
It has for some time been feared that B.1.617 – which counts several sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics – might be contributing to the alarming spread. But until now, WHO has listed it merely as a “variant of interest”.
‘Balanced approach’
Now it will be added to the list containing three other variants of Covid-19 – those first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa – which the WHO has classified as being “of concern”.
They are seen as more dangerous than the original version of the virus by being more transmissible, deadly or able to get past some vaccine protections.
Even if vaccine efficacy may be diminished against some variants of Covid-19, the jabs can still provide protection against serious illness and death.
And Van Kerkhove stressed that when it comes to the B.1.617 variant, for the time being “we don’t have anything to suggest that our diagnostics or therapeutics and our vaccines don’t work”.
WHO classifies India variant as being of global concern
The WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan agreed, urging a “balanced approach".
“What we know now is that the vaccines work, the diagnostics work, the same treatments that are used for the regular virus work,” she told journalists.
“So there’s really no need to change any of those, and in fact... people should go ahead and get whatever vaccine is available to them and that they are eligible for.”
Experts highlight that the more the virus spreads, the bigger the risk it will find ideal conditions to mutate in concerning ways, stressing that everything must be done to rein in transmission.
“We will continue to see variants of concern around the world, and we must do everything that we can to really limit the spread,” Van Kerkhove said.
Indian variant now affecting China.
People line up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside a vaccination site in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, May 29, 2021. (Photo: cnsphoto via REUTERS)
31 May 2021 09:10AM
SHANGHAI: China on Monday (May 31) reported a sudden surge of COVID-19 in the country's south, with 20 new local cases on May 30, as authorities locked down areas of Guangdong province's capital city.
Of the 27 new coronavirus cases reported by the national health authority in its daily updates, only seven infections were imported, with the remainder originating in Guangdong province.
On Saturday, authorities in the capital city of Guangzhou ordered residents on five streets in the city's Liwan district to remain at home and suspended non-essential activities, while entertainment venues and markets were closed.
People leaving the city from airports, train stations and shuttle bus stations need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days, with exception for travellers who arrive in the city in transit, the city said in a statement late on Sunday.
Recent infections in the city were contracted with a fast-spreading virus strain detected in India according to genome sequencing results, Chen Bin, deputy director at the city's municipal health commission, told a press conference on Sunday.
Out of the 20 new locally confirmed patients on May 30, 18 were found in Guangzhou city and two in Foshan city, health authorities in Guangdong province said on Monday.
State media reports have suggested that the recent outbreak is linked to a strain of the virus originating in India.
China also reported 19 new asymptomatic infections, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, on May 30, compared with 22 a day earlier.
As of May 30, China had a total of 91,099 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while its death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.
China locks down parts of Guangzhou after surge of COVID-19 cases
People line up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside a vaccination site in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, May 29, 2021. (Photo: cnsphoto via REUTERS)
31 May 2021 09:10AM
SHANGHAI: China on Monday (May 31) reported a sudden surge of COVID-19 in the country's south, with 20 new local cases on May 30, as authorities locked down areas of Guangdong province's capital city.
Of the 27 new coronavirus cases reported by the national health authority in its daily updates, only seven infections were imported, with the remainder originating in Guangdong province.
On Saturday, authorities in the capital city of Guangzhou ordered residents on five streets in the city's Liwan district to remain at home and suspended non-essential activities, while entertainment venues and markets were closed.
People leaving the city from airports, train stations and shuttle bus stations need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days, with exception for travellers who arrive in the city in transit, the city said in a statement late on Sunday.
Recent infections in the city were contracted with a fast-spreading virus strain detected in India according to genome sequencing results, Chen Bin, deputy director at the city's municipal health commission, told a press conference on Sunday.
Out of the 20 new locally confirmed patients on May 30, 18 were found in Guangzhou city and two in Foshan city, health authorities in Guangdong province said on Monday.
State media reports have suggested that the recent outbreak is linked to a strain of the virus originating in India.
China also reported 19 new asymptomatic infections, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, on May 30, compared with 22 a day earlier.
As of May 30, China had a total of 91,099 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while its death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.
