A patient gets medical treatment at the Health Care Center specialized in Flu and COVID-19 at the Complexo do Alemao Olympic Village, located in Complexo do Alemao favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec 10, 2021. (MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
WASHINGTON / GENEVA / THE HAGUE / HELSINKI / WINDHOEK / SANTIAGO /BRASILIA -Brazil has confirmed two cases of infection with the new Deltacron variant of the coronavirus, which combines genetic characteristics of the Delta and Omicron variants, Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said Tuesday.
The World Health Organization has been monitoring the spread of Deltacron since early March, after it was first identified in France
The World Health Organization has been monitoring the spread of Deltacron since early March, after it was first identified in France.
"Our genomic surveillance service has already identified two cases in Brazil. One in Amapa, another in Para," said Queiroga, referring to two northern states.
Despite a decline in the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Brazil, health authorities must remain vigilant, said Queiroga, urging the public to get fully vaccinated.
Brazil on Monday reported 11,287 new cases of COVID-19 and 171 more deaths from the disease in 24 hours, accumulating 29,380,063 confirmed cases and 655,249 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest data from the Health Ministry.
Chile
COVID-19 cases in Chile dropped 37 percent in 14 days, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, reporting 8,716 new infections and 34 deaths in 24 hours, raising the total caseload to 3,323,324 and the pandemic death toll to 44,039.
In its daily pandemic report, the ministry said there were currently 62,281 active cases in the South American country.
Meanwhile, the 24-hour COVID-19 positivity rate registered 15.47 percent nationwide and 10.09 percent in the Santiago Metropolitan Region.
Chile endured a wave of infections from the Omicron variant of the virus starting December, amid the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere. The wave has receded and Chileans returned to the classroom and the office this month.
In this file photo taken on Feb 17, 2021 a nurse administers the COVID-19 vaccine to an elderly patient at the Dunkirk hospital. (DENIS CHARLET / AFP)
COVID-19 vaccine IP
The United States, European Union, India and South Africa have reached a consensus on key elements of a long-sought intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, according to a proposed text reviewed by Reuters.
Sources familiar with the talks described the text as a tentative agreement among the four World Trade Organization members that still needs formal approvals from the parties before it can be considered official. Any agreement must be accepted by the WTO's 164 member countries in order to be adopted.
Some elements of the consensus deal, including whether the length of any patent waivers would be three years or five years, still need to be finalized, according to the text. It would apply only to patents for COVID-19 vaccines, which would be much more limited in scope than a broad proposed WTO waiver that had won backing from the United States, according to the document.
The document authorizes use of "patented subject matter required for the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines without the consent of the right holder to the extent necessary to address the COVID-19 pandemic".
It said IP rights would also be waived for ingredients and processes necessary for COVID-19 vaccine manufacture, a move aimed at granting critical know-how to many countries lacking expertise, especially for advanced mRNA-type vaccines.
The text contained several limitations, including that the waiver is only available to WTO member countries that exported less than 10 percent of global exports of COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021.
The text, which was produced in negotiations last week, was being circulated to officials in Brussels, Washington, Johannesburg and New Delhi before being presented to other WTO members. Adoption of the IP waiver by the consensus-driven organization is far from certain.
Dozens of people queue outside a pharmacy for a COVID-19 antigenic test on Jan 19, 2022 in Savenay, western France, as COVID-19 cases soar in Europe. (LOIC VENANCE / AFP)
EU
Some European countries have seen a rising number of COVID-19 infections again after further relaxations of pandemic restrictions. More experts warned of severe consequences if giving up all restrictions too early, especially with the spread of a more transmissible subvariant of omicron.
France has also proceeded to lift restrictions on the mandatory vaccine pass and masks in indoor areas on March 14.
On March 9, the Austrian government suspended its sweeping compulsory vaccination mandate, which has been in effect since early February. The Alpine country lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions from March 5, scrapping entry requirements such as vaccination, recovery from the virus, or a negative test result, for most places.
The Spanish Ministry of Health has informed that it will now update the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths twice a week instead of every weekday.
Germany could see the removal of most COVID-19 protection measures from March 20. People will only be required to wear masks in hospitals, care facilities, and public transport.
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France
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday the current rebound of daily new COVID-19 infections should peak by the end of the month, adding France had been right to lift most restrictions put in place to contain the pandemic.
Tuesday, new cases over 24 hours went beyond the 100,000 limit for the first time since a month, reaching 116,618.
A woman wears a mask as she pages through her mobile phone in Windhoek on March 16, 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19. (HILDEGARD TITUS / AFP)
Namibia
Wearing of masks in public places will no longer be mandatory in Namibia, President Hage Geingob said during the 41st COVID-19 briefing on the national response measures Tuesday.
Geingob also increased the size of public gathering from 500 to 1000, while fully vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to produce a negative PCR test result upon arrival at Namibian points of entry, but are instead required to present an authentic, valid vaccination card at Point of Entry, said Geingob.
Namibia's recovery rate from COVID-19 now stands at 97 percent, with a case fatality rate of 2.5 percent, while statistics indicated that the active cases stood at 222 on Monday.
The current regulations are due to expire on Wednesday and new regulations will come into force from midnight for a period of 30 days until April 15.
Customers watch some toys inside a store with measures to limit the COVID-19 spread as Sinterklaas celebration approches in Utrecht, Netherlands on Nov 30, 2021. (ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN / AFP)
Netherlands
Two years after announcing the country's first COVID-19 lockdown, the Dutch government abolished the last mandatory measures against the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday.
However, certain recommendations remain in force. People with symptoms should stay at home and do a self-test.
If the result is positive, they should remain in isolation for at least five days. People should also wash their hands regularly and should cough and sneeze into their elbow.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks during the White House Equal Pay Day Summit in the South Court Auditoium, next to the White House, in Washington DC on March 15, 2022. (JIM WATSON / AFP)
US
US Vice-President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday despite her husband's infection with the virus, according to a spokesperson.
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, 57, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier on Tuesday, the spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Vice-President tested negative for COVID-19 today and will continue to test," the statement read.
Harris was scheduled to address an event at the White House on Tuesday evening but decided to skip it "out of an abundance of caution."
US President Joe Biden, speaking to a group of audience gathering in the East Room, said that he was told Emhoff is "feeling very well."
A series of prominent political figures in the United States, including former President Barack Obama, has contracted the virus recently, as states and cities are lifting restrictions.
The United States reported more than 79 million COVID-19 infections and about 966,000 deaths as of Tuesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Meanwhile, the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron was estimated to be 23.1 percent of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of March 12, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.
Scientists are tracking a rise in cases caused by BA.2, which is spreading rapidly in parts of Asia and Europe.
According to the CDC's data, the sub-variant now makes up 39 percent of total cases in regions including New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.
