China reports 101 new COVID-19 cases, the highest in a single day in three months. India sees an increase of 500,000 cases in 12 days, while Austria and Vietnam also report rising infections, prompting many cities worldwide to lock down businesses once again to prevent the spread.

Yesterday (July 29), China reported 101 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the highest daily count in three months. Of these, 98 were domestic infections, primarily in the Xinjiang region in the northwest, where clusters of cases have surged after the first case was detected a few days ago, prompting authorities to conduct mass testing and implement control measures.

The last time China reported a significant number of new cases was on April 13, with 108 cases, mostly from overseas.

Currently, authorities are focusing on a cluster that emerged last week at a food processing plant in Dalian, Liaoning province in the northeast, where workers handled contaminated seafood packages imported from abroad.

Last week, Dalian confirmed 52 cases, of which 30 were workers at the plant.

Zhao Lian, head of the Dalian Health Committee, announced that over 3 million residents have been tested, and public places such as libraries, gyms, bars, museums, restaurants, and spas have been closed.

During a visit to Dalian this week, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan urged local authorities to increase inspections of imported goods and people leaving Dalian.

After COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing in June, where over 300 people were infected, Dalian implemented similar virus control measures, designating target areas based on risk levels.

Meanwhile, Vietnam, which had been virus-free for several months, is preparing for a new outbreak after state media reported new cases in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Central Highlands linked to the recent outbreak in Da Nang, a popular tourist destination in central Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stated via Vietnamese television that the current infections differ from the second wave in March, and all provinces and cities are at risk.

Vietnam has a centralized quarantine program and an active contact tracing system, managing to keep the total number of infections to only 446, despite sharing a border with China. With a population of over 95 million, Vietnam is the most populous country in the world without any COVID-19 deaths until the recent community outbreak from Da Nang.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister has warned tourism centers nationwide to enhance surveillance measures and to strictly lock down Da Nang.

In Hanoi, a pizza shop worker who recently returned from Da Nang tested positive for COVID-19, prompting authorities to close the shop for disinfection, while the Ministry of Health has yet to confirm new cases.

Yesterday, Vietnam repatriated 120 construction workers from Equatorial Guinea in West Africa, all of whom must enter a hospital outside Hanoi.

In Australia, authorities have deployed military personnel and emergency medical teams, typically used in disaster areas, to nursing homes in Melbourne to help contain the country's worst outbreak, with 804 cases linked to these facilities.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed significant concern about the situation in 13 nursing homes in Victoria, with Melbourne as the capital.

In India, the number of infections has surpassed 1.5 million, with nearly 35,000 deaths. Despite the surge and the need for additional lockdowns in several areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated this week that India is doing better than other countries and has received international praise.

The Ministry of Health's website no longer reports total case numbers, as the government is focusing more on recovery rates. Yesterday, nearly 50,000 new cases were reported, with an additional 768 deaths.

India, home to some of the world's most densely populated cities and one of the lowest per capita healthcare expenditures, recently surpassed 1 million cases just 12 days ago. However, many experts say that India is still not testing enough, and numerous COVID-19 deaths are unreported.

Regarding vaccine progress, Pfizer Inc. stated that other developed countries will need to pay the same price for vaccines as the contracts made with the United States.

The U.S. government has agreed to pay nearly $2 billion to purchase COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech SE, a German company, to vaccinate 50 million people at a cost of $39 per two-dose treatment.

Pfizer executives anticipate that people will need to be vaccinated continuously for several years to maintain global herd immunity, as immunity may wane if the virus mutates.

SOURCE : www.bangkokbiznews.com