B1617 Covid-19 variant becoming increasingly dominant worldwide, experts warn
In Singapore, the variant has surfaced in two community clusters - in Changi Airport and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.PHOTO: ST FILE
Clara Chong
MAY 30, 2021
SINGAPORE - The B1617 Covid-19 variant is becoming increasingly dominant worldwide and could worsen the pandemic - especially in countries with low vaccination rates - experts said in their latest assessment of the virus.
And this will not be the last time that the virus mutates, the experts added.
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, told The Straits Times on Saturday (May 29): "What is frightening is the speed at which this variant is able to spread and circulate widely within the community, often surpassing the capability of contact-tracing units to track and isolate exposed contacts to break the transmission chains.
"It has the potential to unleash a bigger pandemic storm than the world has previously seen."
B1617 has mutated to spread more easily from person to person, and may dampen the protection conferred by vaccines as well as natural infection, though only slightly, experts say.
The variant, which was first detected in India in October 2020, is now found everywhere.
World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that B1617 is 1.5 times to two times more transmissible than the strain that first appeared in Wuhan 18 months ago.
It is now present in more than 50 countries and is surpassing other strains causing infections in India, such as the B117.
"On clinical severity, it's a little less clear because there have not been controlled studies which look at patients that you control for multiple factors, and then look at the impact of the strain on the clinical profile," Dr Soumya said at a recent webinar organised by the NUS' Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
Dr Soumya also said that anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that more young people in India had been infected and became seriously ill.
In India, more than 27 million people have been infected with Covid-19, and over 325,000 have died.
In Singapore, the variant has surfaced in the two biggest community clusters in recent months - in Changi Airport and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
There are three versions of B1617 - B16171, B16172 and B16173. The second version is the most relevant as it has appeared to overtake B16171 in local cases as well as those reported globally. The third version, B16173, is rare.
At this point in time, it remains unclear if B1617 causes more serious illness or deaths even though it is more infectious and transmissible.The best weapon remains widespread vaccination, Prof Teo said.
Vaccinated individuals have a reduced chance of being infected, and a much lower likelihood of developing severe symptoms even if they are infected, Prof Teo said.
Preliminary research in the United States carried out by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Centre showed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should remain effective against B1617.
A study by Public Health England also showed that the vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca work against B16172.
The study, conducted from April 5 to May 16, found that the Pfizer-BioNTech shot was 88 per cent effective against the B16172 variant two weeks after the second dose. Two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60 per cent effective.
But, with an outbreak on this scale, this will not be the only new variant of the pathogen, underscoring the urgency of vaccinations to confer some sort of immunity on the global community.Most countries, unfortunately, are lagging far behind in vaccinating their people.
WHO European director Hans Kluge warned on Friday that the pandemic will not be over until at least 70 per cent of people are vaccinated. He deplored the roll-out in Europe, saying that while it was better it was still "too slow".
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said some 43 per cent of adults in the European Union and European Economic Area have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Saturday .
"Time is against us," Dr Kluge warned, stressing the need to accelerate the immunisation campaign.
Worldwide, too, the situation is not looking good. The New York Times reported that more than 1.81 billion vaccine doses had been administered worldwide as at Friday (May 28), but a stark gap between vaccination programmes in countries remains, with some yet to report a single dose.Global inequity in vaccine supplies and distribution persists, and the opportunity for widespread vaccination remains a privilege for advanced economies, Prof Teo said.
Professor Dale Fisher, chair of the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, said this means a higher chance of B1617 creeping into countries previously minimally affected by Covid-19.
"These countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, are more vulnerable due to the low vaccination rates, leaving them more susceptible to severe disease," Prof Fisher added.
He urged wealthier nations to lend more support to the WHO-backed Covax programme, a global project to secure and distribute vaccines to poorer countries.
With more than 3,000 mutations and counting, more virulent strains might emerge in countries where pandemic control is lacking, Prof Teo said.Even in Vietnam, which had a good handle on the virus but saw a spike in cases in May, the authorities have detected a new variant that is a combination of the B16172 and B117 variants, and spreads quickly by air, Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said on Saturday.
