Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	142,692,248	+657,968	3,042,935
USA	32,475,043	+51,650	581,542
India	15,314,714	+256,947	180,550
Brazil	13,977,713	+34,642	375,049
France	5,296,222	+6,696	101,180
Russia	4,710,690	+8,589	105,928
UK	4,390,783	+2,963	127,274
Turkey	4,323,596	+55,149	36,267
Italy	3,878,994	+8,864	117,243
Spain	3,428,354	+6,898	77,102
Germany	3,164,447	+13,417	80,774
Argentina	2,714,475	+20,461	59,476
Poland	2,695,327	+7,283	62,133
Colombia	2,667,136	+14,189	68,748
Mexico	2,305,602	+1,506	212,339
Iran	2,261,435	+24,346	67,130
Ukraine	1,953,016	+6,506	40,000
Peru	1,707,787	+3,030	57,537
Indonesia	1,609,300	+4,952	43,567
Czechia	1,602,729	+829	28,604
South Africa	1,567,513	+744	53,757
Netherlands	1,410,950	+7,117	16,938
Canada	1,131,773	+10,275	23,667
Chile	1,131,340	+6,622	25,277
Romania	1,031,072	+1,768	26,381
Iraq	984,950	+7,775	15,026
Belgium	949,996	+2,996	23,747
Philippines	945,745	+9,628	16,048
Israel	837,218	+171	6,341
Portugal	831,221	+220	16,946
Pakistan	761,437	+5,152	16,316
Hungary	753,188	+2,680	25,381
Bangladesh	723,221	+4,271	10,497
Jordan	689,482	+3,509	8,308
Serbia	664,972	+2,604	6,026
Austria	595,540	+2,117	9,922
Japan	534,052	+4,223	9,641
Lebanon	511,398	+995	6,959
Morocco	505,949	+138	8,952
UAE	498,957	+1,803	1,556
Saudi Arabia	405,940	+970	6,834
Bulgaria	388,815	+2,434	15,412
Malaysia	377,132	+2,078	1,386
Slovakia	376,067	+93	11,172
Panama	361,044	+203	6,189
Ecuador	360,563	+17	17,703
Belarus	345,110	+887	2,433
Greece	316,879	+1,606	9,540
Croatia	308,200	+410	6,601
Azerbaijan	301,661	+995	4,169
Georgia	295,936	+578	3,949
Kazakhstan	289,720	+2,719	3,406
Bolivia	289,066	+521	12,648
Tunisia	287,061	+1,571	9,825
Nepal	285,900	+1,227	3,091
Palestine	282,270	+1,529	3,047
Dominican Republic	261,531	+402	3,422
Kuwait	258,497	+1,510	1,456
Paraguay	252,443	+2,278	5,384
Moldova	246,238	+341	5,591
Ireland	243,911	+403	4,836
Ethiopia	243,631	+1,603	3,392
Denmark	243,374	+741	2,459
Lithuania	234,232	+592	3,770
Slovenia	232,311	+234	4,167
Costa Rica	230,837	+536	3,099
Egypt	217,186	+852	12,778
Guatemala	213,049	+315	7,241
Armenia	208,818	+298	3,895
Honduras	200,935	+676	4,957
Qatar	197,476	+896	386
Venezuela	184,595	+1,405	1,925
Oman	181,430	+1,399	1,890
Libya	172,464	+584	2,908
Uruguay	167,033	+2,289	1,971
Bahrain	165,118	+1,008	600
Nigeria	164,303	+70	2,061
Kenya	151,894	+241	2,501
North Macedonia	147,229	+135	4,478
Myanmar	142,644	+16	3,206
Albania	129,694	+100	2,347
Algeria	119,805	+163	3,160
Estonia	117,782	+228	1,100
S. Korea	114,646	+531	1,801
Latvia	111,536	+202	2,056
Norway	108,028	+518	709
Sri Lanka	97,105	+309	620
Montenegro	95,695	+144	1,438
Cuba	94,571	+1,060	531
Kyrgyzstan	92,095	+212	1,555
Zambia	90,942	+24	1,236
China	90,510	+11	4,636
Uzbekistan	86,982	+302	638
Finland	84,287	+156	891
Mozambique	69,228	+25	800
Singapore	60,851	+20	30
Thailand	43,742	+1,390	104
Aruba	10,345	+21	92
Vietnam	2,791	+7	35

