Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	196,648,896	+659,183	4,202,812
USA	35,487,490	+84,534	628,098
India	31,526,622	+43,211	422,695
Brazil	19,797,516	+48,443	553,272
Russia	6,195,232	+22,420	156,178
France	6,054,049	+27,934	111,735
UK	5,770,928	+27,734	129,430
Turkey	5,660,469	+22,291	51,124
Argentina	4,891,810	+15,883	104,822
Colombia	4,757,139	+9,364	119,801
Spain	4,395,602	+27,149	81,396
Italy	4,330,739	+5,696	128,010
Iran	3,792,014	+33,817	89,782
Germany	3,769,541	+3,059	92,106
Indonesia	3,287,727	+47,791	88,659
Poland	2,882,465	+138	75,252
Mexico	2,771,846	+17,408	239,079
South Africa	2,408,525	+17,302	70,908
Ukraine	2,250,061	+717	52,891
Peru	2,107,873	+1,502	196,138
Netherlands	1,854,784	+3,455	17,812
Czechia	1,673,024	+253	30,363
Chile	1,611,917	+827	35,176
Iraq	1,590,528	+13,515	18,484
Philippines	1,566,667	+4,478	27,401
Canada	1,428,683	+766	26,570
Bangladesh	1,210,982	+16,230	20,016
Belgium	1,119,030	+1,333	25,230
Romania	1,082,710	+159	34,274
Malaysia	1,061,476	+17,405	8,551
Pakistan	1,015,827	+4,119	23,133
Portugal	960,437	+3,452	17,320
Japan	882,823	+7,630	15,152
Israel	867,240	+2,328	6,462
Hungary	809,362	+74	30,025
Jordan	768,382	+1,055	10,000
Serbia	720,975	+332	7,108
Nepal	688,307	+2,634	9,791
UAE	676,251	+1,527	1,934
Austria	657,501	+552	10,737
Morocco	597,876	+9,428	9,665
Tunisia	578,962	+3,960	19,027
Lebanon	558,369	+1,224	7,897
Kazakhstan	549,628	+6,925	5,619
Thailand	543,361	+16,533	4,397
Saudi Arabia	522,108	+1,334	8,200
Greece	485,015	+2,870	12,902
Bolivia	470,024	+842	17,716
Paraguay	451,158	+664	14,820
Belarus	442,831	+950	3,424
Panama	432,523	+969	6,791
Bulgaria	424,295	+216	18,205
Georgia	410,830	+3,141	5,751
Costa Rica	403,511	+1,467	4,997
Kuwait	395,479	+941	2,303
Slovakia	392,488	+82	12,534
Uruguay	380,976	+183	5,950
Croatia	363,039	+198	8,249
Guatemala	358,798	+3,575	10,224
Cuba	358,378	+9,323	2,560
Azerbaijan	341,933	+750	5,014
Palestine	316,328	+139	3,601
Denmark	314,135	+1,284	2,547
Venezuela	302,988	+1,009	3,542
Sri Lanka	301,832	+1,940	4,258
Ireland	296,687	+1,301	5,035
Oman	295,535	+518	3,802
Honduras	291,687	+1,240	7,713
Egypt	284,128	+38	16,507
Myanmar	284,099	+4,980	8,210
Lithuania	281,702	+410	4,413
Ethiopia	279,153	+233	4,376
Bahrain	268,846	+115	1,383
Moldova	259,018	+166	6,250
Slovenia	258,864	+85	4,428
Libya	243,470	+3,161	3,453
Armenia	229,370	+280	4,597
Qatar	225,747	+225	601
Kenya	199,941	+1,006	3,895
Zambia	193,432	+476	3,338
S. Korea	193,427	+1,896	2,083
Nigeria	172,263	+535	2,139
Algeria	167,131	+1,927	4,161
Mongolia	160,344	+1,243	796
Kyrgyzstan	160,085	+996	2,288
North Macedonia	156,171	+47	5,491
Afghanistan	145,996	+444	6,615
Latvia	138,650	+78	2,554
Norway	136,541	+171	799
Albania	132,952	+30	2,457
Estonia	132,891	+173	1,271
Uzbekistan	126,627	+843	853
Vietnam	120,819	+6,559	630
Namibia	117,570	+277	2,927
Mozambique	115,886	+2,460	1,367
Finland	104,495	+644	978
Zimbabwe	103,567	+1,856	3,340
Ghana	103,019	+450	823
Cyprus	100,129	+769	412
Suriname	25,118	+90	640
Aruba	11,521	+61	109

 

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

 

 

 

J&J says U.S. FDA agrees to extend shelf life of its COVID-19 vaccine

 

Empty vials of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are seen on a table at a vaccination centre in Ronda, Spain, April 23, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo/File Photo

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration extended the shelf life for Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) single-shot COVID-19 vaccine to six months from four-and-a-half months, the company said late Wednesday.

