Contagions on the rise, wrong tampons and lockdowns. Covid creates new problems for Russia, UK and New Zealand
A thousand deaths a day in Russia, fears of false negative swabs in the UK and New Zealand struggling with the Delta variant since August, this is how Covid is moving to the four corners of the Earth. All the latest news in Russia, the UK and New Zealand. RECORD OF CASES IN RUSSIA
In Russia, the data on infections worsen day by day. According to news agency Tass, yesterday’s record of 34,303 new cases in 24 hours was broken today when 34,325 were registered. There have been 998 new deaths and for days now it has hardly fallen below this figure; in total, 222,315 have been registered in the country since the start of the pandemic.THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF KREMLIN
The main causes of these new peaks are restrictive measures that are often ignored and the small number of people vaccinated. Only one third of adult citizens received at least one dose.
The Kremlin, however, insists on not imposing stricter rules so as not to damage the economy and blames citizens who do not want to get vaccinated. The government believes it has “done everything possible to enable anyone to get immunized,” spokesman Dmitri Peskov said. However, there are still many Russians who do not trust Covid vaccines. In fact, according to various independent surveys, more than half of the population has no intention of being vaccinated. THE UK’S BACK STEPS
The United Kingdom, according to data from the National Statistics Office, has registered over 40,000 cases of Covid for the fourth consecutive day. A figure that takes months back, as Reuters recalls. The country, in fact, at this rate is approaching the peak marked during the second wave of the pandemic last winter. FALSE NEGATIVE ALARM
Particularly disturbing is the news reported by the Guardian according to which as many as 43,000 people, between 8 September and 12 October, may have received false negative results for molecular swabs (PCR test). This, explained the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), means that despite having the infection, the swab gave a negative result.
The National Health System (NHS), the UK’s National Health System, suspended Immensa Health Clinic’s testing operations at its Wolverhampton laboratory after some people who previously tested positive with rapid tests received a negative result after taking subjected to a molecular swab.
“There is no proof of failure in rapid tests or flaws in swab kits – assured UKHSA’s Dr Will Welfare – and people should continue to have faith in both types of tests and in other laboratories in the country. “. Meanwhile, health authorities are calling back all people with suspected false negative swabs, and their close contacts as well, to perform a new test. NEW ZEALAND: NIGHTMARE VARIANT DELTA
The Delta variant gives New Zealand no respite. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, according to Reuters, announced today that the lockdown will be extended for another two weeks in the city of Auckland.
The decision was taken following the persistence of an outbreak that began in mid-August and which has since spread not only to the entire metropolis, but also to neighboring regions with a total of 2,005 cases. The city, which has 1.7 million inhabitants, is therefore now in confinement for over two months.
New Zealand was among the few countries to hit zero Covid cases last year. Then the outbreak of the Delta variant in August thwarted efforts to eliminate the transmission. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, since the beginning of the pandemic, the country has recorded 5,056 infections, including 28 deaths.