 

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

 

 

 

Global Covid-19 cases increase for eighth week in a row, WHO chief says

From CNN's Naomi Thomas

 

Relatives of a COVID-19 victim carry her coffin in the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery on April 17, 2021 in the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Raul Sifuentes/Getty Images

Global Covid-19 cases have increased for the eighth week in a row, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing in Geneva on Monday.

“Last week new cases of Covid-19 increased for the eighth week in a row with more than 5.2 million cases reported — the most in a single week so far,” said Tedros.

Deaths also increased for the fifth straight week, he said, with more than 3 million deaths now having been reported to the organization.

“It took nine months to reach 1 million deaths, four months to reach 2 million and three months to reach 3 million deaths,” said Tedros. “Big numbers can make us numb, but each one of these deaths is a tragedy for families, communities and nations.”

Tedros added that infections and hospitalizations among people age 25 to 59 are “increasing at an alarming rate,” possibly due to highly transmissible variants and increased social mixing among younger adults.

 

 

 

All Indians 18 years and older will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines starting May 1

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

 

People register to receive a coronavirus vaccine at the Saifee Hospital in Mumbai, India, on April 12. Indranil Mukherjeee/AFP/Getty Images

Indian citizens who are 18 years or older will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines starting May 1, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the Press Information Bureau website.

"In a meeting chaired by [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi, an important decision of allowing vaccination to everyone above the age of 18 from 1st May has been taken," the statement noted. "He added that India is vaccinating people at world record pace& we will continue this with even greater momentum."

This comes as a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has swept the country. India has recorded a total of 15,061,919 Covid-19 cases and 178,769 deaths, according to the health ministry.

India added a million new cases in less than a week, surpassing 14 million total cases on Thursday.

It is unclear whether the world's second most populous country, with 1.4 billion people, has the supply required to meet the demand.

Currently, only people who are health care workers, front line workers or 45 years and older are eligible to get vaccinated and already, vaccine supplies have dried up on the ground, with at least five states reporting severe shortages and urging the federal government to act.

With this latest announcement, India's vaccination campaign will be split into two strands. Government centers will continue to give free vaccines only to health care workers and frontline workers and those who are 45 or older. Private vaccination providers will be able to charge and provide vaccines to everyone aged 18 or older.

India will allow foreign-manufactured vaccines to be entirely utilized by the "open market" or private vaccination providers.

Under the "Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy of the National Covid-19 Vaccination program," vaccine manufacturers would supply 50% of their monthly doses to the central government and would be free to supply the remaining 50% doses to state governments and in the open market.

The government has been taking steps to expand its vaccine availability. Last week, it fast-tracked emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccines approved in other countries.

India produces more than 60% of all vaccines sold globally, and is home to the Serum Institute of India (SII,) the world's largest vaccine maker. The country has been working with COVAX, a global vaccine-sharing initiative that provides discounted or free doses for lower-income countries.

However, in the face of this crisis, the government and SII have shifted focus to prioritizing their own citizens at home.

 

 

 

Greece lifts quarantine restrictions and takes first steps to open up for tourism

From Elinda Labropoulou in Athens

 

Visitors tour the the Athenian Acropolis on March 22, in Athens, Greece, after the site was reopened following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions. Milos Bicanski/Getty Images

Greece lifted quarantine restrictions Monday morning for some EU travelers as well as those in the US, Britain, Israel, Serbia and the UAE.

The restrictions have been eased for people who are fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR test from up to 72 hours prior to arrival. 

Targeted rapid checks will be carried out at entry points in Greece and quarantine hotels will be ready to accommodate those who test positive.

Safety protocols, including wearing masks and social distancing, will remain in place. 

It is the first time the country has opened to American visitors since March 2020, when Greece entered its first lockdown at the onset of the pandemic.  

Greek tourism minister Haris Theoharis said the country was “taking these baby steps, the start of a gradual opening process that will lead to a full opening of tourism."

"We will be making adjustments and reserve the right to make changes as we see fit until then," he told CNN.

Though described as "baby steps" the list of nationalities allowed entry includes the bulk of Greece’s tourism market.

In addition to Athens and Thessaloniki, direct international flights are now allowed to fly to some of Greece’s most popular holiday destinations in Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu.  

The tourism sector accounts for more than 20% of the country’s GDP and an estimated 25% of the Greek workforce — more than a million jobs, particularly among young people.

 

 

 

Argentina received 800,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine

From CNN's Maria Fleet in Atlanta

 

Argentina's government received 800,000 does of Russia's Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine Monday, the President's office said.

The arrival was announced on the official Twitter feed of Argentina's Presidency, which also showed video of an Aerolineas Argentinas plane carrying the shipment of doses arriving at night in Buenos Aires and being unloaded.

The shipment brings the total number of vaccine does received to nearly 9 million, according to Argentina's Ministry of Health.

Some context: The shipment comes as Argentina is experiencing a spike in new cases. The country has registered more than 200,000 new cases in a 24-hour period on 9 separate days in April, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

On Tuesday, Argentina reported 20,461 new cases of the coronavirus, and 248 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths registered due to Covid-19 to 59,476. 

 

Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-04-20-21/index.html

 

 

 

Some in New York got too much unemployment money and may have to give it back, the state says

By  Daniel E. Slotnik

 

People marched over the Brooklyn Bridge in March to demand unemployment benefits for workers who had been excluded from eligibility.Credit...Jose A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times

 

A number of New Yorkers who have received unemployment benefits during the pandemic were overpaid by mistake, and may have to return a portion of the money, the New York State Department of Labor said.

The department alerted recipients with a text message and email late Friday afternoon. The messages did not specify how much money they might owe.

In emails to a reporter on Sunday, the department did not indicate how many recipients were affected or the total amount overpaid.

The department’s Twitter account said on Friday that “a small portion of claimants received duplicate payments” in April and May 2020, and a later message on Twitter mentioned amounts of $600 and $1,200.

The department told recipients that they could appeal the claim of overpayment or request a financial hardship waiver online. If they do not do so within 30 days, the department said, their future benefits would be reduced by 20 percent until the overpayment was recouped.

“This is a valid communication from the NYS DOL to people who, through no fault of their own, may have been overpaid through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC),” the department said in an email on Sunday. “The federal government requires NYS to recover any overpaid funds.”

Similar problems have come up in other states, involving accidental overpayments or fraudulent claims. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office said that states had identified more than $3.6 billion in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance overpayments and fraud across the country so far.

“States are continuing to identify overpayments in all the unemployment insurance programs, and we expect this number to increase, which is one reason it is so critical that the federal government and the states continue to track and recover these federal dollars,” Thomas M. Costa, an acting director at the office, said in an email on Monday.

The report said that states normally have to reimburse the federal government for overpayments, but the states do have some authority to let recipients who were accidentally overpaid off the hook. Colorado reportedly waived $1.4 million in unemployment overpayments last October.

Many New York unemployment recipients were shocked by the messages saying they might have to return money. Some took to social media to voice their discontent, especially over the timing of the messages, which they said left them having to wait until Monday before they could contact someone at the department.

“‘Dear New Yorker’ we are here to ruin your weekend and money grub you during a pandemic bc we are unable to do our jobs properly,” one Twitter user using the name sixveils sarcastically paraphrased the labor department’s message.

Rachel Eisley, an event producer and set designer who lives in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, said she felt “totally sick to my stomach” when she got the department’s text message on Friday.

Ms. Eisley, 38, said she had not been able to work since last year and that unemployment benefits had allowed her to keep up with her rent. She said the way the notification was handled seemed unnecessarily alarming.

“It’s just really disappointing, and I feel really bad for all these people who are freaking out,” Ms. Eisley said.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/19/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases/some-in-new-york-got-too-much-unemployment-money-and-may-have-to-give-it-back-the-state-says

 

 

 

Israel plans a testing program to let children go where the vaccinated can

By Isabel Kershner

 

A teenager receiving a vaccination in Tel Aviv, Israel, in January. No coronavirus vaccine has yet been authorized for people under 16. Credit...Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

 

When Israel instituted its Green Pass system last month, granting fully vaccinated people access to sports, cultural and other leisure events and gathering places, it did not offer an immediate solution for those under 16, who are not yet eligible to receive any Covid-19 vaccine.

Now the government is introducing an option of free PCR testing for children, with a negative coronavirus test serving as an entry pass in lieu of a vaccination certificate.

Tomer Lotan, the policy chief of Israel’s national coronavirus response center, said on Monday that the option would be available within a few days, as soon as some regulatory and technical issues had been resolved.

Israel’s vaccination campaign has outpaced the rest of the world, with about 56 percent of the population of nine million now fully vaccinated. The Green Pass, a digitized certificate of vaccination, is now required in Israel for indoor dining in restaurants and for entry to gyms, theaters, sports stadiums and religious gatherings.

For all its success, though, the Green Pass system has raised some legal and ethical issues, including a sense of discrimination or exclusion among families with children. Israel’s population is relatively young, with about 2 million of its 8.7 million people under the age of 16.

Some businesses, like movie theaters and theme parks, have remained closed, saying that it would be unprofitable to reopen if they could not accommodate children.

Plummeting daily new-case reports in Israel and the recent dropping of testing requirements for regular school attendance mean that the public health system probably can now test children for leisure activities without being overwhelmed.

Mr. Lotan acknowledged that the new testing option could be problematic. The test has to be taken 72 hours in advance of the desired activity, and is valid for three days from the receipt of a negative result.

The testing option will be available only for children; adults who have so far chosen not to get vaccinated will not be allowed to use a negative test as a substitute for a Green Pass.

“It’s a tough policy, for now,” Mr. Lotan said.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/world/israel-plans-a-testing-program-to-let-children-go-where-the-vaccinated-can.html

 

 

 

Summary

 

· Hong Kong said it would ban flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines for two weeks starting on Tuesday after detecting its first local case involving a variant of the coronavirus. A man who tested positive on Friday, after returning from Dubai and then completing his mandatory 21 days of quarantine, is the Asian financial hub’s first case outside quarantine found to carry the N501Y spike mutation.

· Airports in Australia and New Zealand were filled with emotional scenes on Monday as thousands of passengers were allowed to travel freely between the two countries for the first time in more than a year. The travel bubble, among the first of its kind in the world, establishes reciprocal quarantine-free movement between the two Pacific nations, subject to certain conditions.

· The Democratic Republic of Congo started its vaccination campaign on Monday with the AstraZeneca vaccine after delaying inoculations over clotting concerns in Europe. Congo received 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through Covax, an international effort to procure and distribute vaccines.

· Concerns over clotting from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have led to a suspension of the shot’s rollout in Greece. Inoculations with the vaccine were set to start in Greece on Monday but were paused pending the European Medicines Agency’s review of the rare effects, set to be released on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Greece is lifting quarantine restrictions beginning Monday for arrivals from within the European Union and several other countries, including the United States and Britain.

· It can still be tough to find a vaccine appointment in France, but a data scientist’s app is helping. Guillaume Rozier started a website on April 1 that, in less than a minute, scans all available appointments at certified vaccination centers throughout the country and helps users access booking sites. Powered by the work of a dozen volunteers, the search engine, Vite Ma Dose (My Dose Quickly), has drawn 2.5 million unique visitors in just days.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/world/india-delhi-lockdown.html