(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Reinfection unlikely for at least 6 months
People who’ve had COVID-19 are highly unlikely to contract it again for at least six months after their first infection, according to a British study of healthcare workers.
The findings should offer some reassurance for the more than 51 million people worldwide who have been infected, researchers at the University of Oxford said.
“This is really good news, because we can be confident that, at least in the short term, most people who get COVID-19 won’t get it again,” said David Eyre, a professor at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Population Health, who co-led the study.
WHO advises against remdesivir for hospitalised patients
Gilead’s remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization panel said on Friday.
The advice is another setback for the drug, which grabbed worldwide attention as a potentially effective treatment in the summer after early trials showed some promise.
California, Ohio order nightly curfews
California’s governor imposed a curfew on social gatherings and other non-essential activities in one of the most intrusive of the restrictions being ordered across the country to curb an alarming surge in novel coronavirus infections.
The stay-at-home order will go into effect from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. each day, starting Saturday night and ending on the morning of Dec. 21, covering 41 of California’s 58 counties and the vast majority of its population, Governor Gavin Newsom said.
A similar 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew order was issued in Ohio and will remain in effect for the next 21 days, Governor Mike DeWine announced separately.
Russia’s cases soar
The developers of Russia’s second vaccine against COVID-19 on Friday said mass production would begin in 2021, as Russia reported a record daily increase in infections.
A recent surge in cases has taken Russia past the 2 million threshold, behind only the United States, India, Brazil and France in total infections. Authorities have resisted imposing lockdowns across the country as they did earlier this year, however, preferring targeted, regional measures.
Russia last week said its first vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V, was 92% effective, according to interim trial results.
Man’s ‘lie’ caused lockdown
South Australia’s drastic six-day lockdown was triggered by a “lie” to contact tracers from a man who tested positive and restrictions across the state are set to be lifted much sooner than first planned, authorities said on Friday.
The announcement came just two days after the state government ordered people to stay at home and shut many businesses to combat what was considered a highly contagious outbreak.
South Australia state Premier Steven Marshall said that one man at a pizza bar tied to the outbreak told contact tracers he had only bought a pizza there, when he had actually worked several shifts at the food outlet alongside another worker who tested positive.
Authorities assumed the man had caught the virus during a very short exposure, leading them to believe the strain must be highly contagious.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes)