The FDA's decision is based on data from ongoing studies, which showed the vaccine is stable at six months when refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36–46 degrees Fahrenheit), the drugmaker said. (https://bit.ly/3ypgpTT)

In a letter to the company, the FDA said it had completed the review of data provided by J&J, and based on the information submitted, it concurs with the extension. (https://bit.ly/3zRuTMB)

The agency also said the extension was applicable to batches that might have expired prior to the issuance of the letter provided they were stored at the recommended temperature.

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-agrees-extend-jj-covid-19-vaccines-shelf-life-6-months-2021-07-28/

 

 

 

Sydney posts record daily COVID-19 cases, police powers extended to enforce lockdown

 

A lone bird walks past the quiet Circular Quay train station during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

The COVID-19 Delta outbreak in Australia's biggest city Sydney grew by 239 cases on Thursday, the highest daily rise since the pandemic started, forcing authorities to increase police powers to shut down businesses not complying with lockdown measures.

More than two million residents in eight Sydney hotspots will now be forced to wear masks outdoors and must stay within 5 km (3 miles) of their homes.

Sydney is in its fifth week of an extended nine-week lockdown, which is scheduled to end August 28, but the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant continues to grow.

"It only takes a handful of people, or a small percentage, to do the wrong thing, to cause a setback for all of us. We can't afford setbacks," state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

Most new locally acquired cases were detected in Sydney, with at least 66 having spent time in the community while infectious. Authorities have said Sydney's lockdown will not ease until cases in the community are near zero.

New South Wales reported a total of 177 cases a day earlier.

Sydney, home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million population, is grappling with its worst outbreak for this year forcing authorities on Wednesday to extend lockdown restrictions for another month.

More than 2,800 cases have been detected so far, with 182 people hospitalised. Fifty-four are in intensive care, 22 of whom require ventilation. Two new deaths were recorded, taking the total number of deaths in the latest outbreak to 13.

With only about 17% of people above 16 years fully vaccinated in New South Wales state, infections have steadily risen despite Greater Sydney being in lockdown since June 26.

Greater Sydney's extended lockdown of around 6 million people is expected to take a heavy toll on Australia's A$2 trillion ($1.50 trillion) economy with many businesses forced to close, raising prospects of the country recording its second recession in as many years.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he expected the national economy to shrink in the September quarter but hoped Australia could avoid a recession if New South Wales suppress the outbreak soon.

"With respect to the December quarter, that does depend to a large extent how successful New South Wales, our largest state economy, is in getting on top of this virus," Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

 

 

 

Latin America risks other outbreaks as Covid interferes with prevention and treatment

By Daniel Politi

 

 A child receiving a yellow fever vaccine in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2018. Routine  childhood vaccinations have dropped off in Latin America since the pandemic began.Credit...Andre Penner/Associated Press

The coronavirus pandemic is opening the way for other preventable diseases to surge across Latin America and the Caribbean, interfering with routine inoculations and medical treatment in one of the world’s hardest-hit regions, World Health Organization officials warned on Wednesday.

There has been a sharp decline in measles vaccinations throughout the region, and a recent survey found that the pandemic has slowed efforts to diagnose and treat viral hepatitis B and C infections throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

“More than 300,000 children, mostly in Brazil and Mexico, missed out on their routine immunizations last year, leaving them vulnerable to deadly yet preventable infections,” said Dr. Carissa Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, a part of the W.H.O.

“If we do not reverse these trends we risk an avalanche of worsening health issues in the Americas,” she added. “Soon, Covid-19 will not be the only health crisis demanding countries’ attention.”

Though overall caseloads have declined in the region since the spring, Covid-19 continues to take a devastating toll, and several Latin American nations, including Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador and Paraguay are “among the countries reporting the world’s highest weekly death rates,” Dr. Etienne said at a weekly briefing. She warned that “too many places have relaxed the public health and safety measures that have proven so effective against this virus.”

