The United States is the worst-hit nation, confirming over 33.6 million coronavirus cases and a death toll of 603,000. India is now showing a major decline in the number of new cases after record-high numbers last month and is the second-worst hit, with over 30 million COVID-19 infections and more than 394,000 deaths. Brazil rounds out the top three, with over 18 million cases and the second highest death toll in the world at around 512,000.
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A 66-year-old man died in Jordan shortly after the inoculation against COVID-19 with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Petra news agency reported on Sunday.
The man fainted ten minutes after he received the second vaccine dose at a vaccination center on the campus of the University of Jordan. The medical staff tried to save his life but failed. He reportedly got his first shot on 4 April.
Health Minister Firas Hawari was cited as saying that the man suffered from chronic diseases although he did not have any side effects after the first shot. He also said that the side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, such as blood clots, normally do not manifest any sooner than five days after the inoculation.
The Jordanian authorities launched a probe into the incident. An autopsy is underway to determine the causes of the death, according to the report.
Jordan started its vaccination campaign in January, having approved six vaccines, including those developed by Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson&Johnson as well as Russia's Sputnik V. To date, about 2.2 million people got the first shot, while 1.1 million underwent the full inoculation.
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - The Indian Ministry of Health said on Sunday it reached out to the eight states where the new Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus was detected, asking them to take urgent preventive measures against its further spread.
An Indian gene-sequencing consortium designated the new strain as a "variant of concern" this past week after some 20 cases were found, initially across three states. Scientists believe that the Delta Plus variant has a stronger binding function in lung cells and lower susceptibility to monoclonal antibodies.
"In its letter, the ministry recommended that immediate containment measures be taken in the areas where the new variant was detected, including the prevention of public crowding. The ministry also stands by widespread testing and rapid tracing as well as vaccination coverage on a priority basis", a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Such letters were sent to the states of Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The organisers of the Olympic Games in Japan plan to introduce harsher entry restrictions for athletes from certain countries starting next month, because of the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports.
The new restrictions will apply to those arriving from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives. Athletes from these countries, as well as those accompanying them, will have to take coronavirus tests daily for a week prior to arrival in Japan, as well as for three days after their arrival.
