23:57

Brazil suffers another day of record Covid death

Tom phillips

Brazil has suffered another day of record Covid losses with at least 1,910 new deaths reported in the crisis-stricken South American country.

On Wednesday evening, the National Council of Secretaries of State for Health said the deaths brought the country’s total death toll to 259,271, or about 10% of the global total. A record 1,726 deaths were reported on Tuesday.

The announcement came as hospitals across Brazil struggled to cope with a wave of new infections and criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the crisis escalated. Pot-bang protests are scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Earlier, Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly undermined containment measures and trivialized the coronavirus, defended his response to the public health calamity. He accused journalists of “causing panic” and unfairly blaming him for the rising death toll. “For the media, I am the virus,” said the far-right politician.

Political rivals have stepped up their attacks on Bolsonaro in recent days as the situation deteriorates. On Tuesday, center-right politician Eduardo Leite told reporters: “It is difficult to understand the spirit of Bolsonaro, even harder his heart because it is a matter of inhumanity, of contempt for life.”

“Leaders who flout public health guidelines and confuse people are killing them, I’m afraid. This is currently happening in Brazil, ”added Leite.











23:44

Covid death rates 10 times higher in countries where most adults are overweight

Sarah Boseley

Countries with high levels of overweight people, like UK and US, have the highest death rates from Covid-19, landmark report reveals, urging governments to urgently tackle the disease obesity, as well as prioritizing overweight people for vaccinations.

About 2.2 million of the 2.5 million deaths from Covid have occurred in countries with high overweight rates, the report says. World Obesity Federation. Countries like the UK, US and Italy, where more than 50% of adults are overweight, have the highest proportions of coronavirus-related deaths.

The problem is not just obesity, but the weight levels that many consider normal in many countries. Death rates are 10 times higher in those where more than half of adults had a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg / m2 – the time when normal weight switches to overweight.

Overweight people should be given a higher priority for vaccinations and testing because of their increased risk of death, says the World Obesity Federation:











23:34

summary

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan. I’m on it Twitter @helenrsullivan if you need me.

Coronavirus death rates are 10 times higher in those where more than half of adults had a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg / m2 – the time when normal weight switches to overweight, according to a news report. study. More on this shortly, in the meantime here are some other key recent developments.

  • 208,968 other vaccinations against Covid-19 were carried out in England, according to provisional data from NHS England, including first and second doses.
  • Police in China and South Africa seized thousands of fake doses of Covid-19 injections, adding that Interpol warned that this represented only the “tip of the iceberg” in vaccine-related crime.
  • São Paulo, BrazilThe country’s most populous state on Wednesday announced tough new measures to slow a snowballing coronavirus pandemic in the country with the second highest death toll in the world.
  • The Czech Republic and Slovakia, who have come under great pressure in recent weeks, will each receive 100,000 additional doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the EU.
  • Serbia is struggling to contain a wave of new cases triggered by more infectious strains and health experts have urged the government to impose another lockdown despite the massive rollout of vaccines in the country.
  • Greece extended its coronavirus lockdown until March 16, as it reported the highest number of new cases on record to date in 2021.
  • Estonia imposed new restrictions on restaurants and non-essential stores as part of efforts to tackle the rise in infections.
  • New infections fall in the United States, Canada and Mexico but the vaccinations barely started in Latin America, increasing the risk of emergence of new dangerous variants, said the Pan American Health Organization.
  • Indian Pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech said its Covid-19 vaccine is nearly 81% effective in preventing infection after interim Phase 3 trials.