View of mural in homage to health workers, by Brazilian artist Waldir Grisolia, at Clinicas Hospital, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 15, 2022.
(NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)
SAO PAULO / DAR ES SALAAM / SANTIAGO – Brazil reported 304 deaths and 44,154 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 657,102 and the total caseload to 29,617,266, the country's Ministry of Health reported Saturday.
Brazil has been struggling with the Omicron variant of the virus since the end of December, with a record number of infections in January, but since February, indicators such as deaths, hospitalizations and positive cases have been in sharp decline, according to official data.
Since February, indicators such as deaths, hospitalizations and positive cases have been in sharp decline, according to official data
For this reason, several regions are relaxing preventative measures, with Sao Paulo, the state most affected by the pandemic, removing this week mandatory mask requirements except on public transportation and in health centers.
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The daily moving average of deaths has been falling since Feb. 11 and stood at 308 on Saturday, while the daily moving average of infections was 38,162.
Experts say that mass vaccination against the disease has served as a barrier against the lethality of the Omicron variant.
About 158.8 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country and 72.2 million people have received a booster dose, according to official data.130 migrants feared drowned in Mediterranean, bodies found
Chile
Chile registered 12,357 COVID-19 cases and 101 related deaths in the last 24 hours, raising its total caseload to 3,381,681 and national death toll to 44,440, the Ministry of Health reported Saturday.
The ministry said that COVID-19 cases in Chile have fallen 38 percent in the last two weeks, after the country was hit by a wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant.
But experts have expressed concern about the high number of deaths primarily among the unvaccinated.
An elderly couple receive a BioNtech Pfizer COVID-19 jab as a booster in Santiago, on Feb 7, 2022. (JAVIER TORRES / AFP)
The ministry also said that the positivity rate of PCR tests reached 12.8 percent nationwide and 10.4 percent in the Santiago Metropolitan Region in the last day.
There are currently 58,084 active cases in Chile, with 795 patients hospitalized in intensive care units and 634 on ventilators, according to the health ministry.
Tanzania
Tanzanian health authorities have released an updated COVID-19 international travel advisory in which fully vaccinated travelers, including Tanzanians, returning residents and those in transit, will be exempted from COVID-19 test requirements.
"Travelers will be required to present a valid vaccination certificate with QR code for verification upon arrival," said the updated COVID-19 travel advisory released late Friday by the Ministry of Health.
The travel advisory that became effective from March 17 and signed by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Abel Makubi said the only accepted vaccines are those which have been approved by the government of Tanzania and the World Health Organization.
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The travel advisory said travelers who are not fully vaccinated, unvaccinated and those not eligible for vaccination due to their country's policy will be required to present a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR or NAAT certificate with QR code obtained within 72 hours before departure. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated or unvaccinated and have no negative COVID-19 RT-PCR certificate will be tested for COVID-19 using RT PCR test at their own cost of $100 for Tanzania mainland.
"Results will be sent to them while self-isolated," said the travel advisory, adding that travelers in transit by air transport are exempted from both vaccination and COVID-19 testing requirements unless stated otherwise by the conveyance to be used or countries of their final destinations.
It said all truck drivers including crew should hold a valid negative COVID-19 RT PCR or NAAT certificate obtained from an accredited national laboratory, adding that the validity of the certificate shall be 14 days only.
All truck drivers, including crew, will be subjected to enhanced health screening at points of entry and will either be isolated or quarantined at the designated facilities at their own cost if they are suspected of COVID-19 infection, said the travel advisory.
