Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	226,630,059	+512,992	4,661,682
USA	42,288,205	+142,059	682,341
India	33,315,512	+27,491	443,528
Brazil	21,019,830	+13,406	587,847
UK	7,282,810	+26,628	134,446
Russia	7,176,085	+17,837	194,249
France	6,917,460	+10,327	115,697
Turkey	6,710,666	+27,802	60,393
Iran	5,340,656	+22,329	115,167
Argentina	5,229,848	+3,017	113,816
Colombia	4,932,998	+1,435	125,713
Spain	4,918,526	+3,261	85,548
Italy	4,613,214	+4,021	130,027
Indonesia	4,174,216	+4,128	139,415
Germany	4,104,216	+8,845	93,319
Mexico	3,516,043	+4,161	267,969
Poland	2,894,455	+537	75,433
South Africa	2,864,534	+3,699	85,302
Ukraine	2,321,156	+3,332	54,457
Philippines	2,266,066	+18,056	35,529
Peru	2,162,294	+936	198,840
Malaysia	2,011,440	+15,669	21,587
Netherlands	1,974,662	+2,009	18,083
Iraq	1,959,369	+4,400	21,596
Czechia	1,683,802	+493	30,416
Chile	1,644,832	+292	37,253
Japan	1,644,443	+4,171	16,846
Canada	1,555,121	+4,049	27,262
Bangladesh	1,534,440	+2,074	27,007
Thailand	1,406,542	+11,786	14,621
Belgium	1,210,381	+1,815	25,473
Pakistan	1,210,082	+2,574	26,865
Israel	1,194,783	+10,730	7,438
Romania	1,126,582	+3,929	35,132
Portugal	1,057,100	+1,058	17,872
Morocco	908,349	+2,785	13,683
Kazakhstan	845,388	+2,801	10,427
Serbia	830,884	+7,723	7,601
Hungary	815,851	+246	30,102
Jordan	809,443	+973	10,568
Nepal	779,492	+1,180	10,984
Cuba	761,060	+7,516	6,449
UAE	730,135	+617	2,066
Austria	713,269	+1,696	10,849
Tunisia	695,406	+550	24,274
Vietnam	635,055	+10,508	15,936
Greece	620,355	+2,919	14,268
Lebanon	614,688	+706	8,210
Georgia	585,036	+3,221	8,287
Saudi Arabia	546,163	+96	8,633
Guatemala	515,756	+4,299	12,795
Belarus	506,591	+1,630	3,941
Ecuador	505,628	+333	32,491
Costa Rica	496,736	+1,376	5,851
Bolivia	495,272	+237	18,595
Sri Lanka	490,957	+2,475	11,567
Bulgaria	475,299	+2,029	19,744
Azerbaijan	463,326	+2,077	6,167
Panama	462,770	+323	7,152
Paraguay	459,391	+51	16,114
Myanmar	436,527	+2,421	16,693
Kuwait	410,901	+59	2,434
Slovakia	399,218	+474	12,562
Uruguay	387,028	+155	6,044
Croatia	385,056	+974	8,456
Palestine	374,768	+2,660	3,837
Ireland	368,712	+1,176	5,155
Dominican Republic	353,887	+345	4,020
Honduras	353,641	+668	9,370
Denmark	353,061	+425	2,614
Venezuela	349,731	+858	4,228
Libya	326,370	+1,149	4,457
Ethiopia	325,379	+1,664	5,001
Lithuania	309,855	+889	4,721
Oman	303,223	+60	4,090
Egypt	293,951	+503	16,895
Slovenia	277,853	+1,393	4,473
Moldova	276,701	+1,143	6,548
S. Korea	275,910	+1,495	2,367
Bahrain	273,916	+81	1,388
Mongolia	260,709	+2,939	1,056
Armenia	249,803	+657	5,034
Kenya	244,380	+451	4,928
Qatar	234,895	+122	604
Zambia	208,049	+89	3,635
Algeria	200,528	+227	5,614
Nigeria	200,057	+519	2,637
Norway	178,481	+1,219	829
Uzbekistan	165,421	+531	1,164
Albania	158,431	+995	2,553
Mozambique	149,480	+221	1,895
Latvia	147,788	+460	2,621
Estonia	147,357	+473	1,313
Finland	134,305	+454	1,039
Zimbabwe	126,817	+418	4,550
Namibia	126,430	+89	3,437
Cyprus	116,494	+126	534
Suriname	34,637	+649	773
Aruba	15,129	+37	156

 

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

 

 

 

U.S. judge blocks N.Y. vaccine mandate for healthcare workers

By Daniel Wiessner

 

Syringes filled with a doses of Pfizer's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are seen at a pop-up community vaccination center at the Gateway World Christian Center in Valley Stream, New York, U.S., February 23, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

A U.S. judge in New York on Tuesday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a requirement that healthcare workers receive COVID-19 vaccines against the wishes of employees with religious objections.

