Tag Archives: puncture

The 48-year-old woman died four days after receiving the AstraZeneca injection. Photo / Getty Images

A new report from the Therapeutic Goods Administration describes the death of a 48-year-old Australian woman, who died four days after receiving an AstraZeneca injection.

A review conducted by the Vaccine Safety Investigation Group said a woman from the NSW Central Coast suffered from a widespread thromboembolic event that resulted in blood clots in an artery and vein and later died in hospital. The ABC has identified the woman as 48-year-old Genene Norris.

Norris is Australia’s third case of freezing after the launch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been given more than 885,000 times across Australia. The first two cases are currently recovering in hospital.

A statement issued by the family said the 48-year-old was “a lovable, loving and happy character”.

“Everyone who knows Genene talks about his fun and happy character, and his sense of service to those around him. Genene’s devotion to our family is deep and brings him a lot of joy,” reads a statement from the Norris family.

“His death left a gaping void in our family. We can’t believe that this time last week he was with us and now he’s gone.

“We would like to thank the medical staff who have done all they can to save Genene. Right now, we know as much as the public knows because further medical investigations need to be carried out.

“We thank you for your understanding and respect for our privacy as we mourn our immense loss.”

Experts said the review was “complicated by the patient’s underlying medical conditions, including diabetes, several other medical conditions as well as some atypical features”.

“The overall number of reports received for blood clots after vaccination has so far been no higher than the background levels expected for a more common type of blood clotting in Australia,” the review, released on Friday evening, stated.

“This can happen to about 50 Australians every day apart from vaccination and is not associated with the very rare TTS clotting disorder.”

Professor John Skerritt of the Therapeutic Good Association said conditions that put people at risk for a thromboembolic reaction are extremely rare, at a rate of one in 300,000 in Australia.

“Obviously, we cannot explain too many issues related to the clinical condition of the woman for reasons of personal privacy,” she told a news conference Saturday.

“As the minister indicated, he was isolated before the government decision and announcement that the Pfizer vaccine was preferred over 50.

“There are antibodies that usually cause platelets to drop in numbers. These antibodies were gone in (Norris) ‘s case. It is an unusual case and this problem is being examined further.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the news should not deter Australians from getting a vaccine, reminding the nation of a “fortunate position” compared to other regions of the world.

“To see the global number of cases rise above 800,000 on some days and 700,000 on the current few days reminds us that we are in a safe and fortunate position that cannot be considered or guaranteed and that is why vaccination remains so important and we have in place of advice. medical and safety above all else, “he said.

Experts in this field have been quick to respond to the growing fear of vaccine side effects.

Professor of Infectious Diseases at Australian National University Sanjaya Senanayake called for calm, saying the relatively low risk of freezing shouldn’t be a barrier to not taking the vaccine at this stage.

“At this stage we haven’t found any pre-existing conditions that could be associated with the risk of freezing,” said Senanayake. ABC News Saturday morning.

“The short answer is no. Things may change within a week. At this stage we haven’t made recommendations for people who have received prior clotting to avoid vaccines.”

By comparison, Europe has recorded 86 cases of freezing from more than 25 million vaccinations.

Senanayake also cited the fact that Covid-19 “often causes freezing” at a much higher rate than currently recorded from vaccines.

“The government points to a study from the University of Oxford which showed that Covid-19 also causes frequent freezes. In fact, the chances of freezing are much higher than what we know than the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 50 years of age. Does that change the calculations at all? “he continued.

“If you are in the ICU for Covid, you have a one in four chance of developing a freeze.”

Dr. Daniel Gregson, associate professor at the University of Calgary School of Medicine, said most people were “much better off with the vaccine” but suggested bringing AstraZeneca’s age down to as low as 35.

“Of course based on risk, most people are much better off with vaccines,” Dr. Gregson said Yahoo News.

“You could easily drop it down to 45, if not 35.”

Australia will not provide the AstraZeneca vaccine to most people under 50 following confirmation of a “rare but serious risk” of fatal blood clots, the Prime Minister confirmed last week.

If possible, under 50s will only get the Pfizer vaccine.

The change in advice follows a number of blood clots that occur in a smaller number of younger people after receiving the vaccine.

“The use of the Pfizer vaccine is preferred over the AstraZeneca vaccine in adults less than 50 years of age who have not received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly said in a flash.

VSIG recommends that people seek medical attention immediately if, a few days after vaccination, they experience symptoms such as:

Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision
Shortness of breath, chest pain, swollen legs or persistent stomach pain,
Unusual bruising and / or round spots outside the injection site.

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Brazil

Brazil’s Covid deaths hit a new monthly record as France tightened restrictions | Instant News

April 1, 2021 NewsDesk

That Covid-19 The death toll jumped out of control in Brazil in March, more than double the country’s previous monthly record, officials said Wednesday, as President of France. Emmanuel Macron announced a limited national lock.

