Chengdu's 21 million residents are still in lockdown – with no end in sight.
As much of the world starts to think about the pandemic in the past tense, China is showing no signs of easing its zero-Covid policy. The Chinese mega city of Chengdu extended its Covid lockdown for a second time last week, with no end in sight for its 21 million residents. Mass daily testing will continue as the authorities try to stamp out infection. The capital of the southwestern Sichuan province is the largest Chinese metropolis to come to a standstill since Shanghai's two-month lockdown in the spring. The beleaguered province has endured record heatwaves and power cuts this summer and a 6.6-magnitude earthquake last week. Some of its residents are getting increasingly desperate, especially after some districts banned online delivery of "non-daily necessities," including tea and coffee. Posts circulating on social media show people trapped in apartment complexes pleading for food, with some claiming they have been starving for three days. The situation is very different in New Zealand, another country that took drastic steps to limit the spread of the virus in the past. Now that the number of cases has fallen and with a "well vaccinated" population, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared it was "time to safely turn the page" on restrictions. The government announced on Monday that its mask and vaccine mandates would be dropped and people arriving in the country would no longer be required to take a test. Meanwhile, more evidence is emerging of the impact of the pandemic on people's mental health. New data published last week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed nearly one in four young adults received mental health treatment in 2021. The World Health Organization previously warned of a "massive" increase in people suffering from anxiety and depression globally, which spiked during the pandemic. |
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Global Cases 609,875,865
Global Deaths 6,518,174
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| US Cases 95,388,380 US Deaths 1,051,303 |
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Source: Johns Hopkins University |
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Q Do I need the flu shot as well as the Covid booster or is one of them enough? A Fall and winter are around the corner and US public health officials are encouraging people to get their seasonal shots. This year, this means you should get your flu shot, but also – if you are eligible – your updated Covid-19 booster.
It is crucial to get both vaccines, as they each target a different virus.
"The Covid vaccine will not protect against flu. The flu vaccine will not protect against Covid," said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He said that it's important to get your Covid booster as soon as you are eligible. A single dose of the updated Covid-19 booster is recommended at least two months after the initial vaccine series or your most recent booster.
As for the flu shot, the recommended timing of vaccination for this flu season is similar to last season, according to the CDC's website. "For most people who need only one dose for the season, September and October are generally good times to get vaccinated," according to the CDC. |
Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you're facing: +1 347-322-0415.
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When the pandemic began, people around the world desperately looked for ways to increase their protection against the disease. During the early days, physicians on the front lines began noticing people with lower levels of vitamin D appeared to have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19. Suddenly, the internet was flooded with speculation that taking supplemental doses of vitamin D – even if not needed – would prevent the coronavirus from taking hold. However, two new large clinical trials have shown vitamin D supplements aren't likely to prevent infection, even if a person's levels of the vitamin are low. "We can be completely sure that vaccination is way more effective than vitamin D which probably does not prevent COVID-19 at all," said the author of one of the new studies, Dr. Arne Søraas, a researcher in the department of microbiology at Oslo University Hospital in Norway. |
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CORONAVIRUS: FACT vs FICTION |
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