Weekly Covid-19 round-up: Belgium bans travellers from SA, India’s deaths mount

Travel ban

Belgium has become the latest country to ban travellers from South Africa. The European nation has also banned travel from India and Brazil; nations that have been affected by fast-spreading coronavirus variants. According to a report in The Citizen, Belgium Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said travel by air, train, boat, and bus, including transit traffic from these countries, is banned. Read more here.

India death toll surpasses 200 000

The latest surge in coronavirus deaths in India has claimed the lives of over 200 000 people. Hospitals have seen a rapid increase in patients, with many being unable to accommodate the demand for healthcare. To understand the gravity of the situation, it was recently reported that the capital of New Delhi has converted parking lots into crematoriums and ‘the soaring body count has sparked a shortage of wood for funeral pyres’. Read more here.

Top US epidemiologist Anthony Fauci has suggested a #lockdown for a few weeks in #India as an immediate step to contain the spread of #coronavirus as its deadly second wave shows no signs of ebbing.#COVID19India
Full story: https://t.co/eSOhNPRUtj pic.twitter.com/1VXe4jfcJF

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 1, 2021

WHO records millions of new cases

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there were over 5 million new Covid-19 cases in the past week. This is the ninth consecutive week the figure has risen and previous recorded peaks have been surpassed. The international organisation also reported over 87 000 new deaths. More details here.

Long-term effects of Covid-19

Long-lasting Covid-19 symptoms, also known as ‘long Covid’, could be as a result of injury to the body during infection, including damage to the lungs, heart and brain, research suggests. Although no definitive link between the severity of Covid-19 illness and the development of lasting symptoms has been found, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases continues to study reported long-term effects of Covid-19. Read the full report on Pretoria Rekord.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim joins WHO Science Council

Former president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Professor Salim Abdool Karim was recently appointed to the WHO Science Council. According to SAMRC, the council was established earlier this month with the aim of providing guidance to WHO in respect of science and research. More details here.

Immunisation services gradually recover

Scores of children around the world were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic when immunisation services were disrupted. Over a year later, the situation is starting to normalise. However, millions of children remain at risk of contracting deadly diseases. Read more here.