In a sign of the devastation caused by the virus as the world races to launch a vaccine, Brazil reports 66,573 people have died from Covid-19 in March – more than double that. many casualties as the month of the country’s second deadliest pandemic, July 2020.

France has meanwhile become the latest European country to succumb to a very high case of the coronavirus, despite Macron’s repeated promises not to re-enforce national lockdowns.

The virus has killed more than 2.8 million people since emerging in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. And although the world is looking for a vaccine to end the upheaval that Covid-19 has brought, its rollout has begun swiftly in many countries. .

That includes Brazil, where health experts say the explosion of cases has been driven in part by a local variant of the virus known as P1, which can re-infect people who have the original strain and are believed to be more contagious.

“Never in Brazilian history have we seen a single incident kill so many people” in one month, said doctor Miguel Nicolelis, a former pandemic response coordinator for Brazil’s impoverished northeast.

With winter approaching in the southern hemisphere and the virus spreading rapidly, Brazil is facing “the perfect storm,” he told AFP.

“It is a threat not only to Brazil but also to the whole world.”

The surge in Brazil has overwhelmed hospitals and forced doctors to make painful decisions about who should provide life-saving care – prioritizing those most likely to survive.

“We are in a very tragic situation,” said epidemiologist Ethel Maciel.

In France, daily cases have more than doubled to around 40,000, and hospitals are overflowing in flashpoints such as Paris.

That ultimately forced Macron to back down and reimpose national restrictions he rejected in January.

“We got weeks of precious freedom,” he said in a national speech, but current action is “too limited at a time when the epidemic is accelerating”.

The existing limited lockdown in regions including Paris will be extended across the country from Saturday evening over the next four weeks, he said.

Schools will be closed for three or four weeks depending on age level – two of which are spring break.

In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi has meanwhile extended restrictions to April 30, including the closure of restaurants and businesses.

And the Japanese minister in charge of the coronavirus response announced plans Thursday to designate sections of three regions – Osaka, Hyogo and Miyagi – for special virus countermeasures from April 5 to May 5.

The move, which would allow local officials to close businesses early or face fines, came with increasing infections in three regions even as the Olympic torch crossed the country before the pending Olympics opened on July 23.

On the bright side, the number of vaccines available could increase.

Experts at World Health Organization said a provisional analysis found two Chinese vaccines, from the companies Sinovac and Sinopharm, showed “good safety and efficacy” – but more data is needed.

Other vaccine makers, US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, are pushing for plans to increase production, saying new data from the United States shows puncture 100 percent effective in children 12 to 15 years of age.

The US has delivered more vaccine doses than any other country, with nearly 150 million of the 600 million injections given worldwide.

But it has also suffered from more than 550,000 deaths – the highest toll in the world – and the coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in the US last year.

Several European countries have restricted access to

vaccine over blood clot reports, but the EU drug regulatory agency said it found no specific linking risk factor.

However, it is argued that a causal relationship is “possible” and that “further analysis is continuing.”

In a setback for other vaccine makers, some 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson single-use vaccine were damaged due to factory error, The New York Time reported – a blow to US companies’ efforts to rapidly increase production.

In China, which has largely defeated the virus, authorities announced a week-long lockdown on the city of Ruili, after six cases were detected near the Myanmar border – the country’s first move in months.

Greece meanwhile said it would reopen most retail stores and relax free time restrictions despite its high Covid numbers.

And Brisbane, Australia is lifting a three-day mini lockdown that was put in place to stop the outbreak from infecting 14 people.

With a pandemic devastating the global economy, World Trade Organization gave a note of hope, saying that global trade will increase by eight percent this year.

However, the importance of the pandemic war is lost on Harlock – a one-year-old German Shepherd who is happy to learn to sniff out Covid-19 in Rome.

“Sniffing,” says her trainer, Massimiliano Macera, quickly rewarding the furry pupil with a snack every time the nose meets the tube.

“Their job is to play,” Macera said of her dog. “These people are experts.”

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pakistan

President Alvi, the first lady contracted the corona virus | Instant News

March 15, 2021 NewsDesk

ISLAMABAD:

President Dr Arif Alvi and First Lady Samina Alvi on Monday received anti-Covid vaccines in Islamabad with the former urged the nation to take precautions to make the country sail through the third wave of the pandemic.

The president and first lady arrived at a vaccination center in Tarlai after they received notification from the 1166 registration service where the two had registered on February 15.

Speaking to media, the president said elites around the world have broken queues to get vaccinated but in Pakistan, the government has implemented efficient mechanisms for vaccinating people in turn.

The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, also accompanied the President and First Lady.

“I think vaccines provide further protection but we have to be careful about wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distancing unless the world is fully coping with the pandemic. God knows how long it will take us to do this, ”he said.

