Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	154,175,728	+669,933	3,226,789
USA	33,230,992	+39,938	591,514
India	20,275,543	+355,828	222,383
Brazil	14,791,434	+36,524	408,829
France	5,656,007	+3,760	105,130
Turkey	4,900,121	+24,733	41,191
Russia	4,831,744	+8,489	111,198
UK	4,421,850	+1,649	127,539
Italy	4,050,708	+5,948	121,433
Spain	3,540,430	+5,354	78,293
Germany	3,435,877	+10,279	84,020
Argentina	3,021,179	+15,920	64,792
Colombia	2,905,254	+11,599	75,164
Poland	2,805,756	+2,525	68,105
Iran	2,555,587	+20,732	72,875
Mexico	2,348,873	+1,093	217,233
Ukraine	2,085,938	+2,758	44,750
Peru	1,814,127	+3,129	62,375
Indonesia	1,682,004	+4,730	45,949
Czechia	1,634,620	+507	29,406
South Africa	1,584,961	+897	54,452
Netherlands	1,516,802	+9,187	17,189
Canada	1,243,257	+9,076	24,342
Chile	1,215,815	+4,895	26,659
Iraq	1,079,998	+5,068	15,566
Philippines	1,062,225	+7,255	17,525
Romania	1,058,337	+682	28,380
Belgium	995,562	+2,128	24,291
Israel	838,621	+67	6,367
Portugal	837,457	+180	16,977
Pakistan	834,146	+4,213	18,149
Hungary	784,111	+1,219	27,908
Bangladesh	763,682	+1,739	11,644
Jordan	714,173	+1,272	8,925
Serbia	693,169	+1,249	6,432
Austria	623,201	+1,091	10,260
Japan	602,862	+5,607	10,361
Lebanon	528,457	+249	7,345
UAE	525,567	+1,772	1,596
Morocco	511,912	+56	9,032
Saudi Arabia	420,301	+953	6,992
Malaysia	417,512	+2,500	1,551
Bulgaria	405,825	+631	16,548
Ecuador	388,046	+747	18,765
Slovakia	383,228	+130	11,807
Panama	365,299	+195	6,244
Belarus	361,897	+834	2,572
Greece	348,568	+2,146	10,587
Nepal	343,418	+7,388	3,362
Croatia	335,522	+349	7,218
Kazakhstan	327,995	+2,496	3,733
Azerbaijan	321,798	+418	4,580
Georgia	312,954	+509	4,163
Tunisia	312,747	+1,004	10,915
Bolivia	307,561	+1,034	13,021
Palestine	298,203	+565	3,283
Paraguay	284,453	+1,910	6,653
Kuwait	277,832	+1,246	1,590
Dominican Republic	267,681	+226	3,499
Ethiopia	258,813	+429	3,757
Costa Rica	256,676	+1,855	3,290
Denmark	253,673	+761	2,490
Moldova	251,378	+43	5,850
Lithuania	250,407	+725	3,961
Ireland	250,290	+452	4,906
Slovenia	241,883	+209	4,269
Egypt	230,713	+1,078	13,531
Guatemala	228,871	+187	7,578
Armenia	217,008	+145	4,149
Honduras	213,970	+803	5,334
Qatar	207,592	+644	480
Uruguay	204,120	+1,628	2,796
Venezuela	200,931	+864	2,189
Oman	196,900	+1,093	2,053
Bahrain	180,462	+1,165	657
Libya	178,335	+464	3,047
Nigeria	165,199	+46	2,063
Kenya	160,559	+137	2,781
North Macedonia	152,747	+62	4,961
Myanmar	142,842	+4	3,209
Albania	131,276	+38	2,399
S. Korea	123,728	+488	1,834
Estonia	122,943	+179	1,172
Algeria	122,717	+195	3,280
Latvia	119,953	+203	2,154
Norway	113,952	+483	757
Sri Lanka	113,676	+1,923	709
Cuba	109,625	+932	675
Montenegro	97,718	+99	1,510
Kyrgyzstan	96,337	+277	1,622
Ghana	92,683	+48	779
Uzbekistan	92,006	+363	653
Zambia	91,722	+29	1,253
China	90,697	+11	4,636
Finland	87,345	+117	915
Thailand	71,025	+2,041	276
Mozambique	70,000	+16	815
El Salvador	69,465	+131	2,134
Luxembourg	67,495	+98	800
Cyprus	66,911	+539	321
Singapore	61,235	+17	31
Aruba	10,679	+9	100
Suriname	10,543	+54	207
Vietnam	2,981	+19	35

 

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

 

 

 

More than 40% of adults in the US are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, CDC data shows

From CNN's Deidre McPhillips

 

People sit in the observation area after receiving a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the American Museum of Natural History vaccination site in New York, , on Friday, April 30. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty Images

More than 105.5 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — including more than 40% of the adult population and nearly 70% of the senior population — according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The CDC reported that 246,780,203 total doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered, about 79% of the 312,509,575 doses delivered.  

That’s about 1.2 million more doses reported administered since Sunday, for a seven-day average of about 2.3 million doses per day. The average daily rate of vaccinations has been declining for about two weeks. 

Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported. 

 

 

 

More global Covid-19 cases reported in last 2 weeks than first 6 months of the pandemic, WHO says

From CNN’s Naomi Thomas

 

A health worker wearing personal protective equipment holds the hand of a patient at the Doctor Ernesto Che Guevara Public Hospital where patients infected with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, are being treated on April 30, 2021 in Maricá, Brazil.  Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Globally, there have been more cases of Covid-19 reported in the last two weeks than during the first six months of the pandemic, the director-general of the World Health Organization said during a news briefing in Geneva on Monday. 

“More cases of Covid-19 have been reported globally in the past two weeks than during the first six months of the pandemic,” WHO’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “India and Brazil account for more than half of last week’s cases. But there are many other countries all over the world that face a very fragile situation.” 

WHO is providing equipment and supplies, such as oxygen concentrators, to India as well as providing advice on how to provide care at home for people who are unable to find hospital beds for patients. 

The WHO Foundation is also raising funds to support the need for oxygen and related supplies globally, he said.  

Tedros called upon everyone to continue following WHO and national advice around public health safety measures. 

“What’s happening in India and Brazil could happen elsewhere unless we all take these public health precautions that WHO has been calling for since the beginning of the pandemic,” Tedros said. “Vaccines are part of the answer, but they are not the only answer.” 

 

 

 

Pfizer is discussing expedited approval for Covid-19 vaccine with Indian government, CEO says

From CNN's Naomi Thomas

 

People line up to get the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine in a school-turned-vaccination centre in New Delhi on May 3, 2021. Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a letter Monday the company is discussing with the Indian government how to expedite approval of its Covid-19 vaccine.

“Pfizer is aware that access to vaccines is critical to ending this pandemic. Unfortunately, our vaccine is not registered in India although our application was submitted months ago,” Bourla wrote in a letter to Pfizer colleagues in India. “We are currently discussing with the Indian government an expedited approval pathway to make our Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available for use in the country.” 

Bourla said that the company is “deeply concerned” by the critical Covid-19 situation in India and is committed to being a partner in India’s fight against the coronavirus, “quickly working to mobilize the largest humanitarian relief effort in our company’s history.”

Bourla said Pfizer is rushing shipments of medicines from the company that the government of India has identified as part of their treatment protocol. These medicines, valued at over $70 million, are being donated to India and include steroid medications and anticoagulants.  

Pfizer Foundation funding is also supporting humanitarian organizations that provide equipment such as ventilators and oxygen concentrators to India. 

 

 

 

EU proposes easing travel restrictions to allow vaccinated travelers to enter Europe

From CNN's James Frater

 

 A passenger walks between terminals of the Franz-Josef-Strauss airport in Munich, Germany, on April 8. Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

The European Commission has today outlined plans that would allow fully vaccinated travelers from outside the European Union -- the EU -- to be able to enter the 27 countries of the bloc, a statement says. 

Current restrictions, which bar travel from all but seven countries to the EU, have been in place since July 1 last year.

In a proposal published Monday, the commission recommends that, “Member States should allow travel into the EU of those people who have received, at least 14 days before arrival, the last recommended dose of a vaccine having received marketing authorisation in the EU.”

The vaccines which have currently received marketing authorization for use in the EU are: BioNTech/Pfizer, Oxford University/AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.

“Member States could also extend this to those vaccinated with a vaccine having completed the WHO emergency use listing process,” the statement added.

The proposal also suggests that if a European country has decided to waive requirements for testing prior to entry and quarantine periods for EU vaccinated citizens, that country, “should also waive such requirements for vaccinated travelers from outside the EU.”

How it would work: The Commission’s plan is to use the EU’s "Digital Green Certificate" once it becomes operational to facilitate travel to the Europe.

To obtain a certificate, international travelers will need to submit evidence that they have been vaccinated to the individual European country they intend to travel to.

Until the EU-wide "Digital Green Certificate" system is operational, countries would need to take “into account the ability to verify the authenticity, validity and integrity of the certificate and whether it contains all relevant data,” before granting a Certificate said the recommendation.

Also, in Monday’s proposal, the commission has recommended changing the rate of infection that is used as the main criteria for determining whether a country is on the EU’s safe list and is, “to take into account the mounting evidence of the positive impact of vaccination campaigns.” Currently there are only seven countries on the EU’s safe travel list.

“The proposal is to increase the threshold of 14-day cumulative COVID-19 case notification rate from 25 to 100 [per 100,00- inhabitants]. This remains considerably below the current EU average, which is over 420,” the statement said.

In the latest data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the United States has a notification rate of 258 so would not be added to the safe travel list, but the United Kingdom which has a rate of 47, would be considered under the new rules. 

However, the Commission proposal does include a so-called "Emergency break," that “when the epidemiological situation of a non-EU country worsens quickly and in particular if a variant of concern or interest is detected, a Member State can urgently and temporarily suspend all inbound travel by non-EU citizens resident in such a country.”

Next steps: The plans will be discussed by the ambassadors of European countries on Wednesday, and the Commission hopes to implement the proposal by the end of June.

Once signed off the list of safe countries will be reviewed every two weeks.

Decisions about borders can only be made by individual countries, so each member state will decide whether to implement these proposals or not.

 

Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-05-04-21/index.html

 

 

 

Nepal makes appeal for more AstraZeneca doses to fulfil vaccination programme

 

Nepal urgently needs at least 1.6m AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine doses to administer second shots as the Himalayan country is recording a surge in new coronavirus cases.

“People who have already got the first dose will be in difficulty if they don’t receive their second dose within the stipulated time,” said Samir Adhikari, a senior official of the ministry of health and population.

Gopal Sharma reports for Reuters from Kathmandu that on Monday, prime minister KP Sharma Oli urged foreign donors to supply vaccines and critical care medicines to prevent a collapse of the small country’s health infrastructure.

Nepal has already vaccinated more than 2 million people with the AstraZeneca vaccine provided by India and China’s Sinopharm. But authorities were forced to suspend the vaccination programme last month after the country failed to secure fresh dispatches of vaccine from India and China.

“I would like to request our neighbours, friendly countries and international organisations to help us with vaccines and critical care medicines … to support ongoing efforts to combat the pandemic,” Oli said in a televised address.

Oli said officials were in contact China and Russia and other manufacturers to urgently secure vaccines. Oli, who has been criticised for doing little to contain the pandemic, said vaccines and critical care medicines were “global goods” and that every one should have access.

On Monday, Nepal’s Covid-19 cases increased by 7,388 and deaths by 37, the highest daily spike since the pandemic started. Nepal has recorded a total of 343,418 cases and 3,362 deaths, according to official data.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/may/04/coronavirus-live-news-india-passes-20m-cases-us-average-daily-infections-fall-below-50000

 

 

 

Reaching herd immunity is unlikely in the U.S., experts now believe

 

Over a thousand people gathered to watch the Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Fort Worth, Tex., last month.Credit...Shelby Tauber for The New York Times

 

Early in the pandemic, when vaccines were still just a glimmer on the horizon, the term “herd immunity” came to signify the endgame: the point when enough Americans would be protected from the virus that we could be rid of it.