U.S. District Judge David Hurd in Utica, New York in a written order said he was blocking the mandate from taking effect on Sept. 27 because it does not allow for exemptions based on workers' religious beliefs.

The order came in a lawsuit filed on Monday by 17 doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who say New York's requirement violates their constitutional rights in various ways.

The plaintiffs are all Christians who say they object to receiving the vaccines because the cell lines of aborted fetuses were used in their testing and development.

Hurd gave the state until Sept. 22 to respond to the lawsuit, and said he will hold a Sept. 28 hearing on whether to block the vaccine requirement from taking effect pending the outcome of the case.

The mandate was issued last month by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said at the time that about 75% of the state's roughly 450,000 hospital workers were fully vaccinated.

The New York Attorney General's office, which represents the state, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did lawyers for the plaintiffs.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-blocks-ny-vaccine-mandate-healthcare-workers-2021-09-14/

 

 

 

Dutch PM Rutte: Netherlands to ease COVID-19 restrictions

 

 

Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks during the gala event after the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Johannes Vermeer. Vom Innehalten" in Dresden, Germany, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/ Matthias Rietschel

 

The Dutch government on Tuesday announced they are easing COVID-19 restrictions and will introduce a "corona" pass showing proof of vaccination to go to bars, restaurants, clubs or cultural events.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said most social distancing requirements will be dropped from Sept. 25.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-pm-rutte-netherlands-ease-covid-19-restrictions-2021-09-14/

 

 

 

EXCLUSIVE Indonesia aims to reopen to foreigners in November - minister

By Kate Lamb and Tom Allard

 

Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin shows AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine as part of a mass vaccination program for Nahdlatul Ulama's clerics in Surabaya, Indonesia, March 23, 2021 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Moch Asim/via REUTERS

 

Indonesia plans to start opening its borders to foreigners in November once 70% of its target population have received at least one vaccine shot, its health minister said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Reuters, Budi Gunadi Sadikin said he was taking cues from the strategy adopted by Britain, which he said prioritised rolling out first doses and had achieved a lower rate of hospital admissions and fatalities.

"So for us we concentrate on the first dose. If we can vaccinate 70% of the target population of 208 million, if we can hit 140-150 million, 70% with the first dose, then we can gradually start reopening," he said.

"And my calculation is that will be reached by November."

The November 2021 timeline is the first time a senior Indonesian minister has committed publicly to a dateline for reopening the country’s borders.

Only foreign nationals who have diplomatic or working visas, or are eligible for other exemptions, are permitted to enter Indonesia.

Budi said border restrictions would be eased even further once 70% of the target population had received two doses.

Cabinet ministers have also flagged reopening the resort island of Bali but no timeline has been set.

Indonesia has recorded more than 4.1 million coronavirus cases and 139,000 deaths from COVID-19, but the positivity rate - the number of those tested who are positive - has dropped. It was 31% in late July, but was 2% on Tuesday.

Social restrictions have been in place since early July, but have gradually eased to allow malls, restaurants, cinemas and factories to operate at limited and conditional capacity.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy, struck by one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia, has vaccinated about 25% of its target population but Budi said vaccine rates would need to be almost doubled to 2 million shots per day by deploying the police and army to help dispense shots.

Indonesia's inoculation program has been hampered by distribution and logistics problems, and vaccine hesitancy, but it hopes more than 140 million people will have been vaccinated twice by next March.

The health ministry is looking to use a network of about 300,000 midwives from the national family planning agency to help accelerate vaccinations, based on a model trialled in West Java.

Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, has the sixth highest number of people who have received their first vaccine dose, the minister said, after China, the United States, India, Brazil and Japan.

