Moscow, Jul 11 : With total cumulative number of COVID-19 cases at over 186 billion, the concern about the pandemic remains strong, even as some countries are easing restrictions.
STUDY FROM THAILAND
A Thai nurse, who worked with the coronavirus patients, contracted the virus and died despite having had two shots of the Sinovac vaccine, a doctor and professor with the Chulalongkorn University, Teerawat Hemachuta wrote on Facebook.
“We knew about cases when medical professionals who had had two doses of Sinovac got the coronavirus from patients, but, until now, they have had the disease in its mild form and none of them died from COVID-19,” Hemachuta said.
Last week the doctor sent the country’s ehalth ministry the results of his study, which was carried out with colleagues from the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. The study shows that Sinovac may offer insufficient protection against Delta variant of the coronavirus. Hemachuta and his colleagues suggested adding a booster shot of either astraZeneca or Pfizer to offer medical workers — who are particularly susceptible to getting infected — better protection.
SPUTNIK V SAFETY PROFILE
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine demonstrated a “strong safety profile” during a vaccination campaign in San Marino and a “high tolerability profile” in people aged 60 and older, in particular, The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said Sunday, citing the results of a study published by The Lancet.
The study was conducted from March 4 to April 8 this year among people in San Marino, who received one or two doses of Sputnik V. The findings were released via EClinicalMedicine, an open access clinical journal published by The Lancet.
TRAVEL
Japan’s municipalities will begin accepting applications for coronavirus vaccination passports starting July 26, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Sunday. The passport featuring the type of the vaccine and he date and location of the vaccination could help boost international travel.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring South Korea, Seoul and its suburbs will embark on a very strict lockdown starting on Monday. All rallies will be banned, pubs, bars, and club willl be shut down for the next two weeks. Restaurants, however, will be open, although with a curfew.
UNI/SPUTNIK
