Posts

Brazil health service in 'worst crisis in its history'

-
  Brazil is experiencing a historic collapse of its health service as intensive care units in hospitals run out of capacity, its leading health institute, Fiocruz, has warned. Covid-19 units in all but two of Brazil's 27 states are at or above 80% capacity, according to Fiocruz. In Rio Grande do Sul state there are no intensive care beds available at all. The warning came as the country registered its highest daily death toll yet with 2,841 dying within 24 hours. That drew a strong response from João Gabbardo, the head of Sao Paulo's Covid-19 emergency body. Posting on Twitter, Mr Gabbardo said private hospitals had been requesting space in the public health system because of the demand for intensive care beds. "When he [Queiroga] takes over, he will face the worst numbers in the pandemic," Mr Gabbardo tweeted, adding: "Suggestion: do not take a stand against a national lockdown." President Bolsonaro has consistently played down the dangers of the pandemic -
Post a Comment
Read more

India coronavirus: Can its vaccine producers meet demand?

-
 India, one of the world's largest producers of coronavirus vaccines, is struggling to meet its export commitments.Its largest manufacturer says doses intended for the UK could be held up, and a big order to supply Nepal has also been put on hold. Why the shortfall? The Serum Institute of India (SII) - which produces Novavax and AstraZeneca vaccines - recently raised concerns about raw material shortages.Its chief executive, Adar Poonawalla, attributed this to US export bans on specific items needed to make vaccines, such as specialised bags and filters. The firm said it has also faced difficulties importing cell culture media, single-use tubing and specialised chemicals from the US."The sharing of these...raw materials is going to become a critical limiting factor — nobody has been able to address this so far," said Mr Poonawalla.The SII has written to the Indian government asking it to intervene to ensure the uninterrupted manufacture and supply of vaccines globally. An
Post a Comment
Read more