In many places, there has been a drastic increase in the number of new daily deaths and infections associated with the delta variant of the coronavirus. The US state of Florida reported 2,345 additional Covid-19 deaths in its latest weekly report – the highest number for similar periods. New South Wales, one of Australia’s most populous states, has reported 1,533 new cases – albeit with a very high testing rate. Two US studies also revealed that due to the prevalence of the delta variant, young adults are more likely to be hospitalized due to the prevalence of the new mutation. However, a smaller percentage of children there required intensive care than with previous viral infections, Bloomberg wrote.
US President Joe Biden has reported that workers are still facing serious difficulties in combating the spread of the delta variable, so his administration is creating a fund through which healthcare and their researchers can be prepared for future pandemics. About $65 billion will be allocated to the project, roughly the same as the cost of the Apollo mission.
“There is a strong possibility of another serious pandemic early in the next decade, which could be worse than Covid-19,” Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science, Technology and Policy, told reporters. . He added that for the first time in the nation’s history, we have the opportunity – because of this kind of development in science and technology – not only to prepare for bad times, but also to develop our capabilities for more effective treatment.
The United States Office of Epidemiology (CDC) also reported in two studies that a higher proportion of hospital-acquired illnesses in children cause the spread of a new type of coronavirus. It was pointed out that although access to the vaccine has been opened to a larger number of young people, children under the age of 12 are not currently eligible for vaccination – so they and other unvaccinated people are at greater risk than their counterparts who have already been vaccinated.
(Featured photo: Children wearing masks arrive at a school in Zagreb on September 7, 2020. Photo: Denis Lovrovic/AFP)