Vietnam will soon publish genomic data of the newly identified variant, which replicated very quickly in the laboratory.
This could explain why so many new cases have appeared in different parts of the country in a short period of time.
Prof Fisher said Singapore seems to have managed to curtail the potentially devastating outcome of B1617 sweeping through the community because of its strong public health measures and high vaccination rates.
But Singapore will not be totally safe until the rest of the world is - something which will happen only if more is done globally to get all people vaccinated, he added.
None of these variants should be any cause for concern. The only reason for this fear mongering is so that the media can keep Covid on the front pages in order to sustain viewership.
Just go about your lives as you normally would. The virus is very mild and causes no symptoms or only minor symptoms in most that catch it.
Chances of death for those below 70 are very low.
Just go about your lives as you normally would. The virus is very mild and causes no symptoms or only minor symptoms in most that catch it.
Chances of death for those below 70 are very low.
Wrong. Again. Call it 0 for 282 tries, all failed
https://www.forbes.com/sites/victor...y-more-deadly-says-new-study/?sh=7802fb7e6a1e
U.K. Coronavirus Variant Is Significantly More Deadly, Says New Study
Victoria Forster
Contributor
Health
Cancer research scientist and childhood cancer survivor.
The B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant "UK variant" is more deadly as well as more transmissible, according ... [+]
GETTY
The U.K. coronavirus variant known as B.1.1.7 is not only more transmissible, but also more deadly than other coronavirus variants, according to a new study published today.
B.1.1.7 was first identified in the U.K. last fall and by December it was detected in several other countries including the U.S. The variant is known to be substantially more transmissible than other SARS-CoV2 coronavirus lineages and quickly took over as the dominant variant in the U.K., late last year, sparking off a damaging and deadly second wave which leaves the U.K. currently second in the world for the most Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people.
Scientists had suspected that B.1.1.7 might be more deadly, as well as more transmissible following spectacularly high numbers of Covid-19 deaths in the U.K. during the second wave this winter, which saw the U.K’s worst daily death total in January claim over 1,800 lives. But, the new study published in the journal Nature, led by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine all but confirms that this correlation is genuine.
The study looked at viral genetics data from almost 5,000 people in the U.K. who died from Covid-19, with two-thirds of those being confirmed to have the B.1.1.7 variant. It found that people who were infected with B.1.1.7 had a 55% higher risk of dying within 28 days of being tested positive for Covid-19.
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“England has suffered an enormous toll from B.1.1.7 in the last few months, with 42,000 COVID-19 deaths in January and February 2021 alone,” said Nick Davies, PhD, lead author from LSHTM’s Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases. “In spite of substantial advances in COVID-19 treatment, we have already seen more deaths in 2021 than we did over the first eight months of the pandemic in 2020. Our work helps to explain why,” Davies added.
The new work follows another study from the U.K. published last week, which showed that people who tested positive for B.1.1.7 in a community setting were also more likely to die within 28 days of a positive test than those with other variants.
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The U.K.’s second wave is receding now in both cases and death numbers and many there will be hoping that the high numbers of people who have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine there will protect against a similarly damaging third wave. However, the situation is more concerning in several other countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Poland who are now being hit hard by B.1.1.7-fuelled third waves and are not doing nearly as well with vaccine rollouts.
“The B.1.1.7 variant is more transmissible, and our research provides strong evidence that is also causes more severe illness. This should serve as a warning to other countries that they need to remain vigilant against B.1.1.7, which has already spread to over 90 countries worldwide,” said Davies.
The good news, however, is that Covid-19 vaccines appear to be highly effective against the B.1.1.7 variant, with many countries including the U.S. hoping that fast vaccine rollouts will curb its spread.
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Victoria Forster
I am a postdoctoral research scientist focusing on childhood cancers and new, targeted cancer therapies. As a survivor of childhood leukemia myself, I am a determined
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Gangrene, hearing loss point to Delta coronavirus variant being more severe
Dr Abdul Ghafur said he is seeing more Covid-19 patients with diarrhoea now than in the initial wave of the epidemic.PHOTO: AFP
June 8, 2021
NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) - The coronavirus variant that drove India's devastating Covid-19 epidemic is the most infectious to emerge so far, and doctors now want to know if it is also more severe.
Hearing impairment, severe gastric upsets and blood clots leading to gangrene, symptoms not typically seen in Covid-19 patients, have been linked by doctors in India to the so-called Delta variant. In England and Scotland, early evidence suggests that the now-dominant strain carries a higher risk of hospitalisation.
Delta, also known as B16172, has spread to more than 60 countries over the past six months and triggered travel curbs from Australia to the United States.
A spike in infections, fuelled by the Delta variant, has put pressure on the British government to reconsider its plans of reopening later this month.
Higher rates of transmission compared with other variants, and a reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines, have made understanding the strain's effects especially critical.
"We need more scientific research to analyse if these newer clinical presentations are linked to B.1.617 or not," said Dr Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease physician at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, southern India's largest city.
Dr Ghafur said he is seeing more Covid-19 patients with diarrhoea now than in the initial wave of the epidemic."Last year, we thought we had learnt about our new enemy, but it changed," Dr Ghafur said. "This virus has become so, so unpredictable."
Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, hearing loss and joint pain are among the ailments that Covid-19 patients are experiencing, according to six doctors treating patients across India. Beta and Gamma variants - first detected in South Africa and Brazil, respectively - have shown little or no evidence of producing different clinical signs, according to a study by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney last month.
Some patients develop micro thrombi, or small blood clots, so severe that they led affected tissue to die and develop gangrene, said Dr Ganesh Manudhane, a Mumbai cardiologist, who has treated eight patients for thrombotic complications at the Seven Hills Hospital during the past two months. Two required amputations of fingers or a foot.
"I saw three-to-four cases the whole of last year, and now it's one patient a week," Dr Manudhane said.
India has reported 18.6 million Covid-19 cases thus far in 2021, compared with 10.3 million last year. The Delta variant was the primary cause behind the country's deadlier second wave and is 50 per cent more contagious than the Alpha strain that was first spotted in the United Kingdom, according to a recent study by an Indian government panel.
The surge in cases may have driven an increase in the frequency with which rare Covid-19 complications are being observed. Even still, Dr Manudhane said he is baffled by the blood clots he is seeing in patients across age groups with no past history of coagulation-related problems.
"We suspect it could be because of the new virus variant," he said.Dr Manudhane is collecting data to study why some people develop the clots and others do not.
Doctors are also finding instances of clots forming in blood vessels that supply the intestines, causing patients to experience stomach pain - their only symptom, local media have reported.
Some Covid-19 patients are also seeking medical care for hearing loss, swelling around the neck and severe tonsillitis, said Dr Hetal Marfatia, an ear nose and throat surgeon at Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital.
"Every person is showing different symptoms" in the second wave, she said.
The unusual presentations for Delta and a closely related variant known as Kappa, whose spread led to a fourth lockdown in Melbourne, are still being confirmed, said Dr Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales. "Meanwhile, it is important to take note of this and be aware of possible atypical presentations," she said.
The most alarming aspect of the current epidemic in India is the rapidity with which the virus is spreading, including to children, said Dr Chetan Mundada, a paediatrician with the Yashoda group of hospitals in Hyderabad.
Apollo's Dr Ghafur said he was also seeing entire families with Covid-19 symptoms, instead of the individuals that dominated last year, reflecting an increase in household transmission caused by the Delta variant.
Cases of mucormycosis - a rare opportunistic fungal infection - have also been surging in India. It had infected more than 8,800 Covid-19 patients and survivors as of May 22, forcing local health care authorities to call it an epidemic.
Even as India's outbreak begins to ease - daily infections have slipped to about a quarter of the May 7 peak - the Delta variant has sparked outbreaks elsewhere, including Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam, bolstering calls for mass immunisation.
But with emerging evidence that Delta and at least one other variant may be adept at evading vaccine-induced antibodies, pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to tweak existing shots or develop new ones.
"New vaccines have to prepared with new variants in mind," said Dr Ghafur. "We can't get ahead of the virus, but at least we can least keep up with it."
another reason to vaccinate
its one thing none of us can understand
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