Polish medics demand better pay as 4th Covid wave looms – latest updates

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Polish medics march to demand better pay and health system reforms

Thousands of Poland's healthcare workers have staged a protest in Warsaw, demanding better pay and conditions as the country braces for a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many medical staff say coronavirus has laid bare failings in the country's health system and that careers in the sector are not attractive due to low wages and high levels of stress.

Their demands include higher wages, hiring more administrative and support staff and steps to protect against physical and verbal aggression.

Turkey administers over 101.45M vaccine jabs

Turkey has administered over 101.45 million coronavirus vaccine jabs since the country launched an immunisation campaign in January, official figures showed.

The health ministry also reported 22,923 new coronavirus cases, while as many as 259 more people lost their fight against the disease in the past 24 hours.

UK records 156 more deaths

Britain has recorded 156 new deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test. There were 29,547 news cases of the virus.

South Africa's regulator approves Pfizer shot for children 12 and up

South Africa's health regulator has approved Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for use by children aged 12 and older, paving the way for the government to offer vaccinations to teenagers.

The South African Health Products Authority said the decision came after a review of updated safety and efficacy information submitted in March this year.

South Africa has a large youth population, with some 28 percent under the age of 15.

Covid infections spread through gorillas at Atlanta zoo 

Atlanta's zoo says at least 13 western lowland gorillas have tested positive for Covid-19, including 60-year-old Ozzie, the oldest male gorilla in captivity.

Zoo Atlanta said that employees noticed the gorillas had been coughing, had runny noses and showed changes in appetite. 

A veterinary lab at the University of Georgia returned positive tests for the respiratory illness. 

Zoo Atlanta says it’s waiting on confirmation from the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa.

The zoo says it is treating the gorillas at risk of developing complications from SARS-CoV-2 with monoclonal antibodies. 

The zoo is also testing all 20 of its gorillas, who live in four troops.

China reports 25 new cases

China has reported 25 new Covid-19 cases on the mainland for Sept. 10, up from 17 a day earlier, the national health authority said.

One of the new infections was locally transmitted while the rest were imported, the National Health Commission said.

Italy sees 57 deaths, 5,193 new cases

Italy reported 57 coronavirus-related deaths against 62 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections stood at 5,193, against 5,621 on the day before.

'Yellow vests' protest health pass in Paris to return to a normal life

Demonstrators have protested against the health pass in Paris demanding a return to "normal life" with the repeal of the health pass. 

Hundreds of people responded to the call for a march from the Place de Breteuil during the ninth mobilisation against government measures to fight the epidemic of Covid-19.

Russia adds 796 more deaths

Russia has reported 796 additional fatalities from Covid-19 and 18,891 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to official data.

China administers over 2B doses

China has administered a total of 2.14 doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Sept. 10, data from the country's National Health Commission showed on Saturday.

The country also reported 25 new cases on the mainland for Sept. 10.

Philippines sees record cases

The Philippines has reported a record 26,303 daily coronavirus cases.

The health ministry said confirmed cases rose to 2.206 million, while deaths rose by 79 to 34,978.

Cases in Australia's Victoria state hit 13-month high

Australia's Victoria state, the country's second-most populous, has reported the biggest one-day rise in locally acquired Covid-19 cases in more than a year.

Victoria state said it detected 450 locally acquired Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest one-day rise since August 8, 2020.

Queensland state said five new Covid-19 cases were detected in the past 24 hours, stoking fears Australia's third-largest state could be next to be swamped by new infections.

The rise in cases sees Australia's two largest states and its capital in strict lockdown as authorities seek to curtail infections while racing to vaccinate as many people as possible.

US CDC: Vaccines hold up against severe Delta

Fully vaccinated people were 11 times less likely to die of Covid and 10 times less likely to be hospitalised compared to the unvaccinated since highly contagious Delta became the most common variant, US health authorities said.

The data came from one of three new papers published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all of which underscored Covid vaccines' ongoing effectiveness against severe outcomes.

For reasons that are not yet well understood, data from one of the studies suggests Moderna's vaccine has offered a slightly higher level of protection in the Delta period.

Brazil registers 672 deaths

Brazil has registered 672 coronavirus deaths and 15,930 additional coronavirus cases, according to data released by the nation's Health Ministry.

The South American country has now registered a total of 585,846 coronavirus deaths and 20,974,829 confirmed cases. 

Mexico reports 699 deaths

Mexico's health ministry has reported 14,233 new, confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 699 deaths, bringing the overall number of infections since the pandemic began to 3,494,232 and the death toll to 266,849.