Covid-19 Pandemia: live updates and news from March 21, 2021

Photographer: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

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As more people receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Australia and around the world, authorities may consider reducing quarantine requirements and allowing travelers to isolate at home.

Even so, coronavirus infections remain difficult to control in other parts of the world, such as Brazil, where deaths have increased for four consecutive weeks. In the United States, New York announced its first case of the virus variant fueling the outbreak.

A report by scientists, scheduled for release this week, will say that China’s thriving wildlife trade is the most likely source of the coronavirus that changed the world last year.

Main developments:

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Australia may revise quarantine measures (8h58 HK)

Brendan Murphy, secretary of the Department of Health, said that while a reduction in quarantine requirements would be being considered, the first step is to cut domestic restrictions, ensuring that state boundaries are not closed.

“We can think, for example, of reducing the duration of quarantine, in much more home quarantine, especially for vaccinated people,” said Murphy on Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program. “Our risk tolerance will change in the second half of this year.”

Even so, the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine in Australia was hampered by torrential rains and floods that caused residents along the coast of New South Wales – including parts of Sydney – to be evacuated. The government has already faced criticism for its poor organization and a slower-than-expected start for the vaccine’s launch.

Duke University facilitates blocking (8h14 HK)

Duke University will on Sunday it facilitated an order of permanence imposed on all undergraduate students on March 14, after a serious outbreak related to events in fraternities and fraternities.

In a letter to students on Saturday, the Durham, North Carolina school said the number of new cases had dropped, although it did not provide details. In the week leading up to the stoppage, the university recorded a total of 231 cases, almost as many as all last semester. With flexibilization, graduate students on campus can return to classes and leave their dormitories, but were asked not to leave campus.

NCAA faces cancellation (8:06 am, HK)

Positive Covid-19 tests at Virginia Commonwealth University are forcing the eleventh team in the western region to leave the NCAA basketball tournament, the New York Times reported.

Although the organizers continued with the tournament despite the increase in the number of infections, adopting protocols, a withdrawal from the team was the worst scenario for the sports agency, which is expected to earn $ 850 million in television revenue from the tournament, said newspaper.

Cases in Brazil increase for the fifth week (7:30 am HK)

Brazil surpassed half a million weekly cases for the second consecutive time, crowning a week marked by record daily deaths and infections.

The largest country in Latin America totaled about 79,000 cases, bringing the total of the seven days until Saturday to 510,901 – the fifth consecutive week with an increase. During the previous increase, weekly cases peaked at 379,000 in early January, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

Weekly deaths have increased by almost 3,000 to a record 15,650, the highest since the pandemic began. With almost 12 million cases and about 292,000 deaths, Brazil is second only to the United States in both counts.

Covid’s source report may point to wildlife (7:10 am HK)

Scientists who have traced the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic believe they have identified a possible source of transmission: China’s thriving wildlife trade.

The expected findings of experts called by the World Health Organization and the Chinese government are expected to show parallels with the spread in 2002 of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, a bat-borne coronavirus spread by civets that killed 800 people. The path taken by SARS-CoV-2 – as the new coronavirus is known – before emerging in central China in December 2019 remains a mystery, although researchers say it can be resolved.

Miami Beach beats spring break (5:05 pm in NY)

Miami Beach imposed a curfew at 8 pm and other restrictions to contain what officials said was overcrowding during spring break in the United States. The curfew will have a minimum duration of 72 hours and will be valid for the main avenues with bars, restaurants and nightclubs. The city previously defined a midnight curfew.

Mayor Dan Gelber said at a news conference that the crowds seemed bigger than in previous years because fewer places were opened for spring break due to Covid-19 and cheap air tickets.

“There are many times when we hope that something horrible doesn’t happen,” he said. “We cannot support this as a community.”

NY reports first case of variant in Brazil (4:40 pm NY)

The first case of the most transmissible variant of the coronavirus found in Brazil was reported in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. The patient is from Brooklyn, over 90 years old and has no travel history, he said.

The variant is helping to fuel a new outbreak in Brazil. In the United States, there are 48 known cases of variant P.1 in 15 jurisdictions, with 21 cases in Florida alone, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

France wants full supply of Astra (3:20 pm, NY)

France supports the EU’s threat to use whatever tools are available to get planned deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine, said EU junior minister for affairs Clement Beaune on TV BFM, although he warned that any legal process could take months.

While the EU exports vaccines to the United Kingdom, European authorities suspect that some vaccines made in the United Kingdom initially intended for delivery in the EU are remaining in the United Kingdom.

He also said that the approval of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in Europe could happen in April or May. In France, about 9% of the population received at least one injection of vaccine and 3.6% received both injections.

Florida exceeds 2 million cases (14h56, NY)

Florida approved 2 million cases on Saturday, the third state to do so after California and Texas. New cases have stabilized recently after a sharp drop following a sudden increase in the holiday. On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis said he would open the vaccine’s eligibility for everyone aged 50 and over starting on Monday.

Anti-block protests hit Europe (2:20 pm, NY)

Protests against the blockade were held in Germany, Britain, Austria, Finland, Romania and Switzerland on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Demonstrations have also been reported in Sweden’s three largest cities.

More than 20,000 people defied the court’s ban to demonstrate in the city of Kassel, in central Germany, reported the German news agency DPA. Some protesters attacked police and several journalists, DPA said.

At least 33 people were arrested in central London, most for violating Covid restrictions, the Metropolitan Police said on Twitter. The protests around Piccadilly Circus were bigger than the police expected, the BBC said.

Brazil Says It Is Discussing Vaccines With The US (1:55 pm NY)

Brazil is negotiating “to import vaccines from the surplus available in the United States, ”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Saturday. The Biden administration said earlier this week that it plans to send about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine to neighboring Mexico and Canada.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the time that the United States government has about 7 million available doses of the vaccine, which have not yet been approved for use in the United States. “With the importance of helping to stem the spread in other countries, we are evaluating how we can lend doses,” she said. She added that the loans have not been “fully finalized”.

The outbreak in Brazil worsened dramatically, breaking records for most cases and deaths earlier this week.

Mumbai passes mandatory testing (10:31 NY)