10 percent of kids, teens in China reported psychological distress amid pandemic
In a March 2020 survey, 10 percent of children and adolescents in China reported psychological distress amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a JAMA Network Open study released Tuesday.
The survey found that students who never wore a face covering were at a higher risk for symptoms of psychological distress, such as depression and anxiety, compared to students who wore one frequently.
The same was found in students who exercised less than 30 minutes a day compared with students who exercised for more than an hour a day.
“These findings suggest that the prevalence of self-reported psychological distress among school-aged children and adolescents during the Covid-19 pandemic was relatively high,” the researchers said in a summary of the study’s key findings.
The researchers added that other realities of the pandemic — including shelter-in-place orders, fears of infection, inadequate information, lack of personal space at home, challenges with online learning, family financial woes and social isolation — “could have adverse and enduring outcomes” among young people.
Mexican president’s Covid diagnosis stirs criticism of government
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican president’s announcement that he had Covid-19 just a few hours after taking a commercial flight unleashed renewed criticism of his handling of the pandemic, which has left the country with the fourth-highest death toll worldwide.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has a history of heart problems and high blood pressure, said Sunday evening that he was being treated for mild symptoms of Covid-19 after attending meetings and public events in preceding days.
The news capped the deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic in the country and left questions unanswered about how many people had been close to the president during his three-day visit to parts of northern and central Mexico.
“How irresponsible and careless of him just to get onto a flight knowing that he might be infected,” said Jesús Ortega, a former leader of the opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and one-time ally of the president.
“The problem is he’s the president. If the president violates the health guidelines, he’s setting a bad example to others,” said Ortega, wishing López Obrador a quick recovery.
E.U. threatens to restrict exports of Covid-19 vaccines amid rollout anger
LONDON — The European Union threatened to restrict the export of Covid-19 vaccines from the bloc amid growing anger at the slow rollout of immunizations across the 27-country bloc.
“E.U. member states are united: Vaccine developers have societal and contractual responsibilities they need to uphold,” health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said after two tense negotiating sessions with representatives of vaccine maker AstraZeneca, in which the commissioner said “insufficient explanations” were provided.
It is unclear what exactly E.U. officials can and will do to restrict the export of the vaccine.
AstraZeneca took E.U. officials by surprise last week when it announced its initial delivery volumes of the Covid-19 vaccine would be lower than originally anticipated because of manufacturing issues in Europe. The company did not say how much lower the volumes will be.
This came just a week after Pfizer-BioNTech announced there will be a temporary reduction in its vaccine deliveries to the bloc, also without stipulating the size of the reduction, but reassuring it will resume its delivery schedule to the E.U. this week.
Dubai restaurants offering up to 20 percent discount to vaccinated diners
Restaurants in Dubai are offering diners money off their bill if they can prove they have had two shots of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Five of Gates Hospitality’s outlets in the Gulf city — each with outdoor seating — are offering a 10 percent discount to anyone who’s had one dose and 20 percent to people who have had two. The offer, which began Monday and lasts until the end of February, has attracted a lot of attention on social media and in international media.
“The initiative is really to create awareness what the vaccine is,” the group’s CEO and founder, Naim Maadad, told NBC News. “It’s rewarding individuals…[and] makes sure we keep on engaging with our community in a positive way.”
January’s Covid-19 death count nears December’s record
The U.S. counted 171,501 new Covid-19 cases and 2,178 reported deaths Monday as the case counts continued to wane from January’s record highs, according to NBC News’ tally.
In the past week, the country averaged 3,172 deaths per day and 171,155 cases per day. Four weeks ago those numbers were 2,615 deaths per day and 213,940 cases per day.
As of Tuesday morning, the U.S. is at 76,380 deaths reported in January, and Tuesday will likely break December’s record 77,124 deaths.
Colombia’s defense minister dies from Covid
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian officials say Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo has died from complications of Covid-19. He was 69.
President Ivan Duque says Holmes Trujillo died early Tuesday, adding: “His life was a reflection of his vocation for public service.”
Holmes Trujillo became defense minister in November 2019, after serving as foreign minister. He was also the mayor of Cali from 1988-1990.
Colombia reported more than 15,000 new cases per day in mid-January, up from about 7,000 cases in early December.
Colombia has more than 50,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus.
Moderna on track to deliver 100 million vaccine doses in U.S. by end of March
U.S. biotech company Moderna said Tuesday it was on track to deliver 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to the U.S. government by the end of March and 200 million doses by end of June.
So far, it has supplied some 30 million doses to the U.S. government, it said in a statement.
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use by the FDA, as well as from regulatory authorities in the European Union, United Kingdom and Canada.
On Monday, Moderna said it was tweaking its vaccine to make it more effective against emerging strains of the virus.
While President Joe Biden also said Monday he expects anyone who wants a coronavirus vaccination in the U.S. to be able to get one by the spring — and upped his vaccination goal to 150 million shots in his first 100 days in office.
New Zealand’s border may remain shut for ‘much of this year,’ prime minister says
New Zealand’s borders are expected to remain closed for most of this year due to concerns over Covid-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday. The pacific nation will still pursue travel arrangements with neighboring countries such as Australia.
Medical authorities, meanwhile, may approve a vaccine as early as next week, according to Ardern, as pressure mounts for a start to vaccinations after the country confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus in the community in months.
“Given the risks in the world around us and the uncertainty of the global rollout of the vaccine, we can expect our borders to be impacted for much of this year,” Ardern said at a news conference.
For travel to restart, authorities either needed confidence that those vaccinated do not remain carriers of the virus or enough of the population needed to be vaccinated so people can safely re-enter New Zealand. Both options will take time, she said.
A tough lockdown and geographical isolation helped the country of 5 million virtually eliminate coronavirus within its borders.
New Zealand reported 2 new cases of Covid-19 at its managed isolation facilities on Tuesday and no new community cases. The country has 65 active cases, 1,934 confirmed cases in all, and 25 deaths.
Dutch police detain 150 rioters as anti-lockdown protests continue for third night in the Netherlands
A third night of riots continued in several cities across the Netherlands on Monday night, defying the country’s nightly coronavirus curfew. Dutch police detained more than 150 people, where roaming groups of rioters set fires, threw rocks and looted stores.
Ten police were injured in the port city of Rotterdam, where 60 rioters were detained overnight, Dutch news agency ANP said on Tuesday.
In videos shared on social media, rioters in Rotterdam can be heard shouting in the streets as local officials emerge on the scene. Police used teargas to disperse the looters last night.
The nation’s lockdown was triggered by a new wave of infections linked to emerging variants of the virus. Schools and non-essential shops have been shut since mid-December, after bars and restaurants were closed two months prior.
