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Covid latest: Fasting tips for Covid patients; India records biggest single-day spike

Dubai - Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now

A summary of today's developments:

Live map: Global spread of coronavirus

Manila to be under less restrictive quarantine curbs

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has approved placing the capital region and four adjacent provinces under a less restrictive community quarantine status from April 12, his spokesman said on Sunday.

Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite, which have been in a strict lockdown due to Covid-19 infections, will be under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine status until April 30, spokesman Harry Roque said.

India reports record 152,879 new cases

India reported a record 152,879 new Covid-19 cases, health ministry data showed on Sunday, as a second-wave of infections continued to surge and overwhelm hospitals in parts of the country.

The number of new fatalities stood at 839, the most deaths in more than five months, taking the toll to 169,275.

India’s tally of more than 13.35 million cases is the third-highest globally, behind only Brazil and the United States.

Alarm sounded over 3rd Covid wave in Germany

Germany's largest university hospital, Berlin's Charite, has sounded the alarm over the country's worsening third wave of coronavirus infections.

"If the numbers of seriously ill Covid-19 patients exceed those experienced during the second wave, we will be in a critical situation," said Martin Kreis, a board member at Charite, DPA news agency reported.

At the beginning of the year, the number of severe Covid-19 cases in Charite's intensive care units reached its absolute limit. The hospital was unable to accept patients from other parts of Germany as a result.

The number of people entering intensive care units at Charite has increased significantly over the past two weeks, with the 30-60 age group particularly badly affected because they are less likely to have received a vaccination.

Though most of the hospital's workforce is now vaccinated, but many are suffering from exhaustion and trauma over the many coronavirus-related deaths, Kreis said.

Germany is battling a third wave of infections driven mainly by the British variant of the virus.

WHO chief criticises 'shocking' Covid vax divide

Geneva, April 10 (IANS) The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticised what it describes as a "shocking imbalance" in the distribution of coronavirus vaccines between rich and poor countries.

"There remains a shocking imbalance in the global distribution of vaccines," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Friday, the BBC reported.

South Asia surpasses grim milestone of 15 million cases

Coronavirus infections in the South Asia sub-region surpassed the grim milestone of 15 million on Saturday, a Reuters tally shows, led by India’s record daily infections and vaccine shortages.

South Asia - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka - accounts for 11 per cent of global cases and almost 6% of deaths. The region accounts for 23 per cent of the world’s population of 7.59 billion people.

India, the country with the third-highest coronavirus total, accounts for over 84 per cent of South Asia’s cases and deaths.

The world’s second-most populous country reported 145,384 new cases on Saturday, the fastest climb in the world and the country’s fifth record this week, as well as 794 deaths. The government blames the current spike on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks.

Covid patients must consult doctors before fasting

Covid-19 patients must consult physicians before Ramadan fasting and only asymptomatic patients should undertake religious abstinence, doctors told Khaleej Times.

Ramadan in the UAE is likely to begin on April 13 and this year marks the second Holy Month amid a pandemic.

Covid-19 recovered patients require adequate hydration, which means they need to take plenty of fluids to compensate for loss during the Covid-19 period.

Covid-19 recovered patients require adequate hydration, which means they need to take plenty of fluids to compensate for loss during the Covid-19 period.

Fasting tips for those recovering from severe Covid

Bahrain reports 1,122 Covid cases, 1,148 recoveries

The Bahrain health ministry has reported 1,122 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,148 recoveries.

Of the new cases, 348 were among expatriate workers, 711 were contacts of active cases, and 63 were travel related. Four new deaths were reported. The death toll stands at 554.

‘Second wave affecting children more’

Health experts are urging the community to take extra measures to keep children safe from Covid, as case studies show youngsters could be just as vulnerable to the disease as adults.

In the UAE, though Covid cases are visibly going down, doctors are reminding parents and families not to drop their guard and ensure kids are protected at all times.

Whether children are less often infected by Covid-19 is still an ongoing debate, the UAE doctors said. Large epidemiological studies suggest that children comprise only one to two per cent of all cases.

France extends gap between mRNA vaccine shots

Although France’s top health authority advised a six-week period between the two shots in January in order to stretch supplies, the government at the time said there was insufficient data on how well the vaccines performed with a longer interval.

France could safely do so now because it was vaccinating a younger age group, Veran said.

“(It) will allow us to vaccinate more quickly without reducing protection,” the minister told the paper.

France has approved use of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines.