i_need_contribute
|
Country, |
Total |
New |
Total |
|
World |
229,806,495 |
+401,555 |
4,713,070 |
|
43,107,628 |
+86,072 |
694,619 |
|
|
33,502,744 |
+24,925 |
445,416 |
|
|
21,247,667 |
+7,884 |
591,034 |
|
|
7,465,448 |
+36,100 |
135,252 |
|
|
7,294,672 |
+19,744 |
198,996 |
|
|
6,956,848 |
+1,515 |
116,050 |
|
|
6,874,947 |
+27,688 |
61,805 |
|
|
5,442,232 |
+17,397 |
117,526 |
|
|
5,241,394 |
+2,162 |
114,518 |
|
|
4,942,249 |
+1,185 |
125,924 |
|
|
4,935,534 |
+1,996 |
85,901 |
|
|
4,638,516 |
+2,407 |
130,354 |
|
|
4,192,695 |
+1,932 |
140,634 |
|
|
4,157,113 |
+5,303 |
93,632 |
|
|
3,569,677 |
+4,983 |
271,503 |
|
|
2,898,299 |
+363 |
75,488 |
|
|
2,884,134 |
+1,504 |
86,216 |
|
|
2,385,616 |
+18,937 |
36,934 |
|
|
2,350,646 |
+2,265 |
54,919 |
|
|
2,167,652 |
+644 |
199,036 |
|
|
2,112,175 |
+14,345 |
23,744 |
|
|
1,986,241 |
+1,326 |
18,123 |
|
|
1,978,412 |
+3,192 |
21,869 |
|
|
1,686,362 |
+184 |
30,438 |
|
|
1,676,711 |
+3,401 |
17,204 |
|
|
1,647,746 |
+277 |
37,367 |
|
|
1,581,910 |
+3,852 |
27,434 |
|
|
1,544,238 |
+1,555 |
27,251 |
|
|
1,489,186 |
+12,709 |
15,469 |
|
|
1,235,064 |
+5,394 |
7,555 |
|
|
1,226,008 |
+2,167 |
27,246 |
|
|
1,223,186 |
+1,434 |
25,510 |
|
|
1,152,052 |
+3,342 |
35,592 |
|
|
1,062,320 |
+272 |
17,914 |
|
|
920,374 |
+693 |
13,958 |
|
|
872,110 |
+6,424 |
7,808 |
|
|
862,862 |
+2,438 |
10,763 |
|
|
818,231 |
+1,072 |
30,136 |
|
|
814,676 |
+1,075 |
10,624 |
|
|
809,911 |
+8,544 |
6,856 |
|
|
785,541 |
+975 |
11,048 |
|
|
733,003 |
+313 |
2,077 |
|
|
725,434 |
+1,399 |
10,896 |
|
|
700,400 |
+472 |
24,527 |
|
|
695,744 |
+8,681 |
17,305 |
|
|
632,908 |
+2,124 |
14,505 |
|
|
618,580 |
+302 |
8,240 |
|
|
595,926 |
+662 |
8,575 |
|
|
546,612 |
+63 |
8,667 |
|
|
530,026 |
+604 |
13,061 |
|
|
518,369 |
+1,941 |
4,016 |
|
|
510,653 |
+1,514 |
6,056 |
|
|
507,020 |
+17 |
32,666 |
|
|
506,009 |
+1,518 |
12,218 |
|
|
497,100 |
+150 |
18,659 |
|
|
484,546 |
+2,360 |
20,166 |
|
|
473,459 |
+740 |
6,327 |
|
|
464,440 |
+152 |
7,176 |
|
|
459,665 |
+15 |
16,132 |
|
|
448,158 |
+1,585 |
17,129 |
|
|
411,233 |
+53 |
2,440 |
|
|
402,922 |
+114 |
12,573 |
|
|
392,248 |
+264 |
8,514 |
|
|
387,744 |
+117 |
6,048 |
|
|
386,493 |
+2,103 |
3,935 |
|
|
376,517 |
+1,150 |
5,179 |
|
|
358,950 |
+443 |
9,522 |
|
|
356,262 |
+1,201 |
4,311 |
|
|
355,378 |
+228 |
4,029 |
|
|
354,913 |
+268 |
2,630 |
|
|
333,698 |
+737 |
5,164 |
|
|
332,026 |
+1,081 |
4,517 |
|
|
316,697 |
+747 |
4,819 |
|
|
303,459 |
+36 |
4,093 |
|
|
297,608 |
+679 |
16,992 |
|
|
287,536 |
+1,605 |
2,409 |
|
|
283,770 |
+291 |
4,503 |
|
|
282,650 |
+950 |
6,605 |
|
|
277,997 |
+2,851 |
1,119 |
|
|
274,383 |
+119 |
1,388 |
|
|
253,942 |
+342 |
5,143 |
|
|
246,643 |
+113 |
4,995 |
|
|
235,626 |
+139 |
604 |
|
|
208,502 |
+33 |
3,639 |
|
|
202,191 |
+393 |
2,661 |
|
|
201,766 |
+166 |
5,709 |
|
|
182,918 |
+679 |
841 |
|
|
177,780 |
+58 |
2,590 |
|
|
173,788 |
+1,536 |
2,354 |
|
|
168,938 |
+501 |
1,192 |
|
|
163,404 |
