Coronavirus pandemic has killed over 4.4 million people and infected over 213 million globally. Here are the coronavirus-related developments for August 24:
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
New Zealand has highest jump in cases since April 2020
New Zealand recorded its highest increase in virus cases since April 2020, but authorities said the numbers were not rising exponentially and the majority of the cases were still in centred in Auckland where the recent outbreak started.
The South Pacific nation’s virus-free run since February ended last week after an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus erupted in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and quickly spread to the capital Wellington.
Authorities reported 41 newg cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 148, the Director General of Health Chief Ashley Bloomfield said at a news conference. That is the most new cases since April 2020, according to a graphic on the Ministry of Health website.
Hawaii governor seeks to limit visits to the islands
Hawaii’s governor is urging residents and potential visitors to limit travel to the islands to essential business while the state struggles to control outbreaks of the delta variant of the virus.
Gov. David Ige wants to curtail travel to Hawaii through the end of October. In his words, “It is a risky time to be traveling right now.”
He says restaurant capacity has been restricted and there is limited access to rental cars.
Slight easing due for Australia state’s lockdown
An Australian state leader is indicating that a slight easing of pandemic restrictions is coming for Sydney after achieving a vaccination milestone.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she will announce before the weekend a new freedom for fully vaccinated people now that 6 million vaccine doses have been administered across the state.
She said that equates to 60 percent of the population having at least one dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca and 32 percent being fully vaccinated.
Australia’s most populous state is in lockdown because of the virus outbreak, as is Victoria, which is the country’s second most populous state.
Germany logs 5,747 cases
Germany reports 5,747 cases, bringing the total into 3,877,612 infections, as the death toll rises by 42 to reach 92,022 fatalities, reports Robert Koch Institute.
Vietnam says Cuba to supply vaccine, transfer technology
Cuba will supply large quantities of its home-grown vaccine, Abdala, to Vietnam and also transfer the production technology to the Southeast Asian country by the end of the year, the Vietnamese health ministry said.
After successfully containing the disease for much of the pandemic, Vietnam has been struggling to control its worst outbreak to date, with a spike in infections and deaths ramping up pressure on authorities to speed up vaccinations.
US energy firms launching employee Covid-19 vaccination mandates
US energy companies are moving to require that employees receive Covid-19 vaccinations as infection rates rise across the United States and health surveys show that energy workers remain among those most reluctant to get inoculations.
Calls to require vaccinations for employees working at close quarters in oilfield and refinery operations came as the US Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
The second-largest US oil producer, Chevron Corp, and refiner Valero Energy Corp will require jabs for certain field workers or new workers, while leading Permian producer Pioneer Natural Resources is requiring newly hired employees to be fully vaccinated before their first day of work, according to a job posting.
Mexico’s coronavirus death toll rises to 253,526
Mexico’s health ministry reported 6,543 new cases of Covid-19 and 371 more deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country since the pandemic began to 3,231,616 and the death toll to 253,526.
US administers 363.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines
The United States has administered 363,267,789 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 428,528,965 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Those figures are up from the 362,657,771 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Sunday out of 428,531,345 doses delivered.
The agency said 201,718,587 people had received at least one dose while 171,088,954 people were fully vaccinated.
Brazil sees 13,103 new coronavirus cases, 321 deaths
Brazil registered 13,103 new coronavirus cases and 321 additional Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the country’s Health Ministry said.
Pentagon to mandate Covid-19 vaccine
The Pentagon says it will order all active and reserve troops to be vaccinated for Covid-19 after the full approval of the Pfizer vaccine.
There are more than 1.3 million on active duty and close to 800,000 in the Guard and Reserve.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the steps to make the vaccine mandatory are an effort to ensure the safety of service members.
France likely to offer Covid-19 booster shot in September
French senior citizens are likely to be offered a booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine starting in September, the health minister said.
Speaking to BFMTV news, Olivier Veran said the Health Ministry is awaiting a final nod from the High Authority for Health, a national body tasked with evaluating healthcare products, on the additional dose.
He said the third dose is likely to be recommended for “people 65 and over” from the beginning of next month.
Canada’s British Columbia bringing in Covid vaccine card
The Canadian Pacific coast province of British Columbia is bringing in a vaccine card for residents to get access to restaurants, clubs, sporting events and other activities.
Premier John Horgan says the card will give people the confidence to attend events and businesses knowing that others are protected around them.
New York City mandates Covid-19 vaccine for teachers
New York City will require public school teachers and staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, part of a push to get more residents inoculated and slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
All 148,000 staff members in the largest US school district must get at least one dose of a vaccine by September 27 as part of the mandate, de Blasio said.
Australia pandemic panel backs reopening plans amid Delta surge
Australia can proceed with its reopening plans when the country reaches 70-80 percent vaccination levels, the government’s pandemic modelling adviser said, even as some states hinted they may not ease border curbs if Sydney fails to control its Delta outbreak.
The Melbourne-based Doherty Institute said the country’s focus must shift to limiting the number of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations, from its current zero-cases strategy, when at least 70 percent of the country’s population above age 16 is fully vaccinated.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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