Covid-19 variant first detected in India now in the UK
From CNN's Katya Krebs
There are currently 77 positive cases of the new Covid-19 variant that was first detected in India in the UK, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.
There are 73 cases in England and four in Scotland, a PHE spokesperson told CNN.
The B.1.617 variant includes a number of mutations. The Indian Health Ministry has said that such mutations increase infectivity and aids in escaping immune response. The variant has been designated a Variant Under Investigation by PHE. Enhanced contact tracing and all appropriate measures will be undertaken, it added.
Currently, the UK variant – B.1.1.7 – is the dominant strain in the country with 209,492 confirmed cases. The percentage of people testing positive in the country however is dropping , the Office of National Statistics said on Friday.
8:48 a.m. ET, April 16, 2021
Australia blood clot death linked to AstraZeneca vaccine
From CNN's Angus Watson
A nurse holds an AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine vial on March 23 in Sydney. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Australia’s drug regulator linked the recent death of a 48-year-old woman to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
The woman, who suffered from a low platelet count, died of thrombosis four days after receiving the vaccine on April 8, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said in a statement Friday.
The woman is the third Australian to have suffered an extensive thromboembolic event and thrombocytopenia (TTS) after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The other two patients are recovering in hospital, according to the TGA statement.
As of Friday, Australia has administered at least 885,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and stressed that the risk of these types of blood clots "are small."
"There have been at least 885,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine administered in Australia to date, so while numbers are small, 3 (three) cases of TTS equates to a frequency of 1 in 295,000. The UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has concluded from its review of cases reported in the UK that the overall risk of these rare blood clots was approximately 1 in 250,000 who receive the vaccine," the statement said. "The TGA is carefully reviewing all Australian reports of blood clots following the AstraZeneca vaccine, and are requesting further information from reporters where needed, to identify any further possible cases of TTS."
Last week Australia announced that people under 50 would not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine except in cases “where benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual's circumstances.”
7:52 a.m. ET, April 16, 2021
5 Colombian cities reimpose lockdowns and quarantines after drastic surge in cases
From CNN’s Tatiana Arias in Atlanta and Kiarinna Parisi in Miami
A near empty Plaza de Bolivar is seen during a reinstated lockdown in downtown Bogota, Colombia, on April 10. Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images
Five of Colombia’s major cities have reimposed restrictions to fight a recent surge of Covid-19 cases.
The capital, Bogota, as well as Cali, Medellin, Barranquilla and Santa Marta are implementing city-wide quarantines for several days.
Cali's ICU occupancy is up to 91.5%, said the Public Health Secretariat on Thursday, as the mayor announced a city-wide lockdown.
Bogota declared a red alert on Wednesday, after the city’s ICU occupancy rate reached 77%. Bogota’s Mayor Claudia Lopez announced a weekend-long city-wide quarantine. saying the city is now facing a third wave of cases.
“We are facing the third wave, the most aggressive since the Covid-19 pandemic began,” Lopez wrote on her official Twitter account.
Medellin reported an ICU occupancy rate of 97% on Thursday. According to a government statement earlier this week, Medellin has the most intensive care units in the country.
The country's cases have been steadily increasing since March, with a total of more than 2.6 million cases and 67,000 related deaths since the pandemic began.
2:55 a.m. ET, April 16, 2021
India records highest single-day new cases so far, as it struggles with mass Hindu pilgrimage
A health official takes a swab sample from a man to test for Covid-19 at a testing centre in Allahabad, India, on April 12. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images
India reported 217,353 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, marking the country's highest single-day case count for the third consecutive day, according to data from the Indian Ministry of Health.
The ministry also reported 1,185 additional deaths. That raises the country's total to more than 14.2 million cases and 174,000 related deaths.
Kumbh Mela: This comes as millions of Hindus from around the country flock to the city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand state for the Kumbh Mela religious festival, the world's largest pilgrimage.
During the festival, which lasts throughout April, huge crowds gather to hold prayers together, attend ceremonies and take holy dips in the Ganges River. At least four million people bathed in the Ganges on April 12 and April 14 combined, two auspicious dates of the festival.
Cases have spiked in Haridwar, proving experts' worst fears that the festival poses a huge Covid risk. Since the festival began on April 1, Haridwar has reported 4,349 cases -- that's about 500 to 600 cases a day, according to the state health department.
New restrictions: In response to the rising cases, the Uttarakhand government imposed new restrictions on Thursday, including a statewide curfew and cap on public gatherings.
The Kumbh Mela is exempted from these latest restrictions -- but guidelines remain in place, including the requirement that all devotees register their health details online and provide negative Covid tests.
At least one religious group attending the festival, the Niranjani Akhada, has asked those from out of state to pull back amid the rise in cases.
“We have told all the people who have come from Gujarat, Maharashtra, etc., to return home because the situation in Haridwar is not in control," said Ravindra Puri, secretary of the Niranjani Akhada, on Thursday.
2:51 a.m. ET, April 16, 2021
Countries across Southeast Asia see surging cases and new restrictions
From CNN’s Yong Xiong and Taylor Barnes
A number of countries across Southeast Asia are battling a rise in Covid-19 cases, prompting new lockdown measures and extended travel restrictions.
Cambodia reported 344 new cases on Friday, mostly around the capital Phnom Penh, according to the official Agence Kampuchea Presse. Residents in the capital and a satellite district are under lockdown for 14 days, banned from leaving home except to go to work, to buy food or for medical treatment.
The Philippines reported 11,429 new cases and 148 new deaths on Thursday, according to the official Philippines News Agency (PNA). The country's cases began rising in late February, leading the government to reintroduce curfews in Manila and surrounding provinces.
The country has made some progress in securing international vaccines; this week, it announced it would sign a supply agreement with Russia for 20 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, according to PNA.
Malaysia reported 2,148 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the country’s highest daily total since early March, according to state news agency Bernama. The health ministry has proposed retaining a ban on interstate travel through the Ramadan period.
Indonesia’s death toll topped 43,000 on Thursday, and its total case count is nearing 1.6 million. More than 5.7 million Indonesians have been fully vaccinated and 10.5 million have received at least one dose, according to the Antara news agency.
