Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	221,520,567	+427,803	4,581,332
USA	40,805,259	+35,586	666,219
India	33,027,136	+39,521	440,785
Brazil	20,890,779	+12,915	583,628
Russia	7,012,599	+18,645	187,200
UK	6,978,126	+37,011	133,229
France	6,836,452	+10,410	114,905
Turkey	6,498,054	+19,391	58,106
Argentina	5,203,802	+1,397	112,511
Iran	5,129,407	+25,870	110,674
Colombia	4,918,649	+1,669	125,278
Spain	4,877,755	+9561	84,795
Italy	4,571,440	+5,315	129,515
Indonesia	4,129,020	+5,403	135,861
Germany	4,013,808	+8,314	92,863
Mexico	3,420,880	+15,586	262,868
Poland	2,890,484	+323	75,379
South Africa	2,819,945	+5,931	83,419
Ukraine	2,297,534	+1,379	53,983
Peru	2,155,034	+902	198,488
Philippines	2,080,984	+20,019	34,234
Netherlands	1,954,233	+2,347	18,037
Iraq	1,917,292	+4,897	21,100
Malaysia	1,844,835	+20,396	18,219
Czechia	1,680,559	+205	30,406
Chile	1,641,091	+425	37,090
Japan	1,556,998	+16,012	16,313
Canada	1,515,167	+1,978	27,021
Bangladesh	1,514,456	+2,430	26,563
Thailand	1,280,534	+15,452	12,855
Pakistan	1,179,305	+3,747	26,175
Israel	1,117,596	+3,962	7,205
Romania	1,106,008	+1,242	34,689
Portugal	1,047,047	+1,190	17,798
Morocco	884,085	+3,043	13,073
Kazakhstan	812,999	+4,568	9,779
Jordan	801,288	+1,048	10,471
Serbia	779,723	+2,800	7,379
Nepal	769,271	+976	10,838
UAE	723,263	+971	2,046
Austria	696,905	+1,774	10,793
Cuba	689,674	+9,221	5,703
Tunisia	674,047	+1,811	23,817
Lebanon	607,400	+864	8,101
Greece	599,951	+1,284	13,886
Georgia	564,837	+2,210	7,806
Saudi Arabia	545,243	+120	8,579
Vietnam	524,307	+13,137	13,074
Bolivia	492,509	+289	18,507
Belarus	490,926	+1,963	3,837
Guatemala	487,898	+1,079	12,265
Sri Lanka	462,767	+3,308	10,140
Bulgaria	462,033	+488	19,115
Panama	459,844	+325	7,086
Paraguay	458,884	+40	15,875
Azerbaijan	442,872	+3,310	5,842
Myanmar	415,416	+2,829	15,891
Kuwait	410,342	+72	2,424
Slovakia	396,080	+219	12,549
Uruguay	385,660	+103	6,034
Croatia	377,838	+539	8,370
Ireland	356,819	+1,180	5,112
Palestine	353,732	+1,923	3,727
Denmark	348,979	+632	2,590
Venezuela	340,187	+932	4,098
Libya	315,418	+1,914	4,323
Ethiopia	314,984	+1,516	4,763
Oman	302,668	+68	4,075
Lithuania	302,624	+581	4,607
Egypt	290,027	+343	16,789
Bahrain	273,008	+92	1,388
Slovenia	270,307	+317	4,455
Moldova	270,219	+233	6,436
S. Korea	260,403	+1,490	2,321
Armenia	245,025	+423	4,911
Kenya	240,172	+480	4,786
Qatar	233,567	+130	602
Mongolia	232,313	+3,628	962
Zambia	207,114	+86	3,616
Algeria	198,004	+345	5,420
Nigeria	195,511	+459	2,552
North Macedonia	180,045	+458	6,065
Kyrgyzstan	176,473	+126	2,550
Norway	167,265	+1,065	822
Uzbekistan	159,871	+662	1,112
Albania	150,997	+896	2,515
Mozambique	147,923	+138	1,878
Latvia	144,518	+358	2,585
Estonia	143,788	+255	1,301
Finland	130,102	+910	1,030
Namibia	125,610	+116	3,412
Zimbabwe	125,550	+125	4,482
Uganda	120,581	+115	3,045
Montenegro	118,104	+472	1,757
Cyprus	115,046	+147	515
Cambodia	95,300	+461	1,957
China	95,010	+28	4,636
Rwanda	89,768	+244	1,124
Maldives	81,979	+169	226
Senegal	73,188	+84	1,803
Jamaica	71,344	+687	1,619
Singapore	68,660	+191	55
Australia	61,609	+1,658	1,039
Malawi	60,821	+18	2,210
Ivory Coast	56,855	+120	467
Fiji	47,865	+156	508
Trinidad and Tobago	45,714	+227	1,330
Eswatini	44,176	+42	1,145
Malta	36,475	+49	444
Suriname	30,855	+320	738
Mali	14,939	+9	542

