In this file photo taken on Jan 14, 2022, an indigenous girl receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, at the Clinicas hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)
OTTAWA / LONDON / BRUSSELS / ADDIS ABABA / WASHINGTON / PARIS / MEXICO CITY – The Pan American Health Organization on Wednesday said COVID-19 cases fell by 26 percent across the Americas last week while deaths from the virus dropped by nearly 19 percent, but cautioned that some effective measures to curb infections should be maintained.
The region recorded 1.1 million new infections during the period with 18,000 COVID-19-related deaths.
The region recorded 1.1 million new infections during the period with 18,000 COVID-19-related deaths
"We all want the pandemic to be over, but optimism alone cannot control the virus. It is too soon to lower our guard," PAHO director Carissa Etienne said.
Etienne also noted that the number of reported cases in countries may not reflect the actual figure due to a possible reduction in testing.
"There are still some countries and territories reporting increases associated with the latest COVID-19 surge," she said.
The PAHO chief pointed out that it has been two years since the beginning of the pandemic, just before COVID-19 transmission became widespread in the Americas.
Since then, at least 6 six million people have died around the world, with the Americas accounting for almost half of the deaths, including nearly 965,000 in the United States.
Nurses administer jabs as Angolans queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Luanda on Oct 1, 2021. (OSVALDO SILVA / AFP)
Africa
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 11,252,065 cases as of Wednesday evening, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
The specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) said the death toll across the continent stands at 249,806 and some 10,513,589 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya are among the countries with the most cases on the continent, said Africa CDC.
South Africa has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Africa with 3,685,120 cases, followed by the northern African country Morocco with 1,161,698 cases as of Wednesday evening, it said.
In terms of the caseload, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the continent, while central Africa is the least affected region, according to the Africa CDC.
A medical staff member assists a patient infected by COVID-19 at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Centre Hospitalier Regional de la Citadelle in Liege on Dec 21, 2021. (JOHN THYS / AFP)
Belgium
Belgium is set to lift the test or quarantine requirement for people who come in contact with someone with COVID-19 from March 17, the country's health ministers decided on Wednesday.
However, a daily self-test and the wearing of face masks for at least seven days after the high-risk contact are still strongly recommended.
Those who show symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested and isolate themselves if they test positive, the ministers said.
Belgium switched to code yellow on its coronavirus barometer on March 4 as the country's epidemiological situation was deemed favorable.
At their meeting on Wednesday, the ministers also discussed prolonging the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and rolling out a second booster dose next autumn, starting with nursing home residents and people above the age of 75.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the country has increased by three percent since last week to 2,007. Of them, 197 are in intensive care.
Since the start of the pandemic, Belgium has recorded 3,609,122 confirmed coronavirus infections and 30,313 deaths.
Canada
COVID-19 public health restrictions, including mask mandates, will continue being lifted across Canada in the coming weeks as Ontario's chief medical officer of health confirmed Wednesday the province will drop its mask mandate on March 21.
CTV updated Wednesday that Canada, with a population of 37 million, recorded its national COVID-19 caseload of 3,341,487 with 37,134 related deaths
Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario, the province with the largest population in Canada, said in a statement that the government will remove the mandatory masking requirement for most settings on that day, with the exception of select settings such as public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and congregate care settings.
"With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been able to cautiously and gradually move through its reopening milestones," he said. "While this does not signal that COVID-19 has disappeared or that the pandemic is over, it does mean that we have come to a place where we know what we need to do to manage this virus and to keep each other safe."
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Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Friday that federal agencies overseeing masking mandates in Canada for things like domestic travel were evaluating the situation and could make policy adjustments as needed in the coming days and weeks.
COVID-19 public health restrictions are also being lifted in other provinces. Alberta lifted almost all COVID-19 restrictions on March 1. Saskatchewan lifted mask mandate on March 1. Manitoba and Quebec will follow suit soon.
CTV updated Wednesday that Canada, with a population of 37 million, recorded its national COVID-19 caseload of 3,341,487 with 37,134 related deaths.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic will drop most mask requirements, except for on public transport or in health or social care facilities, from March 14, as it winds down COVID-19 restrictions, Health Minister Vlastimil Valek said on Wednesday.
France
The French government will lift on March 14 the health protocol at workplace, Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne announced on Tuesday.
The wearing of masks inside the working space will not be mandatory and the physical distance will be lifted, she said, cited by French newspaper Le Figaro.
She added that employees who still want to wear the mask at work will not be opposed by the employer as "the virus continues to circulate."
In this file photo a bottle reading "Vaccine COVID-19" next to US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech logos is viewed on Nov 23, 2020. (JOEL SAGET / AFP)
Pfizer
Pfizer said on Wednesday it has begun a mid-to-late-stage study of its antiviral COVID-19 pill for non-hospitalized children aged 6-17 years who are at high risk of developing severe illness.
Pfizer's Paxlovid pill is authorized for emergency use in the United States for kids 12 years or older and high-risk adults. But there are no oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 authorized in the United States for younger children.
The drugmaker plans to enroll 140 children in the study across two groups of 6- to 17-year-olds, with one group including those at least 40 kilograms in weight and the other weighing between 20 kgs and 40 kgs.
People wear face masks as they walk, in Regent Street, in London on Nov 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
UK
COVID-19 cases were rising among the over-55s in England, a study found on Thursday, with increased social contact, waning of booster protection and a more contagious subvariant of Omicron possibly driving an increase in hospitalizations.
The Imperial College London REACT study, conducted from Feb. 8 to March 1, found that COVID-19 prevalence was 2.88 percent, compared to 4.41 percent in January.
But while prevalence fell in under-17s and 18-54-year-olds during February, for those 55 and older, it was estimated to have increased over the month.
A medical worker prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster to be given to children 12-15 years old at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on Jan 6, 2022. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP)
US
US researchers are conducting a clinical trial designed to help understand rare but potentially serious systemic allergic reactions to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, the US National Institutes of Health announced on Wednesday.
The single-site trial will enroll up to 100 people aged 16 to 69 years who had an allergic reaction to a first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.
Study participants will receive a second dose of vaccine as inpatients under carefully controlled conditions at the NIH's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
At admission and during the inpatient stay, participants will have breathing tests and frequent blood draws, which will be used by medical staff to discern details of any allergic or other responses to the vaccine.
The enrollees will also complete mental health questionnaires prior to, at the time of, and in the months following vaccination, according to the NIH.
"People who experienced an allergic reaction after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine may be hesitant to complete their vaccine regimen," said Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"This study will help us determine if individuals who experienced moderate systemic allergic reactions can safely receive a second dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine," he said.
