April 8 coronavirus news

By Adam Renton, Martin Goillandeau, Luke McGee, Melissa Macaya and Melissa Mahtani, CNN

Updated 0719 GMT (1519 HKT) April 9, 2021

4 Posts

Sort by

2:34 a.m. ET, April 8, 2021

India reports more than 126,000 new Covid-19 cases in another record high

From CNN's Esha Mitra in New Delhi

A health worker collects a nasal swab sample from a man to test for Covid-19 at a government hospital in Hyderabad, India, on April 6. Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images

India on Thursday reported 126,789 new cases of coronavirus, the highest single-day rise in infections since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health.

This is the second consecutive day the country has reported an all-time high of new cases.

India is amid a second wave of the pandemic following the previous peak in cases in September last year.

Maharashtra state continues to report the highest deaths and cases in the country, according to health minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday, and several other states have also seen an "upswing" in cases, health officials said Tuesday.

Vaccine shortages: Maharashtra, Odisha and Punjab state health officials said they're facing a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines.

Odisha state officials wrote a letter to the central government Wednesday expressing concern over the shortage saying: "Due to shortage of vaccine, we have had to close nearly 700 vaccination centres in the state," adding that the state would exhaust its currently available stock by April 9.

Maharashtra's health minister said on Wednesday the state was also facing a shortage. In response, Indian Health Minister Vardhan said in a statement: "this is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from Maharashtra government’s repeated failures to control the spread of pandemic."

Punjab state health officials told CNN Thursday it is also facing a shortage of vaccines.

2:35 a.m. ET, April 8, 2021

New Zealand temporarily bans entry for travelers from India

From CNN's Chandler Thornton

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to the media during a news conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand will temporarily ban entry to travelers from India following a record surge in Covid-19 cases in recent days in the Asian country.

Speaking in a news conference Thursday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the suspension would begin at 4 p.m. on April 11 and would last until April 28.

"I want to emphasize that while arrivals with Covid from India has prompted this measure, we are looking at how we manage high risk points of departure generally. This is not a country specific risk assessment, but of course a risk assessment generally to ensure we better manage the number of cases that are coming in from those countries that are experiencing a surge," Ardern said.

India is experiencing a second wave of coronavirus and reported a record 126,789 new cases on Thursday -- its highest single-day rise of the pandemic.

2:36 a.m. ET, April 8, 2021

Brazil temporarily suspends production of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine due to delivery delay

From Journalists Marcia Reverdosa and Shasta Darlington in Sao Paulo

A nurse prepares a dose of China's Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Rio de Janeiro, on March 31. Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

Brazil’s Butantan research institute has temporarily suspended production of the Sinovac CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine due to a delay of the delivery of raw materials from China, three sources directly connected to the matter told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil Wednesday.

A new shipment of raw materials -- the so called IFA (Active Pharmaceutical Input) ingredient -- scheduled to arrive in Brazil from China on April 9, has now been pushed to April 15, Sao Paulo Gov. Joao Doria said Wednesday during a news conference.

When CNN inquired about the reported suspension of Sinovac’s vaccine production at the Butantan Institute in the state of Sao Paulo, the research center denied the claim but confirmed that it will not produce any new vaccines until the raw materials arrive.

"We didn't suspend production. We are in the process of finalizing the packaging of the material we had previously received. As soon as we receive more raw material we can continue with the process and deliver the missing remaining doses,” Butantan’s press office told CNN Wednesday, adding that “despite the delay” it will meet the contractual deadlines with the country’s health ministry.

The Butantan Institute has delivered 40.7 million out of the 46 million Covid-19 doses promised to be delivered by April 30. The Institute says it will deliver an additional 2.5 million doses next week and told CNN it anticipates the production of Covid-19 vaccines to resume by April 15.

The Covid-19 vaccine raw material (IFA) is supplied by Butantan's Chinese partner Sinovac Biotech. The delay in shipping was caused by the increased campaign of China’s vaccines, according to CNN Brasil.

CNN has reached out to Sinovac Biotech and has not yet received a response.

2:37 a.m. ET, April 8, 2021

Fauci explains the rise in Covid-19 cases among younger people

From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 18. Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci explained Wednesday why the United States is now seeing more Covid-19 cases among younger people.

It’s in part because so many older people are vaccinated, he said, and also because of spread in day care centers and at school sporting events.

“When you look at the entire population, there’s relatively more protection among older individuals as opposed to younger individuals,” Fauci told CNN.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that more than 75% of people ages 65 years and older have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in the US.

He said a number of factors are at play, including clusters of cases in day cares and school sports teams -- in which people are in close contact and sometimes aren’t wearing masks -- and the B.1.1.7 variant.

“I think that is what is explaining these surges of cases in young individuals,” he said.