 

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

 

 

 

Vietnam sets deadline to vaccinate biggest cities' adults

By William Mallard and Emelia Sithole-Matarise

 

A woman receives a vaccine as Vietnam starts its official rollout of AstraZeneca's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine for health workers, at Hai Duong Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Hai Duong province, Vietnam, March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Thanh Hue

 

Vietnam's coronavirus epicentre, Ho Chi Minh City, and capital Hanoi must vaccinate all of their adult residents with at least one shot by Sept. 15, the ministry of health said on Sunday.

Vietnam has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the region, with only 3.3% of the country's 98 million people fully vaccinated with two shots, and 15.4% with one shot.

The country is battling a worsening COVID-19 outbreak that has infected more than 520,000 people and killed 13,000, the vast majority in the past few months.

Ho Chi Minh City, the country's business hub, accounts for half of the infections and 80% of the fatalities.

The cities must "mobilise all capable forces including private medical facilities, to vaccinate people at full capacity", the ministry said in an emergency dispatch.

Government data showed 88% of Ho Chi Minh City's adult population of 6.97 million have been inoculated with at least one shot. The rate is 53% for Hanoi's adult population of 5.75 million.

The ministry also set the Sept. 15 deadline for the southern industrial provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An to vaccinate all of their adult populations.

It said Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Long An have been allocated enough vaccine doses for the vaccination drive.

Vietnam has so far received 33 million coronavirus vaccine doses, and it expects to receive 17 million more by the end of this month, the government said late on Sunday.

Vietnam could be facing a lengthy battle against the coronavirus and cannot rely on lockdown and quarantine measures indefinitely, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said last week. 

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-sets-sept-15-deadline-vaccinate-biggest-cities-adults-2021-09-05/

 

 

 

Foxconn's Gou hopes for up to 9 mln BioNTech shots for Taiwan this year

By Ben Blanchard

 

Foxconn Technology Group founder and chairman, Terry Gou, speaks during a news conference after his trip to the U.S., in Taipei, Taiwan May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

 

Taiwan could get up to 9 million doses of BioNTech SE's (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine this year, the founder of Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn said on Monday, laying out a delivery timetable for a vaccine order that became heavily politicised.

Taiwan had blamed China, which claims the island as its own territory, for nixing an original order from the German firm this year - charges Beijing has angrily denied.

Taiwan's government then allowed major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) supplier Foxconn - formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW) - as well as its high-profile billionaire founder, Terry Gou, along with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW), to negotiate on its behalf for the doses.

The first batch of BioNTech shots arrived last week. A Taiwanese Buddhist group has also ordered 5 million shots, with government approval.

Writing on his Facebook page, Gou said the second batch of vaccines should arrive before the end of the week, with the third batch coming around the middle of the month.