Call Covid-19 a deadly disease, President Alvi said it affects the elderly more than others and it can only be dealt with through preventive measures.

According to the President, the system is very easy and assesses the mechanism for calling the public proactively as well as avoiding crowds at the center, even though the government has sufficient stock of drugs.

He said vaccinations were never meant to eliminate preventive measures but rather to provide further protection.

President Alvi recalled that Prime Minister Imran Khan was the only leader to resist calls for blanket locking by all including experts but he carried out a smart lock only to prevent hunger-related deaths. “The idea was later supported globally by many others.”

He added that the state keeps mosques open and also observes the Eid festival with precautions and recognizes the sacrifices by doctors.

“The success of Pakistan is… We are fighting the first wave, the second wave and it is also important to fight the third wave. Precautions are urgently needed. Keep the mask on. Pakistan will control it, “he hoped.

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Australia

The first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine arrives in Australia | Instant News

February 28, 2021 NewsDesk

The first dose of Australia’s Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been flown to Sydney.

Vaccine doses have been transported to a storage facility in Western Sydney, where they are kept under tight security.

They will now be batch tested prior to the planned rollout to priority groups early next month.

While the first batch of vaccines came from overseas, the government plans to start producing injections in Australia.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is the second vaccine to arrive in Australia.

Vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine is underway.

300,000 first doses of Australia’s Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Sydney.(ABC News)

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt said 300,000 doses arrived in shipment today.

“The first dose of this vaccine has arrived from abroad before 50 million doses will be produced by CSL in Australia on behalf of AstraZeneca,” the statement said.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will now conduct batch tests of vaccines to ensure they meet Australia’s stringent quality standards.

Morrison said today was an important milestone for the vaccine rollout.

“This is the next step as we scale up vaccine rollouts,” he said.

“The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will undergo the same rigorous TGA process to inspect vaccine batches that undergo the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“We will now be able to scale up vaccination rollouts to our priority groups, including our most vulnerable Australians, and to our frontiers and health workers.”

More to come.

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pakistan

The roadside stitching shop started to disappear | Instant News

February 24, 2021 NewsDesk

KARACHI:

Once propped up along highways and street corners in the city, makeshift stitch shops soon became a thing of the past.

In recent years, due to the increasing crackdown on illegal power lines and encroachment sites, a large number of roadside jugglers in Karachi have had to close shop and find other modes of employment. Those who stayed, however, complained of failed businesses and an inability to meet overheads amid tighter policies and higher operating costs.

“Electrical connections are hard to find now. So, most of the mechanics on the sidewalks prefer to close shops and come home before dark, rather than working late. Those who operate at night, usually work in gas stations where electricity is [supply] not bothered, ”said Muhammad Imran, a local stab worker.

Like several other businesses, Karachi roadside potholes have also had a hard time operating under coronavirus restrictions over the past year. Although the sector has struggled for quite a while, the hard work and troubles brought by the pandemic took a deadly blow to most outlets.

According to Imran, workers who came from other cities and had been operating on Karachi’s sidewalks for years were forced to return to their hometowns during the worst outbreak due to Covid-19. “At this certain point [repairing tyres] was once a lucrative profession and a skill that was transferred from one generation to another. But there is very little money in the business and too much to loose. So now, the children of old puncture workers are choosing to get out of their family business and seek more reliable professions such as driving rickshaws and repairing vehicles, ”said Imran.

Winters, according to Imran, usually sees less business when it comes to puncture repair. These are the summer months when heat and increased friction causes the tires to swell and leak, so drivers will have to seek repairs. But because the peak of the summer months overlaps with the strictest COVID-19 restrictions, there are already fewer cars on the roads and fewer punctures to repair. “So there isn’t much business this year while operating costs are soaring, which is something most leakage workers have to deal with,” he lamented.

The declining number of puncture workers has become a nightmare for motor vehicle owners in the city, especially those who commute late at night. “Navigating the Karachi highway is like hitting a mine for a motorcyclist. Tires are often flat and not everyone is able to install a new hose every other day, ”said Habibullah, a delivery person who often works late. “Under those circumstances, many of us depend on these roadside potholes workers to patch our tires at a fraction of the cost. If they are not there, it will take hours to drive our vehicle to the nearest garage or gas station, ”he added.

However, unlike fuel pump workshops that use modern engines, most roadside potholes do everything – from extracting tire cylinders to repairing bores by hand. “This makes work labor-intensive, but the prices charged here are usually relatively cheaper. Although prices can vary from city to city, but as an illustration of the eyeballs, the pricks for motorbikes are usually priced at Rs60 to Rs70. For car tires it costs around Rs100 to Rs150 while repairs for heavy vehicles cost more than Rs150 to Rs200, “Muhammad Zafar, a puncture repair specialist, told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2021.

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