+451 |
2,587 |
|
|
150,749 |
+189 |
2,645 |
|
|
150,142 |
+366 |
1,328 |
|
|
150,067 |
+49 |
1,903 |
|
|
117,235 |
+547 |
547 |
|
|
37,590 |
+619 |
814 |
|
|
15,274 |
+25 |
159 |
Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
By Lara Jakes and Sheryl Gay Stolberg
Boxes of Moderna vaccines distributed through Covax, the United Nations-backed vaccine program, arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, this month.Credit...Brian Inganga/Associated Press
At a virtual summit on Wednesday, while the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting is underway, President Biden will urge other vaccine-producing countries to balance their domestic needs with a renewed focus on manufacturing and distributing doses to poor nations in desperate need of them.
The push, which White House officials say seeks to inject urgency into vaccine diplomacy, will test Mr. Biden’s doctrine of furthering American interests by building global coalitions. Covax, the United Nations-backed vaccine program, is so far behind schedule that not even 10 percent of the population in poor nations is fully vaccinated, experts said. And the landscape is even more challenging now than when Covax was created in April 2020.
Some nations in Asia have imposed tariffs and other trade restrictions on Covid-19 vaccines, slowing their delivery. India, home to the world’s largest vaccine maker, banned coronavirus vaccine exports in April, but announced on Monday that it would resume shipments next month. And an F.D.A. panel on Friday recommended Pfizer booster shots for those over 65 or at high risk of severe Covid, meaning that vaccine doses that could have gone to low and lower-middle income countries would remain in the United States.
Officials said Wednesday’s summit would be the largest gathering of heads of state to address the coronavirus crisis. It aims to encourage pharmaceutical makers, philanthropists and nongovernmental organizations to work together toward vaccinating 70 percent of the world’s population by the time the U.N. General Assembly meets in September 2022, according to a draft document the White House sent to the summit participants.
Experts estimate that 11 billion doses are necessary to achieve widespread global immunity. The United States has pledged to donate more than 600 million — more than any other nation — and the Biden administration has taken steps to expand vaccine manufacturing in the United States, India and South Africa. The 27-nation European Union aims to export 700 million doses by the end of the year.
But on the heels of the United States’ calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan last month that drew condemnation from allies and adversaries alike, the effort to rally world leaders will be closely watched by public health experts and advocates who say Mr. Biden is not living up to his pledges to make the United States the “arsenal of vaccines” for the world.
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/20/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine/biden-will-push-a-global-plan-to-send-more-vaccines-to-needy-countries
By Livia Albeck-Ripka and Gaia Pianigiani
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand ended nearly five weeks of the highest level of lockdown in Auckland, the country’s most populous city, but reminded residents many restrictions would remain in place.CreditCredit...Phil Walter/Getty Images
New Zealand will ease coronavirus restrictions in Auckland, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, ending nearly five weeks of the strictest lockdown in the country’s most populous city.
Some businesses, including restaurants and cafes, will be allowed to reopen for takeout and delivery beginning Tuesday night, and as many as 10 people will be permitted to gather in the city for ceremonies including funerals and weddings, Ms. Ardern told reporters. In New Zealand’s four-tier system of Covid rules, Auckland will now be at Level 3, the second most restrictive. The rest of the country has been under Level 2 for the past two weeks.
The measures have frustrated residents and shuttered businesses, as the country remained one of the few committed to completely eliminating the Delta variant of the coronavirus. There were 22 new cases reported on Monday, down from a peak of 83 during this outbreak. New Zealand began slowly relaxing some of the world’s strictest antivirus measures earlier this month, aiming to reopen borders to foreigners some time next year.
“We keep doing the job of stamping out Covid,” Ms. Ardern said. “We are not stepping out of Level 4 because the job is done. Nor are we moving because we don’t think we can achieve the goal of stamping out Covid-19.”
Other nations in the Asia Pacific region have begun to reopen despite rising numbers of new cases, acknowledging that strategies that aim to eliminate the virus may be untenable. Australian authorities have said that country will begin to reopen once 70 percent of the eligible population is vaccinated. Singapore has loosened quarantine rules for some travelers. In Vietnam, businesses are reopening, although cases are still high.
Ms. Ardern insisted that the change in rules for Auckland should be considered a cautious step. Across the rest of New Zealand, restrictions at indoor gatherings, including restaurants and bars, will be further eased, allowing 100 people to gather. The new restrictions will remain in place for at least two weeks, and will be reassessed on Oct. 4.
Elsewhere in the world:
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/world/asia/new-zealand-covid-lockdown.html
By Sameer Yasir
Quality checking during the manufacture of the Covishield vaccine at the Serum Institute in Pune, India, in January.Credit...Atul Loke for The New York Times
India’s health minister said on Monday that the country would resume exports of Covid-19 vaccines, five months after halting shipments during its own devastating wave of infections.
The health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, said that exports would resume starting next month, and that the vaccines would help fulfill India’s commitment to Covax, the United Nations-backed vaccine sharing initiative.
He said that India would produce more than 300 million vaccine doses in October and a total of at least a billion over the final three months of 2021.
“We will help the world and also fulfill our commitment toward Covax,” Mr. Mandaviya said.
The minister did not specify which vaccines India would supply to Covax, or how many doses. Before halting exports in April, the country exported 66.4 million doses, a combination of commercial sales, grants and shipments to Covax, which is designed mainly to help low- and middle- income countries.
India’s decision comes as its domestic vaccination campaign has picked up after a slow start. The government says it expects to finish inoculating all 944 million adults in the country by December.
So far, 61 percent of adults in India have received their first dose, according to government data. The two main vaccines in use are Covishield, the local name for the AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, produced by the Indian company Bharat Biotech.
The decision on exports comes days before India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the United States, where he is scheduled to participate in a summit including President Biden and the leaders of Australia and Japan, and to speak at the annual gathering of the U.N. General Assembly. The global vaccination effort is expected to be a focus of both meetings, and the Biden administration had been trying to persuade Mr. Modi to resume exports.
India was initially expected to be the main vaccine supplier for the Covax initiative, and its export ban came as a heavy blow to the program, which is so far behind schedule that fewer than 10 percent of people in poor countries are vaccinated.
India began to expand vaccine coverage to all adults in the country in May, after a devastating second wave of infections that overburdened its health care infrastructure, leaving thousands dead and many struggling to find hospital beds. The country’s total caseload stood on Monday about 318,000, the lowest in approximately six months, according to official data.
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/world/asia/india-covid-vaccine-exports.html
By Aradhana Aravindan
People queue up outside a quick test centre to take their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) antigen rapid tests, in Singapore September 21, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Some health experts in Singapore are calling for mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus with a growing toll of severe COVID-19 among unvaccinated people as infections surge and with vaccine take-up plateauing at 82% of the population.
The government has linked reopening to vaccination targets but it paused the easing of restrictions this month to watch for signs that severe infections could overwhelm the health system.
"I would love to see vaccine mandates in over 60s, they are the group most likely to die," said Dale Fisher, an infectious disease expert at the National University Hospital in Singapore.
"It's the same reason that age group was selected early for vaccines, the same reason that age group has been selected for booster jabs."
Singapore has been a model for coronavirus mitigation since the pandemic began with mandatory masks, effective contact tracing and a closed border.
In all, 62 of its 5.7 million people have died and new daily infections were for months no more than a handful.
But, as elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Delta variant has in recent months been spreading and new daily cases have risen to about 1,000.
Several countries including the United States, France and Italy have announced mandatory vaccination programmes, concerned the Delta variant and a slowdown in vaccinations will thwart plans to get back to normal. read more
Of vaccinated people in Singapore who caught the virus from May 1 to Sept. 16, only 0.09% of them had to go into intensive care or died. The rate for the unvaccinated was 1.7%.
Data for the elderly is particularly striking.
Of infected unvaccinated people aged 80 or older, 15% of them had to be treated in intensive care or died. Only 1.79% of the vaccinated in that age group needed intensive care or died.
'MORE PROTECTIVE'
Singapore has not made vaccination compulsory because the Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) shots only have emergency approval in the country although it has limited activities such as eating out for the unvaccinated.
Neither company responded to a query on whether it had applied for full approval in Singapore.
With about 87,000 seniors still unvaccinated, some experts say full approval could pave the way for a mandate.
"Vaccination is much more protective than the other measures we have in place, and less economically and socially damaging," said Alex Cook, an infectious disease modelling expert at the National University of Singapore.
"If we are not to enforce vaccination, it seems odd to enforce weaker and more costly measures."
The number of patients requiring oxygen support or intensive care jumped more than five-fold this month to 146, including 18 in ICU.
The government is worried the numbers in ICU could grow quickly on an exponentially rising base of infected people, especially if they are elderly and unvaccinated.
Singapore has about 100 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients, and it can increase that to nearly 300 at short notice.
A vaccine mandate could take the form of curtailing activities for unvaccinated people related to their work, leisure and use of public transport, said infectious diseases doctor Leong Hoe Nam.
"You cannot go to the malls or take public transport or eat out unless vaccinated," he said, giving examples of possible restrictions.
Only vaccinations against diphtheria and measles are mandated by law in Singapore.
The government has been offering the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for free and it has also approved payouts to 144 people who suffered serious side effects, media reported.
Singapore has a long record of imposing rules, including a famous 1992 ban on the sale of chewing gum to prevent littering, but nevertheless compulsory vaccines would be a significant step.
"It will take political courage, there's no doubt about that, but the science would say you will save hundreds of lives if you vaccinate the last 100,000 seniors," said Fisher.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/calls-grow-among-experts-singapore-vaccine-mandate-covid-19-spikes-2021-09-21/
By Michael Erman
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE said on Monday their COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response in 5 to 11 year olds, and they plan to ask for regulatory authorization as soon as possible to use the shot in children in that age range in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.
The companies said their two-dose vaccine generated an immune response in the 5-to-11 year olds in a Phase II/III clinical trial that matched what was previously observed in 16-to-25 year olds. The safety profile was also generally comparable to the older age group, they added.
"Since July, pediatric cases of COVID-19 have risen by about 240 percent in the U.S. - underscoring the public health need for vaccination," Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said in a news release.
"These trial results provide a strong foundation for seeking authorization of our vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old, and we plan to submit them to the FDA and other regulators with urgency," Bourla added.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine already has won U.S. regulatory authorization for people age 12 and up, including full Food and Drug Administration approval last month for ages 16 and up.
Top U.S. health officials believe regulators could make a decision on whether the shot is safe and effective in younger children within three weeks of the companies submitting a request for authorization, two sources told Reuters this month. A rapid authorization could help mitigate a potential surge of cases this fall, with schools already open nationwide.
COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have surged in the United States in recent months due to the highly contagious Delta variant, especially in areas with low vaccination rates even as President Joe Biden implores vaccine holdouts to get their shots. Pediatric cases are also up, particularly as children under 12 are all unvaccinated, but there is no indication that, beyond being more transmissible, the Delta virus is more dangerous in kids.
FDA acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock said that once the agency receives the application, its process for determining if the vaccine is safe and effective for children in the younger age group includes verifying the manufacturing processes for the lower concentrations of the shots and any study of its safety.
"We'll look at the clinical data and make sure that children responded to the vaccine the way we would expect," Woodcock said during an appearance on former Biden administration official Andy Slavitt's podcast.
Pfizer shares fell 1.3% to $43.28 before the bell on Monday amid broader market weakness.
A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken, October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
DATA FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, called Comirnaty, is authorized for use in children as young as 12 in many countries in addition to the United States. It was originally authorized for emergency use in people 16 or older in the United States in December 2020.
The 5-to-11 year olds were given two shots of a 10-microgram dose of the vaccine, a third the dose size given to people 12 and older.
In addition, the companies said they expect data on how well the vaccine works in children ages 2-to-5 years and children ages 6 months-to-2 years as soon as the fourth quarter of this year.
Unlike the larger clinical trial that the drugmakers previously conducted in adults, the 2,268-participant pediatric trial was not primarily designed to measure the vaccine's efficacy by comparing the number of COVID-19 cases in vaccine recipients to those who received a placebo.
Instead, it compares the amount of neutralizing antibodies induced by the vaccine in the children to the response of older recipients in the adult trial.
A Pfizer spokesperson said the companies may later disclose vaccine efficacy from the trial but there have not been enough cases of COVID-19 yet among the participants to make that determination.
The vaccine was around 95 percent effective in the adult clinical trial, but Pfizer has said that immunity wanes some months after the second dose. U.S. regulators are expected to authorize a third, booster dose of the vaccine for older and high-risk Americans early this week.
The companies said the vaccine was well-tolerated, with side effects generally comparable to those observed in participants 16 to 25 years of age.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is one of three shots authorized in the United States, along with Moderna's (MRNA.O) two-dose vaccine and Johnson and Johnson's (JNJ.N) one-dose shot. The Moderna and J&J shots have not yet received full FDA approval for any age groups.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been linked by regulators to rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults, particularly young men. Pfizer said they did not see any instances of heart inflammation in the trial participants.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizerbiontech-say-data-show-covid-19-vaccine-safe-protective-kids-2021-09-20/
US President Joe Biden’s decision to lift travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers from the UK and most of the EU has been welcomed by the UK and airlines.
The news comes, however, as America’s Covid death toll passes that of the devastating 1918-19 flu pandemic – more than 675,000.
More on these stories shortly. In the meantime, here are the other key recent developments:
· The Dutch government said a vaccine ‘pass’ will be needed to use restaurant toilets.
· The leader of the Scottish Conservative party, Douglas Ross, called on the Scottish government to follow the rest of the UK and relax Covid travel restrictions.
· UK transport secretary Grant Shapps told MPs in parliament that the UK’s successful vaccination programme can be used to “restore lost freedoms”.
· US vet shops reported a shortage of ivermectin despite warnings against using it to treat Covid.
· Construction sites across the Australian state of Victoria are to close for at least two weeks following violence at anti-vaccine protests.
· Pfizer and BioNTech said trial results showed their Covid vaccine is safe and produces a robust immune response in children aged five to 11, adding that they would seek regulatory approval shortly.
Medicine