"Following on, it is estimated 700,000 to 800,000 doses per week will come as weekly arrivals, so the target of 8-9 million doses this year will be reached as soon as possible, but we are also working hard to get more to Taiwan this year," he added.

BioNTech did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gou was not able to be at the airport to welcome the first batch as he was in quarantine after returning from a trip to Europe.

He said that "at the moment" there were no plans for him to receive the second batch in person to "avoid dragging in lots of people".

Taiwan is getting the shots, jointly developed with Pfizer Inc (PFE.N), earlier than expected as a delay in regulatory approval of the shot for use in mainland China made a surplus available for the island. The vaccine is approved for use in Chinese-run Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan's COVID-19 pandemic is well under control, with a vaccination programme proceeding smoothly, though only around 5% of the population are fully inoculated.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/foxconns-gou-hopes-up-9-mln-biontech-shots-taiwan-this-year-2021-09-06/

 

 

 

Australia reports 1,684 new COVID-19 cases but planning a merry Christmas

By Lidia Kelly

 

Australia reported 1,684 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday as authorities race ahead with vaccinations in a bid to end lockdowns on the populous southeast coast in the hope of making Christmas as close to normal as possible.

More than 15 million people in Victoria state, neighbouring New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been under stay-at-home orders as officials struggle to quell Australia's worst wave of the coronavirus infections, driven by the Delta variant.

New South Wales reported 1,485 cases of Delta and three further deaths on Sunday. Victoria had 183 new cases, while the Australian Capital Territory had 15. There was also one new infection reported in Queensland, which is not under a lockdown.

The lockdowns, which keep borders between states and territories closed, are part of a federally advised strategy to manage the outbreaks until at least 70% of those aged 16 and older get fully vaccinated.

The plan envisages that Australia might start reopening its international border, closed since March 2020, when 80% of people get their shots.

"When we get those vaccination rates, life will look better and feel better and we certainly will not have to have a state-wide lockdown ever again when we hit the 80% double dose vaccination rates," said Gladys Berejiklian, premier of New South Wales.

Only about 37% of eligible people have been vaccinated nationwide, due to the scarce supply of the Pfizer (PFE.N) vaccine and public unease about the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shot. The pace has picked up considerably with the federal government racing to secure more Pfizer shots. read more

Based on current rates, the 70% target may be achieved in late October of early November.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison reiterated that the Delta outbreak could not be fully eliminated - a successful strategy used by states and territories in earlier waves - but that achieving the vaccination targets could open up interstate travel.

"And everyone can make plans for a family Christmas, with all our loved ones at the dinner table, cracking bon-bons and bad jokes together," Morrison told the Sunday Herald Sun.

"Nobody wants COVID to be the virus that stole Christmas, and we have a plan and the vaccinations available to ensure that's not the case."

Australia has recorded just under 62,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,040 deaths, far fewer than many other countries.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-victoria-reports-183-local-covid-19-cases-2021-09-04/

 

 

 

Unvaccinated people should not travel over Labor Day weekend, health officials say: the week in Covid news

By Ashley Wong

 

Travelers at Union Station on Friday in Washington, D.C., as Labor Day weekend began. Credit...Alex Wong/Getty Images

Though the three-day Labor Day weekend typically signifies the unofficial end of summer and the last chance for many people to travel, health officials are trying to rein in that ritual this year as the highly contagious Delta variant fuels a rise in hospitalizations.

Unvaccinated people should avoid traveling over the holiday weekend, said Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She identified vaccination and masking as key factors in preventing the spread of the virus.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have seen that the vast majority of transmission takes place among unvaccinated people in closed, indoor settings,” Dr. Walensky said.

However, the Transportation Security Administration reported that the number of travelers passing through its airport checkpoints on Thursday and Friday nearly equaled prepandemic levels. On Thursday, the agency logged 1,896,846 checks, about 90 percent of the 2019 number, and on Friday it reported 2,129,999 checks, about 97 percent of the 2019 level.