Now, more than half of adults in the United States have been vaccinated with at least one dose. But rates are slipping, and there is widespread consensus among public health experts that herd immunity is not attainable — not in the foreseeable future, perhaps not ever.

Instead, they are coming to the conclusion that the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will continue to circulate in the United States for years, still causing hospitalizations and deaths but in much smaller numbers.

How much smaller depends in part on how much of the nation, and the world, becomes vaccinated and how the coronavirus evolves.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/03/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases/reaching-herd-immunity-is-unlikely-in-the-us-experts-now-believe

 

 

 

Summary

 

The world’s largest maker of vaccines is still short of critical supplies — the result of lagging manufacturing and raw material shortages. Those factors delayed the rollout in several states.

Here are the other key developments from the last few hours:

· Public fury over Nepal’s growing virus wave has been rising in the country, with many people blaming travelers from India and several other virus-stricken countries as well as government ineptitude in handling the pandemic and large political rallies. In response, Nepal halted all domestic flights on Sunday and announced that it would suspend international flights starting Wednesday.

· To prevent a new wave of infections in Australia, about 8,000 Australia citizens and residents are banned from returning home from India as of Monday.

· In Britain, a group of cross-party lawmakers urged the government on Monday to discourage all leisure travel abroad to prevent the importation of new variants into Britain and to reduce the risk of a new wave of infections. The warning comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to reopen international travel this month, with many in Britain hoping that they can travel across Europe and beyond for summer vacation.

· In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to receive his first dose of the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine on Monday, according to a livestream shared on Facebook by a Filipino lawmaker and Filipino news outlets. “I feel good,” Mr. Duterte said in the video, adding that he had been expecting to receive the China-backed vaccine for a long time. The vaccine has not been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use yet, and Sinopharm has not applied for approval by the Philippine drug regulator. But Mr. Duterte received it under a permit that granted access to 10,000 doses for his security group, according to Rappler, a Manila-based news website.

· In Greece, outdoor restaurant service resumed on Monday after a six-month hiatus, a much-anticipated reopening after people began filling city squares and beaches as temperatures rose. Greece has gradually lifted restrictions in recent weeks, including ending quarantine requirements for visitors from dozens of countries. The authorities plan to reopen the tourism sector on May 15, when domestic travel restrictions are also set to lift.

· France began easing lockdown restrictions on Monday, reopening middle and high schools and lifting a ban on domestic travel. Outdoor dining at cafes and restaurants is scheduled to reopen later this month, and a 7 p.m. nightly curfew is expected to be pushed back to 9 p.m.

· The European Union’s drug regulator announced that it had begun evaluating clinical-trial data to extend the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to children ages 12 to 15, the first vaccine to be assessed for pediatric use in the bloc. The European Medicines Agency said the review would be accelerated, and it expects a decision in June.

· In Germany, the Munich Oktoberfest will be canceled for a second year in a row, the authorities in the Bavaria region said on Monday. The lawmakers cited difficulties in enforcing mask or distance rules. The last time the event ran, in September and October 2019, it attracted 6.3 million people.

· In a bid to improve their customer service at vaccination centers, officials in Mexico City have cued up entertainment performances — including large, bare-chested Lucha Libre wrestlers doing the limbo and men performing tricks with a surprising number of soccer balls — for those waiting for their shots.

· President Iván Duque of Colombia said he would withdraw a plan to overhaul the tax system to plug a fiscal shortfall caused by the pandemic after at least 17 people were killed and hundreds injured in protests against his plan. The finance minister said he would resign on Monday.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/03/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases/moderna-will-provide-500-million-vaccine-doses-to-covax-and-other-news-from-other-the-world