Topic: COVID-19 Update from National medical Associations

July 23, 2022, Saturday; 9.30-10.15am

• India Update: The number of cases is still simmering with around 21,000 daily new cases. Deaths are around 60 per day. Cases are high in the southern states. Vaccination has taken a backseat. Four crores of eligible people are yet to take the first dose of the vaccine. Overall, 210 crore vaccine doses have been administered. There are no restrictions now; masks are not mandatory. Travel is open and there are no restrictions. Schools and educational institutions are open as usual. People are now living with Covid as the infection is mostly mild and more like an upper respiratory infection. Mortality is higher in those with comorbidities.
• Pakistan Update: There is an increase in Covid cases in the last two weeks. The number of daily deaths varies from 7-10 per day. The positivity rate has increased to 3%. There are critical cases in hospitals. SOPs for Covid are not being followed. The vaccination rate is now very low. Masking is voluntary. No restrictions on traveling; only the covid vaccination certificate (two primary doses + booster) is needed
• Australia Update: There is an outbreak of the Omicron BA.5 in the country. Masks are mandatory in schools. Masking is advised for others but is not compulsory. Hospital admissions are gradually rising. The fourth dose of the vaccine is now being given to people aged ≥30 years. Earlier it was only for those ≥65 years. Sixty percent have taken the third vaccine dose. All vaccine mandates have been removed. Overall, there is an increase in all the states, including Western Australia. People have been advised to work from home where possible. There is shortage of work force. People are now focusing more on quality of life. The unusually cold winter in the South and floods in the Eastern states are complicating the situation.
• South Africa Update: The number of new cases in the last 24 hours is around 300-400. The death rate is very low. Yesterday there was only one death. Deaths are more in patients with comorbid conditions. There are very few hospital admissions. Active cases are around 6000. The recovery rate is 97.3%. Vaccination rate is also very slow; 37 million have taken only the first dose. Uptake of the booster dose is very poor. Very few people now wear masks even in public places and government buildings. RT PCR is not required for travel. Only the Covid vaccination card is checked. 

Participants

Member National Medical Associations

Dr Wasiq Qazi, Pakistan, President-elect CMAAO

Dr Marthanda Pillai, India Member World Medical Council, Advisor CMAAO

Dr Akhtar Hussain, South Africa

Invitees

Dr Russell D’Souza, Australia UNESCO Chair in Bioethics

Dr Patricia La’Brooy

Dr EC Ng

Dr Kara Anne Tan

Dr S Sharma, Editor IJCP Group

Moderator

Mr Saurabh Aggarwal