COVID: 267,000 infants may have died due to economic hit

Economic disruptions linked with the COVID pandemics may have resulted in 267,000 extra infant deaths in low and middle-income countries in 2020, according to the World Bank.

The figures were published in the British Medical Journal on Tuesday.

The Bank's research team said that while the pandemic had a "small direct impact", their study looked at the "income shock" on infant mortality rates. The team came to the conclusion that a lack of social safety measures in poorer countries led to more deaths than anticipated last year.

They said the estimated increase across 128 countries was 7% higher than what was expected for the year.

The COVID-19 income shock worst affected infant deaths in eight countries of South Asia with India accounting for more than a third of them. The report explained this was partially because India had the highest amount of births while its economy shrunk by 17.3% in 2020.

Most countries worldwide reported a fall in GDP last year, owing to strict COVID restrictions that hampered economic activity. 

Here are the latest coronavirus developments from around the world:

Asia

Tokyo's Paralympic Games opened on Tuesday amid a new wave of cases in Japan. The country recorded more than 25,000 daily infections in the past week, though the death toll remained relatively small.

The opening ceremony took place as Tokyo and 12 other regions remain under a virus state of emergency. Paralympic athletes will be subject to the same rules as their Olympic counterparts, including daily COVID testing. Spectators are largely barred from venues. 

Oceania

New Zealand recorded 41 new cases, its highest increase since April 2020. But authorities said the numbers were not rising exponentially and the majority of the cases were still around Auckland, where the recent outbreak started. The total number of infections stands at 148.

Australia can proceed with its reopening plans when the country vaccinates 70-80% of its population, the government's pandemic modeling adviser said.

This means the government is no longer aiming at a zero-case strategy but moving towards vaccinating its population to levels that'll make it safer for the country to relax some of its stringent COVID rules.

The eastern state of New South Wales, which is home to Sydney, is expected to announce changes to COVID rules given that 59% of people have had at least one shot and 31% are fully vaccinated. The state's premier had promised more freedoms for those who are vaccinated once total doses topped 6 million, a milestone it recently crossed. 

Europe

Germany recorded 5,747 new cases and 42 deaths on Tuesday. The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 3,877,612 and deaths at 92,022.

Americas 

Officials have announced plans requiring all New York City public school teachers and staffers to get vaccinated against the virus.

The nation's largest school system is preparing for classes starting next month. Officials previously said teachers, like other city employees, would either have to get a shot or get tested weekly for the virus.

Hawaii's governor has urged residents and potential visitors to limit travel to the islands as the state struggles to cope with a surge in cases. Governor David Ige said he'll likely restrict travel until the end of October in an effort to curb infections. The seven-day average of new daily cases was at 671 on Monday, more than triple the level four weeks earlier.

Cuba will supply large quantities of its home-grown COVID vaccines to Vietnam as well as transfer the production technology by the end of the year, the Vietnamese Health Ministry said. Vietnam is struggling to control its worst outbreak to date.

rm/nm (Reuters, AP, dpa)