Here’s what else happened this week:

The United States was removed from the European Union’s “safe list” of countries whose residents can travel to the 27-nation bloc without additional restrictions, such as quarantine and testing requirements. Italy is requiring unvaccinated travelers from the United States to quarantine for five days, while the changes that other parts of Europe may put into effect are still undetermined.

New Zealand on Saturday reported 20 new virus cases and one death — a woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions, according to health officials — pushing the country’s total death toll to 27. It is the only reported death since the country’s outbreak of the more transmissible Delta variant began last month and the first since February. New Zealand recently locked down to try to contain Delta’s spread.

The World Health Organization is monitoring a new coronavirus variant called “Mu” — known by scientists as B. 1.621 — and has added it to the list of “variants of interest” because of preliminary evidence it can evade antibodies. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said that the United States has identified few cases involving Mu but that officials were monitoring the variant, which was first identified in Colombia in January and now makes up nearly 40 percent of that country’s cases.

Federal regulators warned on Thursday that they might not have enough data to recommend boosters for anyone except certain recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by late September. Asked about the warning, a White House spokesman said, “We always said we would follow the science, and this is all part of a process that is now underway.”

There were a number of notable people who were dealing with the virus this week, including: the hall of fame boxer Oscar De La Hoya; Joe Rogan, the host of a hugely popular podcast who previously said on his show that young healthy people need not get Covid vaccinations; and Ross Wilson, the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul who helped manage the evacuation from the Kabul airport and who was the last diplomat to leave Afghanistan this week.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/04/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine/unvaccinated-people-should-not-travel-over-labor-day-weekend-health-officials-say-the-week-in-covid-news

 

 

 

Hospitalizations for children sharply increase as Delta surges, C.D.C. studies find

By Lauren McCarthy

 

Pediatric hospitalizations for Covid-19 have soared over the summer as the highly contagious Delta variant spread across the country, according to two new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From late June to mid-August, hospitalization rates in the United States for children and teenagers increased nearly fivefold, although they remain slightly below January’s peak, one new study found.

But vaccination has made a difference. During this summer’s wave, the hospitalization rate was 10 times as high in unvaccinated adolescents as in those who were vaccinated, researchers found. Pediatric hospital admissions were nearly four times as high in states with the lowest vaccination rates as in those with the highest rates, according to a second study.

The studies, released on Friday, do not provide clear answers about whether Delta causes more severe disease in children than earlier versions of the virus. The rise in pediatric hospitalizations could also be because of the variant’s high infectiousness.

Indeed, one study concluded that the proportion of hospitalized children with severe disease had not changed in late June and July, when the Delta variant became dominant in the United States.

The rates reported in the C.D.C. studies are based on data from two national surveillance systems, including hospitals in 49 states and Washington, D.C.

In one C.D.C. study, researchers found that since July, when the Delta variant became predominant, the rate of new coronavirus cases increased for children 17 or younger, as did Covid-related emergency room visits and hospital admissions.

“We saw that E.R. visits, cases and hospital admissions are rising,” said Dr. David Siegel, lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service and the lead author of the paper. “It could be that Delta is more severe or that Delta is more transmissible, and it could be related to other factors such as masking.”

The study also found that Covid-related emergency room visits and hospital admissions among children were more than three times as high in states with the lowest vaccination coverage compared with states with high vaccination rates, underscoring the importance of communitywide vaccination to protect children. Other important factors that might affect regional differences included masking and social distancing measures, the study noted.

Last month, as Delta surged, the incidence of Covid in children rose from earlier in the summer — reaching 16.2 cases per 100,000 children ages 4 or under; 28.5 cases per 100,000 children ages 5 to 11; and 32.7 cases per 100,000 children ages 12 through 17.

That rate represented a sharp spike from a June low of 1.7 per 100,000 children ages 4 or under; 1.9 cases per 100,000 children ages 5 to 11; and 2.9 per 100,000 children between ages 12 and 17. It was still below the peak incidence of cases among children last January.

The proportion of Covid patients under 17 who were admitted to intensive care units ranged from 10 to 25 percent from August 2020 through last June, and hovered at 20 percent by July 2021, according to the C.D.C. study.

In a second study, researchers analyzed data from the Covid-Net surveillance network, which includes information on hospitalizations in 99 counties across 14 states.

Over the course of the pandemic — or from March 1, 2020, to Aug. 14, 2021 — there were 49.7 Covid-related hospitalizations per 100,000 children and adolescents, the researchers found.

But the weekly rates have been climbing since July. During the week ending Aug. 14, there were 1.4 Covid-related hospitalizations for every 100,000 children, compared with 0.3 in late June and early July. (That remains slightly below the peak weekly rate of 1.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 children, in early January 2021, in the post-holiday wave of cases.)

Hospitalization rates have increased most sharply for children who are 4 or younger. In the week ending Aug. 14, there were 1.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in that age group, nearly 10 times as many as in late June.

But based on the limited data available so far, it does not appear that the Delta variant is affecting the incidence of severe disease or deaths among children, which have been somewhat steady and relatively low throughout the pandemic.

Among the children and adolescents hospitalized from June 20 to July 31, 23.2 percent were admitted to the I.C.U., 9.8 percent required mechanical ventilation and 1.8 percent died. Those figures were roughly the same as those for children who were hospitalized before the Delta variant became widespread.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/03/health/delta-children-hospitalization-rates.html

 

 

 

US officials optimistic Covid booster rollout will start on 20 September

By Victoria Bekiempis

 

But they insist shots won’t be rolled out without health agencies’ authorization, leaving open possibility of delays

Dr Anthony Fauci: ‘The bottom line is, very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.’ Photograph: John Locher/AP

 

US officials have expressed optimism that Covid-19 booster shot delivery can start for all adults on 20 September, the goal set by President Joe Biden, as cases continue to rage across the country fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant.

The officials insist, however, that boosters will not be rolled out without US health agencies’ authorization, leaving open the possibility of delays.

Dr Anthony Fauci, ​​head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to Biden, was asked Sunday on CBS’s Face The Nation whether the 20 September goal remained the planned rollout date.

“In some respects, it is. We were hoping that we would get both the candidates, both products, Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out by the week of the 20th. It is conceivable that we will only have one of them out, but the other one will follow soon thereafter,” Fauci said. Pfizer has submitted its data, making it likely to meet this goal, Fauci said; Moderna announced that it has started submitting data.

“The bottom line is, very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.”

“We’re not going to do anything unless it gets the appropriate FDA regulatory approval, and then the recommendation from the [CDC] advisory committee,” Fauci also said, explaining that he expects any possible delay with Moderna would be “at most” a few weeks.

As almost all Covid-19 infections in the US are caused by the Delta variant, officials hope boosters will clamp down on its rapid spread. Covid-19 vaccines do provide incredibly strong protection against illness, hospitalization, and death against Delta, but breakthrough infections are reportedly rising with this variant.

At present, 53% of the US population is fully vaccinated, and 62% have received at least one dose.

Covid-19 cases have increased 6% in the past week on 4 September, and there has been a 22% increase in deaths over that same period. The seven-day average for cases and deaths over this same period is 163,716 and 1,550, respectively.

The US continues to lead the world in Covid-19 cases and deaths, at 39,908,072 confirmed infections and 648,121 known fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Nearly 95% of US counties have “high” community transmission, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fauci’s statements come amid questions on Biden’s plans for distributing Covid-19 booster shots. Leaders of the CDC and FDA have implored Biden to reconsider his plan to start offering boosters on 20 September, saying they needed more data, NPR reported.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain echoed Fauci’s statements Sunday on CNN’s State of The Union, saying that 20 September was a projection, not a hard-and-fast date. Klain said that Biden’s discussion of booster implementation had always depended on FDA and CDC authorization.

