Australia reports first Covid death in more than 100 days
Sydney, Australia, Apr 13 (EFE).- Australia announced its first Covid-19 death in more than 100 days on Tuesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 910 people.
An 80-year-old man who returned from the Philippines and was admitted to a hospital in Brisbane on Mar. 25 died on Monday, the government of the state of Queensland reported Tuesday.
According to records of the Ministry of Health of Australia, one of the countries that has best managed its epidemic and that has kept its borders closed since last March, the last death from Covid-19 was included in a report on Dec. 28.
The country has recorded more than 29,400 Covid-19 infections, most of them as a result of the second wave that began in mid-2020 due to security failures in the quarantine centers for international arrivals in Melbourne.
The solid management of the pandemic, however, has been clouded by a slow vaccination campaign, which began on Feb. 21 but has been hampered by problems such as delays in vaccine imports, the floods in March and concerns about possible side effects of the drug produced by AstraZeneca.
The vaccination program is focused on the drugs of AstraZeneca and Pfizer – the only ones that have been approved.
Despite the pressure to diversify the vaccines available in Australia, Canberra announced on Tuesday that it will not acquire the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to its similarities with the AstraZeneca drug, which is no longer recommended for those under 50. EFE
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