Budi said he could not guarantee there would not be a third surge of infections in Indonesia.

"It is extremely difficult to predict," he said.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-indonesia-aims-reopen-foreigners-november-minister-2021-09-14/

 

 

 

Greece introduces new restrictions on the unvaccinated

By Niki Kitsantonis

 

A placard reading “freedom or death” at a protest against Covid-19 vaccinations in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Saturday.Credit...Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

 

The authorities in Greece on Monday introduced new measures banning unvaccinated people from indoor venues, including cafes and restaurants, and obliging employees who have not had their coronavirus shots to undergo regular tests at their own expense.

The measures, which are to remain in place through March, are aimed at flattening a fourth wave of the virus.

The new regulations bar unvaccinated people from the indoor areas of cafes, restaurants and bars. They will only be able to enter theaters, cinemas, gyms and museums with proof of a negative rapid coronavirus test conducted within the previous 48 hours or with a certificate verifying that they have recovered from Covid-19 within the previous six months.

The new rules will also apply to workplaces. All employees who do not have a certificate of vaccination or recent recovery from Covid-19 will have to undergo at least one rapid screening per week at a private clinic, at a cost of 10 euros (about $11.80) per test. Unvaccinated people working in tourism, education and food service will be required to take two tests per week, along with school and university students. The tests will be free for children.

Schools in Greece reopened on Monday, prompting concern that the virus could get fresh impetus. Children ages 12 and older in Greece are eligible for doses, though only 13 percent of those ages 12 to 14, and 25 percent of those ages 15 to 17, are fully vaccinated, according to figures announced by the country’s Health Ministry on Monday.

Matina Pagoni, head of a union of doctors in Athens and Piraeus, told Greek television last week that face masks and social distancing were crucial to averting a spread in classrooms, adding that windows should remain open. Her union has proposed that mobile vaccination centers be set up outside schools to increase the uptake of the vaccine among children.

Vaccine hesitancy is relatively strong in Greece, where only 55 percent of the population of 10.7 million have been fully vaccinated, compared with about 59 percent across the 27-nation European Union, according to figures from Our World in Data. More than 6,000 Greek health workers have been suspended without pay after refusing to get shots despite a law that requires them to be vaccinated.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/14/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine/greece-introduces-new-restrictions-on-the-unvaccinated

 

 

 

As India’s lethal Covid wave neared, politics overrode science

By Karan Deep Singh

 

In September 2020, eight months before a deadly Covid-19 second wave struck India, government-appointed scientists downplayed the possibility of a new outbreak. Previous infections and early lockdown efforts had tamed the spread, the scientists wrote in a study that was widely covered by the Indian news media after it was released last year.

The results dovetailed neatly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two main goals: restart India’s stricken economy and kick off campaigning for his party in state elections that coming spring.

But Anup Agarwal, a physician then working for India’s top science agency, which reviewed and published the study, worried that its conclusions would lull the country into a false sense of security.

Dr. Agarwal took his concerns to the agency’s top official in October. The response: He and another concerned scientist were reprimanded, he said.

In the wake of the devastating second wave, which killed hundreds of thousands, many in India are asking how Mr. Modi’s government missed the warning signs. Part of the answer, according to current and former government researchers and documents reviewed by The New York Times, is that senior officials forced scientists at elite institutions to downplay the threat to prioritize Mr. Modi’s political goals.

Senior officials at Dr. Agarwal’s agency — called the Indian Council of Medical Research, or I.C.M.R. — suppressed data showing the risks, according to the researchers and documents.

Agency scientists interviewed by The Times described a culture of silence. Midlevel researchers worried that they would be passed over for promotions and other opportunities if they questioned superiors, they said.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/14/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine/as-indias-lethal-covid-wave-neared-politics-overrode-science

 

 

 

Vladimir Putin is isolating after possible exposure to the coronavirus

By Anton Troianovski

 

President Vladimir V. Putin “is absolutely healthy” but was isolating after some close aides tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman said.Credit...Pool photo by Sergei Savostyanov

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said he is isolating because several members of his inner circle tested positive for the coronavirus.

Mr. Putin canceled a planned trip to Tajikistan this week for a Central Asian security summit, the Kremlin said, describing a phone call that Mr. Putin had on Tuesday with Emomali Rahmon, the Tajik president.

“Vladimir Putin said that in connection with identified cases of the coronavirus in his environment, he must observe self-isolation for a certain period of time,” the statement said.

In a televised videoconference later Tuesday with senior officials, Mr. Putin said that one of the people who tested positive was a vaccinated staff member with whom he had recently interacted “very closely in the course of the whole day.” Mr. Putin has said he was vaccinated with the two-dose regimen of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, but he has continued to be extraordinarily careful in his public appearances, often requiring people he meets to quarantine beforehand.

“We’ll see how Sputnik V works in practice,” Mr. Putin said in the videoconference, adding that his antibody levels were still high.

Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said Mr. Putin would continue working while in isolation and expressed confidence that the vaccine would protect him from a serious case of the disease.

“We all know that the vaccine is guaranteed to protect you from serious consequences, but cases of illness are still possible,” Mr. Peskov said. “The president is absolutely healthy.”

Mr. Putin had been scheduled to attend a summit on Friday of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security group. He will still participate in the meeting, but will do so by video link, the Kremlin said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Xi Jinping of China are also scheduled to address the gathering remotely. 

Mr. Putin’s isolation — the first time he has taken such a step because of potential exposure — underscores the pandemic’s continuing severity in Russia. Widespread vaccine hesitancy and lax mask-wearing have allowed the Delta variant of the coronavirus to spread largely unchecked. 

Russia’s officially reported mortality from the coronavirus has been essentially flat, at just below 800 deaths per day, since July. The remarkable stability of the daily toll has led some analysts to question its veracity, though officials insist it is accurate. 

Mr. Putin had several in-person events on Monday as officials were deliberating over whether he should go into quarantine, including a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, a close Russian ally. That took place “before the decision was made about the necessity of self-isolation,” Mr. Peskov said, adding, “No one’s health was put in danger.”

Both Mr. al-Assad and his wife, Asma, contracted the virus but quickly recovered, officials said in March. There was no word from Syria on Tuesday that Mr. al-Assad would need to self-isolate after the meeting with Mr. Putin.

“We are working together on solving the most important problem that all of humanity faces today — the fight against the coronavirus infection,” Mr. Putin told Mr. al-Assad, according to a transcript published by the Kremlin on Tuesday. “I hope that, with our joint efforts, we will be able to help the Syrian people get back on their feet in every sense of the word.”

Russia intervened in support of Mr. al-Assad in Syria’s civil war in 2015 and turned the tide of the conflict in his favor, amid heavy criticism from human-rights groups of a brutal bombing campaign. Russia delivered 250,000 doses of its one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine to Syria in July.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/14/world/putin-covid-russia.html

 

 

 

Summary

 

Here are the key developments from the last few hours:

· The WHO warned that Africa has been left behind the rest of the world because of vaccine inequality, with its head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying rich countries and pharmaceuticals have held up efforts to fairly distribute vaccines. 

· The Russian president, Vladimir Putin is self-isolating after cases of coronavirus were detected among close contacts. The Kremlin has said that he will no longer travel to Tajikistan this week as planned for regional security meetings and will instead do them by video conference. He will self-isolate for “a certain period”, the Kremlin said.

· Turkey reported its highest number of cases since May and a near-record 276 deaths.

· A WHO official said the vaccine hub established in South Africa may need a year to replicate the Moderna vaccine, as talks with the company on sharing information have not progressed. 

· Mauritius is battling an explosion of coronavirus cases.Hospitals are overwhelmed, ventilators in short supply and cemeteries are running out of space.

· The UK vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has said he is hopeful that the over-50s booster campaign will be the “last piece of the jigsaw” for ending lockdowns, as the government announced its winter plan for dealing with the coronavirus. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said it hoped the boosters would top up immunity. MRNA vaccines are being recommended, regardless of which vaccine was originally administered. 

· Sierra Leone has ended a curfew in place since early July after infections dropped to single figures over the past few weeks. 

· A Republican governor in the US, Kim Reynolds, has said she will appeal a temporary order by a federal judge allowing schools in Iowa to make face masks mandatory amid coronavirus. Meanwhile, in Florida, governor Ron DeSantis has threatened to fine cities and counties that force employees to get coronavirus vaccines.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/sep/14/coronavirus-live-news-new-china-outbreak-grows-uk-health-secretary-to-set-out-booster-plans