“I think what we said was that we would be ready as of the 20th,” Klain said. “I would be absolutely clear, no one’s going to get boosters until the FDA says they’re approved, until the CDC advisory committee makes a recommendation.”

“What we want to do though is be ready as soon as that comes.”

Klain also said that the recipients would be determined by FDA and CDC’s scientific guidance.

As discussion of booster rollout continues, public health officials and experts have recently expressed concern that Labor Day holiday travel this weekend could worsen the ongoing surge.

“As we head into Labor Day, we should all be concerned about history repeating itself. High or intense transmission around most of the country combined with population mobility with limited masking and social distancing has been a consistent predictor of major surges,” Dr John Brownstein, a Boston Children’s Hospital epidemiologist, told ABC News.

Data show that holidays can spur dramatic Covid-19 transmission throughout the country. In the weeks preceding Labor Day 2020, average US daily cases dropped to about 38,000. There was a 400 percent increase in daily US cases between Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving of 2020, however, resulting in record high deaths and hospitalizations, ABC News said.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) director, said Tuesday during the White House Covid-19 briefing: “First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling.”

“Throughout the pandemic, we have seen that the vast majority of transmission takes place among unvaccinated people in closed, indoor settings,” Walensky also said.

Jeff Zients, White House Covid-19 response coordinator, similarly commented during this briefing: “We need more individuals to step up, as people across the country prepare for Labor Day weekend. It’s critical that being vaccinated is part of their pre-holiday checklist.”

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/05/us-covid-booster-rollout-20-september

 

 

 

Summary

 

Here are the key developments from the last few hours:

· Vaccine passports will be required for nightclubs, mass events and large venues in England by the end of September, the vaccines minister has confirmed. Nadhim Zahawi said: “The best thing to do then is to work with the industry to make sure that they can open safely and sustainably in the long term, and the best way to do that is to check vaccine status.”

· Zahawi also appeared to confirm reports that the government is considering making vaccination a requirement of working for the NHS. He said it “right and responsible” to consider such a move. The NHS Confederation said such a move was “unnecessary” because the overwhelming majority of NHS staff have been vaccinated.

· Children will be able to overrule parental objections to them having Covid jabs if they are deemed to be able make competent decisions, according to Zahawi. “If they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do,” he said.

· Several prominent doctors and health experts have criticised the Speaker for allowing the Commons to open next week without Covid restrictions. They include Sage member Susan Michie and Professor Azeem Majeed head of primary Care and public health at Imperial College London.

· The Vietnamese government has set a deadline of 15 September for everyone in its main cities to have at least one jab. Vietnam has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the region, with only 3.3% of the country’s 98 million people fully vaccinated with two shots, and 15.4% with one shot.

· Russia’s coronavirus cases have surpassed 7 million, with the country reporting 18,645 new infections in the past 24 hours and 793 more deaths. The latest figures took the total number of cases to 7,012,599, with the overall death toll at 187,200.

· Iran has announced a further 610 deaths from Covid taking its total death toll from the virus to 110,674. Its highest daily increase in Covid deaths of 709 was on 24 August.

· Almost 50 chain stores per day closed down on British high streets, retail parks and shopping centres in the first half of the year,according to research. But the rate of closures slowed compared with the first six months of 2020, a survey conducted for accountancy firm PwC found.

· Brazil’s federal health regulator has suspended the use of over 12 million doses of vaccines developed by China’s Sinovac firm. The regulator said in a statement on Saturday that doses that were suspended were produced in an unauthorized plant.

· Germany reported 10,453 new cases of the virus and 21 more deaths on Sunday. The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 4,005,641 and deaths at 92,346.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/sep/06/coronavirus-live-news-mississippi-hospitals-overwhelmed-new-zealand-eases-restrictions-outside-auckland?page=with:block-61359a848f08bf4765a46fe1#block-61359a848f08bf4765a46fe1