COVID digest: New Zealand to reopen for vaccinated travelers in April

New Zealand will allow fully vaccinated travelers to enter the country from April 30, the government announced on Wednesday.

The Pacific island nation has enforced some of the world’s strictest border restrictions since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

The country’s COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealanders stranded in Australia would be able to return home from mid-January, while nationals traveling from elsewhere would be allowed in a month later.

“We acknowledge it’s been tough, but the end of heavily restricted travel is now in sight,” Hipkins told reporters.

Foreigners will have to wait until the end of April to enter New Zealand under the blueprint for a phased reopening unveiled on Wednesday.

“A phased approach to reconnecting with the world is the safest approach to ensure risk is carefully managed,” Hipkins said. “This reduces any potential impacts on vulnerable communities and the New Zealand health system.”

Here are the latest major developments on coronavirus from around the world:

Europe

Germany reported 66,884 new infections and 335 deaths on Wednesday, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, the country’s public health authority. In total, more than 5.4 million cases have been registered and 99,768 people have died.

The seven-day incidence rate hit a new record of 404.5 on Wednesday. This is the first time the incidence rate — new infections per 100,000 people per week — has gone over 400 since the start of the pandemic.

The Netherlands reimposed its 1.5-meter social-distancing rule in some public spaces, designed to make it harder for people to spread the virus.

Those who violate this rule could be fined €95 euros ($107), the Ministry of Justice announced in The Hague on Tuesday.

The rule would not apply in restaurants and in the cultural sector since only those who show proof of vaccination, recovery from COVID-19, or a recent negative test are given entry.

The World Health Organization said about 700,000 more people could die of COVID-19 by next spring in Europe, which remains “in the firm grip” of the virus.

Asia

South Korea’s new daily infections exceeded 4,000 in a day for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said most of the new 4,116 cases reported on Wednesday came from the capital Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan region.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  Virus with a crown

  May we present: The coronavirus! This is how 10-year-old Andrej from Russia views SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and is behind the pandemic that’s had the world in its grip for almost two years now. The name for this virus family is derived from the Latin “corona” for crown. It was first used in 1968 and refers to the spike proteins on the virus’ surface.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  The real deal

  And this is what the novel coronavirus actually looks like. Each SARS-CoV-2 particle is about 80 nanometers in diameter. Each particle contains a ball of RNA, the virus’s genetic code. That is protected by spike protein, the protusions that gave the virus its name. SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the coronavirus family, which includes the viruses responsible for SARS and MERS. More on that later.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  An airborne virus

  SARS-CoV-2 particles are transferred through droplets and aerosols that a person emits when they breathe, cough or talk. That’s why face masks have become ubiquitous during the pandemic: Health authorities recommend citizens wear them to stop the spread of the virus. It can also be transmitted via contaminated surfaces.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  Entering human cells

  SARS-CoV-2 uses its spike proteins to bind with a protein on the surface of cells. That sets off chemical changes, which allow the virus’s RNA to enter the cell (green in this image). The virus then forces the cell to make copies of its RNA. A single cell can produce tens of thousands of new virus particles (purple in this image) like this, which then infect other healthy cells.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  New to humans

  Another electron microscope image of a cell (blue) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 particles (red). The virus behind our current pandemic isn’t too different from viruses like the ones causing the flu or common cold. But before 2019, human immune systems hadn’t seen this particular strain before, which is why no one had built up immunity.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  SARS-CoV: The first coronavirus outbreak of the 21st century

  The first time this century that humanity came in contact with a coronavirus was in China in 2002. In March 2003, the WHO issued a global alert warning of atypical pneumonia spreading quickly. SARS, or severe accute respiratory syndrome, spread to roughly 30 countries, but not all of these recorded deaths. The WHO declared the epidemic contained in July 2003.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  MERS-CoV, another coronavirus family member

  In 2012, researchers discovered MERS-CoV, a novel coronavirus, after genome sequencing of samples from people who had fallen ill with a new flu-like illness. This illness came to be known as MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome, after where the first outbreak occurred. It is less infectious than COVID-19. Transmission usually occurs among family members or in healthcare settings.

• COVID: SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in pictures

  HIV: The other pandemic

  The HI-virus (here in yellow), attacks the immune system, for examples T-cells (here in blue). Like SARS-CoV-2, it’s an RNA-based virus. If left untreated, it’ll weaken the immune system until it can’t fight infections anymore. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids like semen or blood. There’s no vaccine, but there’s medication that brings down the viral load and stops AIDS from breaking out.

  Author: Carla Bleiker

adi/msh (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/covid-digest-new-zealand-to-reopen-for-vaccinated-travelers-in-april/a-59914749?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf