Country,	Total	New	Total
Other	Cases	Cases	Deaths
World	213,952,759	656,547	4,463,990
USA	38,968,925	147,619	648,161
India	32,511,370	51,016	435,788
Brazil	20,615,008	31,014	575,829
Russia	6,785,374	18,833	177,614
France	6,649,630	24,853	113,572
UK	6,555,200	30,838	131,854
Turkey	6,253,711	19,191	54,995
Argentina	5,148,085	8,119	110,806
Colombia	4,894,702	2,467	124,388
Spain	4,804,424	10,072	83,527
Iran	4,756,394	40,623	103,357
Italy	4,494,857	6,076	128,855
Indonesia	4,008,166	19,106	128,252
Germany	3,884,417	2,838	92,522
Mexico	3,231,616	6,543	253,526
Poland	2,887,037	233	75,324
South Africa	2,708,951	10,346	79,953
Ukraine	2,275,863	692	53,501
Peru	2,143,691	1,126	197,944
Netherlands	1,923,596	2,437	17,967
Philippines	1,869,691	12,067	32,264
Iraq	1,839,910	7,670	20,337
Czechia	1,677,829	206	30,385
Chile	1,634,774	380	36,701
Malaysia	1,593,602	20,837	14,553
Canada	1,476,152	2,528	26,849
Bangladesh	1,472,964	5,249	25,513
Japan	1,318,346	16,858	15,663
Belgium	1,168,602	1,617	25,341
Pakistan	1,131,659	4,075	25,094
Sweden	1,119,358		14,631
Romania	1,092,122	782	34,439
Thailand	1,083,951	17,165	9,788
Portugal	1,022,807	2,261	17,658
Israel	1,011,223	8,064	6,880
Morocco	821,129	7,184	11,994
Hungary	811,203	82	30,054
Jordan	791,466	1,016	10,320
Switzerland	761,978	2,993	10,954
Nepal	751,001	2,020	10,568
Kazakhstan	748,851	5,631	8,512
Serbia	746,366	2,216	7,226
UAE	711,428	990	2,026
Austria	678,605	1,002	10,768
Tunisia	644,072	1,284	22,714
Cuba	602,526	9,907	4,710
Lebanon	593,929	1,149	8,019
Greece	566,812	4,608	13,417
Saudi Arabia	542,707	353	8,497
Georgia	523,022	5,924	6,891
Ecuador	499,196	468	32,104
Bolivia	487,131	488	18,313
Belarus	471,495	860	3,701
Paraguay	457,971	133	15,613
Panama	453,466	480	7,018
Costa Rica	447,672	2,230	5,378
Bulgaria	445,097	1,911	18,565
Guatemala	444,924	4,917	11,552
Kuwait	408,600	166	2,409
Sri Lanka	398,801	4,446	7,750
Azerbaijan	398,034	3,583	5,370
Slovakia	394,204	111	12,547
Uruguay	384,287	106	6,020
Myanmar	378,377	2,506	14,622
Croatia	370,308	470	8,306
Vietnam	369,267	10,811	9,014
Dominican Republic	348,249	223	4,002
Ireland	340,278	1,571	5,074
Denmark	339,580	1,340	2,568
Honduras	329,691	1,141	8,670
Palestine	329,204	1570	3,646
Venezuela	327,450	928	3,924
Oman	301,570	120	4,043
Libya	298,773	1,894	4,099
Ethiopia	297,997	1,266	4,580
Lithuania	294,708	600	4,498
Egypt	286,735	194	16,683
Bahrain	271,803	88	1,387
Moldova	265,258	512	6,374
Slovenia	264,141	477	4,442
S. Korea	239,287	1,505	2,228
Armenia	238,422	537	4,768
Qatar	231,343	217	601
Kenya	230,794	1,166	4,564
Bosnia and Herzegovina	210,442	533	9,750
Zambia	204,977	326	3,583
Mongolia	196,846	1596	907
Algeria	192,626	537	5,063
Nigeria	188,243	655	2,281
Kyrgyzstan	174,347	199	2,494
North Macedonia	170,412	1210	5,727
Afghanistan	152,722	62	7,090
Botswana	150,842		2,171
Norway	150,825	1,093	811
Uzbekistan	150,683	807	1035
Mozambique	143,655	528	1,813
Latvia	141,287	169	2,569
Albania	140,521	800	2,480
Estonia	139,500	375	1,285
Namibia	124,032	171	3,346
Australia	45,750	830	984
Suriname	27,776	202	704

 

Retrieved from：https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

U.S. could control COVID by spring 2022 if more people get shots -Fauci

By Susan Heavey and Carl O'donnell

 

The United States could get COVID-19 under control by early next year if vaccinations ramp up, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday, one day after Pfizer (PFE.N) won fuller FDA approval for its shot, with more potential approvals coming in the weeks ahead.

Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said in multiple television interviews and a White House press conference that full Food and Drug Administration approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine paves the way for more people to get inoculated, with potential approval for Moderna Inc's (MRNA.O) in the coming weeks and authorization for younger children by autumn.

"I would like to appeal to the people in the country who are not vaccinated to realize that we have the capability, among ourselves, to essentially cut down the time frame to getting to the end of this pandemic," Fauci, head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a Tuesday press conference.

"I think there's a reasonable chance" that Pfizer or Moderna could get FDA clearance for children under 12 before the upcoming holiday season, he told NBC News. "Hopefully by the mid-late fall and early winter."

U.S. officials during the Tuesday press briefing also urged private employers and more state and local governments to require staff to get vaccinated in a bid to drive up vaccination rates.

"Now is the time" for U.S. employers to start mandating vaccinations, White House COVID coordinator Jeffrey Zients said, echoing remarks from President Joe Biden on Monday.

Meanwhile, the White House is preparing to provide third "booster" doses starting in mid-September to Americans who received their COVID-19 inoculation more than eight months ago. The plan depends upon a thumbs up from the FDA and an advisory panel to the CDC. 

"We want to make sure we stay ahead of the virus," Zients said, adding that "the plan is pending the FDA conducting an independent evaluation and outside experts... issuing a booster dose recommendation."

Fauci added that healthcare providers should also make more use of COVID-19 antibody treatments, including those from Eli Lilly & Co (LLY.N), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN.O), and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L)/Vir Biotechnology Inc (VIR.O). Such treatments can reduce hospitalizations and deaths by as much as 85% if used early in infected people, he said.

The United States is battling another wave of cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant. Hospitalizations and deaths are also rising, particularly in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and other parts of the U.S. South.

The average number of deaths from COVID-19 has risen by 23% over the previous seven-day period, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a Tuesday press call. The United States is now averaging 1,000 COVID deaths a day and over 150,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally.

U.S. health officials have also noted the number of inoculations has also risen in recent weeks and say they hope Monday's FDA action spurs more people get their first shots.

The U.S. military, along with several businesses and universities, including CVS Health Corp (CVS.N), privately held Deloitte and at least one college football team, have moved ahead with COVID vaccine mandates since the FDA's announcement, which also buoyed Wall Street.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fauci-says-he-expects-more-covid-vaccine-approvals-coming-weeks-2021-08-24/

 

 

 

Japan set to expand state of emergency as Delta variant spreads

By Chang-ran Kim

 

 

A man receives a dose of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Tokyo Dome, the home ground of Japanese professional baseball team Yomiuri Giants which is being used as a large-scale coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination center, in Tokyo, Japan, August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

 

Japan is set to expand a state of emergency to eight more prefectures, taking the total to 21, the minister in charge of coronavirus countermeasures said on Wednesday, as a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelms its hospitals.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the expansion, which would cover almost half the country's 47 prefectures, was approved by a panel of external experts. It is expected to be formally approved at a government task force meeting later on Wednesday.

"The most important task is to beef up the medical system," Nishimura said, adding that securing oxygen stations and nurses was among the priorities.

With the Delta variant spreading fast, the government has struggled to bring infections under control as citizens grow weary of life under restrictions and many companies ignore repeated requests to promote work-from-home.

Public broadcaster NHK reported21,570 new cases and 42 deaths on Tuesday. Japan's case fatality rate stands at about 1.2%, compared with 1.7% in the United States and 2.0% in Britain.

Months of emergency curbs in the capital, Tokyo, and surrounding areas have failed to reverse a surge in infections and about 90% of the city's critical care beds are occupied.

"The working-age demographic is the driving force (behind the rise in infections)," Nishimura said. "We need to halve the movement of people."

With hospital beds filled to or nearing capacity, many people have been forced to convalesce at home - some dying before they are able to get treatment.

The latest state-of-emergency expansion will add Hokkaido, Aichi, Hiroshima and five other prefectures spanning the Japanese archipelago from Friday through Sept. 12.

Another four prefectures are expected to be added to the more limited "quasi-emergency" measures, bringing the regions under those curbs to a total of 12.

Restrictions in Japan have been looser than lockdowns seen in some countries and have centred on mandates for restaurants to close by 8 p.m. and stop serving alcohol, and requests for companies to have 70% of staff working from home.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-seeks-state-emergency-expansion-8-more-prefectures-minister-2021-08-24/

 

 

 

Indonesia approves Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use

 

A vial labelled "Sputnik V Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" and a syringe are seen in this illustration photo taken March 12, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

 

 Indonesia has approved Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the Southeast Asian country, Penny Lukito, the head of the food and drug agency (BPOM), told parliament on Wednesday.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-approves-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-emergency-use-2021-08-25/

 

 

 

Sydney hospitals under strain as coronavirus cases hit record

 

A masked woman with an umbrella walks with a child through the quiet city centre during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, August 24, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

 

Sydney's COVID-19 cases rose to a new daily record on Wednesday, putting parts of the health system under "severe pressure", officials said, as they urged an increase in vaccinations to help curb the rate of hospitalisations.

Despite two months of lockdowns, New South Wales (NSW) state reported 919 new cases amid a growing Delta variant outbreak, taking Australia's daily case numbers to a new pandemic high just below 1,000. A total of 113 people in the state are in intensive care, with 98 of those unvaccinated.

"This highlights ... the fact that vaccination is the key. We need to increase those vaccine coverage levels," state Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told a briefing.

Australia, grappling to control a third wave of the coronavirus, has locked down more than half of its 25 million population, including its largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and is accelerating an initially sluggish vaccine rollout.

Around 31% of people above 16 have been fully vaccinated, while 54% have had at least one dose.

"We have made the point that the most important figure moving forward is the rate of vaccination and that remains the case," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney, the state capital.

"There is no doubt that parts of the hospital network are under severe pressure when most of the cases, 80% of cases are coming out of the same region," she added, pointing to the high case numbers in Sydney's southwestern suburbs.

The spike in cases comes as Australia's federal government pressed states to stick to a four-stage national reopening plan agreed last month, as some have suggested delays given the persistently high new daily case numbers in Sydney.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned state leaders on Wednesday that current emergency economic supports may be withdrawn when the country hits a 70-80% COVID-19 vaccination rate, even if states and territories decide to retain border controls.

"There should be no expectation on behalf of premiers and chief ministers that our emergency economic support will continue at the scale that it is currently," Frydenberg told broadcaster Seven News.

In Victoria, new cases fell for a second straight day, with 45 new cases detected, down from 50 a day earlier, as officials seek to boost the vaccine rollout by allowing anyone over 16 to book an appointment from Wednesday.

Despite the recent Delta outbreaks, Australia's coronavirus numbers are still relatively low, with just over 46,600 cases and 986 deaths. Deaths from the latest outbreak have risen to 76, although the death rate has slowed from last year.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-government-urges-states-stick-covid-19-reopening-plans-2021-08-24/

 

 

 

Spanish regions reduce gap between Covid infection and vaccine shot in bid to speed up flagging campaign

By ORIOL GÜELL

 

The measure will allow for the immunization of 500,000 people one or two months after catching the coronavirus instead of the original six months

 

Covid-19 vaccination in Logroño on Sunday.RAQUEL MANZANARES / EFE

In the race toward herd immunity from the coronavirus, or at least a return to normality whereby infections end up being a sporadic occurrence, any decision that leads to an increase in the number of people vaccinated is a good one. That’s the view of the experts and also the approach being taken by Spain’s Health Ministry and regions, at a time when there is growing concern over the slowdown of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in recent weeks.

To combat this drop in the rate of immunizations being administered, people have been able to access the shots without a prior appointment and timetables at vaccination centers have been extended. The latest measure to be added is a reduction in the time that people who have recently had a Covid-19 infection have to wait before they can get their single shot.

The latest report from the Health Ministry, which was released on Monday, shows that 225,000 new first doses have been administered since Friday, the lowest figure this summer so far. Five weeks ago, on July 19, the number was as high as 451,000. Until now, the vaccination strategy involved a single dose six months after the person in question recovered, but given the current situation of over-supply – Spain has more than 4.7 million doses in storage, according to the latest report – and the need to combat the virus as quickly as possible, the regions have opted to shorten this time frame.

Eight of the 17 regions in the country – Aragón, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Valencia, Murcia, Madrid and La Rioja – will vaccinate this group four weeks after they recover from their infection, while another six – Canary Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Navarre, Basque Country and Extremadura –will do so after two months, according to their respective regional governments. Castilla y León, for its part, has also decided to bring forward this shot and will administer it between “four and eight weeks” after an infection, according to regional chiefs.

This measure is reserved for the under-65s, while clinical criteria will be applied to anyone over that age. Galicia is still deciding whether to adopt this decision while Andalusia is, for now, the only region that is not planning on reducing the six-month wait, according to its regional health department.

According to estimates made by EL PAÍS based on data from the Health Ministry, these changes will allow for the vaccination of between 500,000 and 600,000 people to be brought forward. Otherwise, this group would have had to wait until the end of this year or the start of the next to be immunized. They are mostly under the age of 40, and became infected during this fifth wave without having been administered a single vaccine shot. The number accounts for nearly 2% of the Spanish population, a figure that, at this stage of the vaccination campaign in Spain, is not as small as it may appear.

Currently, 66.3% of people in Spain have received the full protection offered by the vaccines. Another 11% have not been able to be vaccinated, at least for now, because they are aged under 12 and no vaccines have so far been approved for that age group. The experts estimate that between 5% and 10% of the population will not be vaccinated, either because they do not want to, they have been advised not to on medical grounds, or they have another reason. The aforementioned 2%, then, is a considerable amount in the race to reach and exceed the 80% of the vaccinated population considered necessary to combat the more-infectious delta variant of the coronavirus.

Bringing forward this dose, at a time when there is no shortage of vaccines, is the correct thing to do
ANTONI TRILLA, THE HEAD OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AT THE HOSPITAL CLÍNIC IN BARCELONA
Quique Bassat, an epidemiologist and researcher at the ISGlobal institute, explains that “it is true that those who have had the infection are, in principle, protected. At a time when there are more doses than candidates to receive them, taking this step is a good strategy. The indicators will improve, it will contribute to the creation of a favorable climate for vaccination and it will improve the protection of this group. But we mustn’t forget that what’s important right now is to vaccinate those who have no protection, which includes students ahead of the upcoming academic year.”

Antoni Trilla, the head of preventive medicine at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, also backs the change in course. “This dose will improve the immune response in the recipient, which is better than with two vaccines. The time frame of six months was put in place because it was calculated that this was the time that protection would be maintained, but that was before the delta variant. So bringing forward this dose, at a time when there is no shortage of vaccines, is the correct thing to do.”

This expert, however, is very concerned about the slowdown of the campaign in recent weeks. “It’s proving very hard to advance these last few kilometers. We trust that it is all down to the vacation period and that the speed will pick up once more in the coming days.”

The number of fully vaccinated people in Spain saw a notable uptick on Friday, when it rose by 531,000 people – in large part due to an update to the data made by the Andalusia region, which had accidently included single shots administered to the group that had recently had an infection as the first dose rather than fully vaccinated. At the current speed, Spain will exceed 70% of the population vaccinated between the end of August and the start of September. According to the latest report, 35,667,383 people in Spain have received a single shot of a Covid-19 vaccine – that’s 75.2% of the population.

Appointment-free shots
With the start of the school year in September looming, the regions are still trying to increase the speed of the vaccination process to the maximum. In Andalusia, for example, 91 vaccination sites are offering appointment-free shots in order to facilitate the administration of the first dose to residents of the region who are not currently at their home address. Anyone over the age of 12 is eligible.

The Valencia region, meanwhile, has also put its foot on the accelerator and is due to administer 467,767 doses this week – most of them, 341,217, will be first doses for those who have been on vacation or had not updated their contact details, among other reasons. In Galicia, the campaign on Monday moved on to the vaccination of children aged 12 and 13 using the Moderna vaccine.

In Catalonia there are concerns because the speed of the campaign has slowed considerably. Last week, around 250,000 doses were administered – the lowest weekly figure since the end of March. The regional government has admitted that this “rhythm is lower than expected” and has attributed it to vacations and the fifth wave of the coronavirus, which until now has impeded the inoculation of many people who have recently been infected.

 

Retrieved from：https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-08-24/spanish-regions-reduce-gap-between-covid-infection-and-vaccine-shot-in-bid-to-speed-up-flagging-campaign.html

 

 

 

Passenger dies of COVID-19 amid outbreak on Carnival cruise ship

By Shepard Smith

 

The cruise ships “Carnival Sunrise” (L) and “Carnival Vista” (R) part of the Carnival Cruise Line, are seen moored at a quay in the port of Miami, Florida, on December 23, 2020, amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Daniel Slim | AFP | Getty Images

 

A 77-year-old woman has died from COVID-19 after testing positive while sailing on a Carnival cruise to Belize, marking the first reported death since cruises restarted in the Caribbean and United States in June.

The Carnival Vista cruise ship sailing out of Galveston, Texas, reported 27 people testing positive over two weeks in late July and early August, the highest number of cases since cruises started sailing again.

NBC News was working to confirm the identity of the woman, who died on Aug. 14. The New York Times reported she was a great-grandmother from Oklahoma.

The woman departed on the Carnival Vista with her family on July 31 and tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing respiratory complications, the Times reported. She was admitted to a hospital in Belize and put on a ventilator before being evacuated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and receiving treatment.

The outbreak of 27 cases aboard the ship was discovered on the fourth day of an eight-day cruise, shortly before the ship docked in Belize. Twenty-six of those who tested positive were crew members and the other was a passenger.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning businesses from requiring proof of vaccination, but more than 96% of passengers and all but one crew member aboard the Carnival Vista were fully vaccinated, according to the Belize tourism board. It wasn’t clear if the woman who died was vaccinated or not.

“We are very sorry to hear about the death of a guest who sailed on Carnival Vista,” Carnival said in a statement. “Regrettably, there is a fair amount of disinformation about the circumstances of this matter.

“The guest almost certainly did not contract COVID on our ship, and she was assisted with expert medical care on board and was ultimately evacuated from Belize after we provided a resource to her family. We have continued to provide support to her family and are not going to add to their sadness by commenting further.”

Carnival has updated its vaccination policy so that starting on Saturday, most guests will be required to be vaccinated and must also present negative results of a COVID-19 test taken within three days before boarding a ship. Carnival also implemented a mask mandate on Aug. 7 for all passengers in indoor areas.

“We have always required vaccinations. From our restart in July, 95+% guests have been vaccinated. We meet the definition of a vaccinated cruise,” a Carnival spokesperson told NBC News’ Kerry Sanders on Tuesday. “And we added the testing requirement on July 28. (August) 28 is when new guidelines for the Bahamas go into effect.”

As the more contagious Delta variant of the virus continues to spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated guidance on Aug. 20 advising that travelers at increased risk for severe illness avoid going on cruises regardless of vaccination status.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/24/passenger-dies-of-covid-19-amid-outbreak-on-carnival-cruise-ship.html