Officials voiced particular concern about Cuba, which is reporting its highest rates of new cases and deaths since the pandemic began. Hot spots have also been detected in parts of Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, and new cases have risen sharply in the United States.

Though vaccines have been plentiful in the United States, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and a few other countries in the Americas, they have been scarce elsewhere. Only one-sixth of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean has been fully vaccinated.

One of the most extreme examples is Haiti, which was only recently able to begin its vaccination campaign after a donation of shots from the United States.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/world/americas/latin-america-disease-outbreaks.html

 

 

 

All of New York City falls under the C.D.C. guidelines for indoor masking

By  Michael Gold

 

Most people wore masks at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on Tuesday.Credit...Brittainy Newman for The New York Times

All of New York City currently exceeds the threshold for coronavirus transmission outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday in its guidance recommending that vaccinated people resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces in areas where the virus is raging.

Agency officials said that Americans should wear masks indoors in parts of the country that have recorded more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over the previous week, or where more than 8 percent of tests are positive for infection over that period.

All five counties in New York City fall under those parameters. Staten Island, which has again become a virus hot spot and has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the city, recorded 109 cases per 100,000 residents last week, according to the C.D.C. In Brooklyn and Manhattan, 78.1 and 70.4 cases were recorded, respectively, while the Bronx (58.6) and Queens (56.4) are both closer to the 50-case benchmark set by the C.D.C.

The agency’s recommendations are not binding, and on Wednesday, it remained unclear whether New York City would alter its mask requirements to reflect the new guidelines.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference that the city was still evaluating the guidance and the research and data that underpinned it.

“We got it less than 24 hours ago, and it is complicated information,” Mr. de Blasio said. “So our health team is reviewing and we’ll have more to say on it in the next few days.”

As they weighed the C.D.C.’s suggestions, city health officials continued to urge residents to get vaccinated. Starting Friday, the city will give $100 to residents who get their first dose of a vaccine at city-run vaccination sites.

Mr. de Blasio has in recent days emphasized the need for vaccine mandates as the pace of inoculations has slowed in the city. But on Wednesday, he said that the city still believed incentives could work hand-in-hand with more forceful vaccine guidance.

“There are a huge number of New Yorkers open to vaccination but just haven’t quite gotten there,” he said. “I think when someone says here’s $100 for you, that’s going to make a big impact.”

Officials at the C.D.C. also called for universal masking in schools, a policy that New York City’s public school system, the nation’s largest, had already said it would keep in place.

Currently, vaccinated individuals are largely not required to wear masks in New York State, though they are required on the city’s buses, subways and trains.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/nyregion/nyc-indoor-mask-guidelines.html

 

 

 

Tokyo reports record 3,865 new cases as Olympics approaches second week

 

Two women in Tokyo today. Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Olympics host Tokyo today reported 3,865 new coronavirus cases - a new record.

It comes after the city registered 3,177 new cases on Wednesday and a record 9,750 across Japan.

Three members of Australia’s track and field team have been forced to train in isolation on the eve of competition at the Tokyo Olympics after American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tested positive for Covid-19.

Australia’s athletics team went into a two-hour lockdown on Thursday with athletes confined to their roomsas a precautionary measure following Kendricks’ withdrawal from the Games.

The Australian Olympic Committee later confirmed three athletes who reported having fleeting contact with Kendricks had undergone rapid Covid testing and returned negative results.

The large majority of the team – 41 athletes and 13 officials – have since been freed from their rooms and cleared to return to their regular routines, while the trio who were tested must remain in isolation.

They will, however, be allowed to resume training, subject to strict protocols that restricts their contact with others.

“All three tested negative after undergoing a PCR Test this afternoon, while teammates remained in their rooms in line with AOC Covid protocols,” an AOC statement read.

“The three, who are all vaccinated, self-reported once they heard news of the US athlete testing positive late this morning. All daily tests of the trio in the village had also returned negative results. All members of the Australian Team at the Tokyo Games are tested daily.”

The AOC said at this stage it expected all athletes to compete as planned once the track and field competition gets under way on Friday in Tokyo.

The AOC’s chef de mission, Ian Chesterman, said the protocols put into place by the AOC ahead of the Games had proved valuable in managing the scare.

“Once again, abundant caution and our strict protocols continue to keep the team safe,” he said. “We will continue to be very thorough in our observance of the Tokyo playbooks and our own additional measures.

“We want every Australian athlete to be in a position to have their Olympic moment. We will continue to be vigilant.”

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Australian vaulter Kurtis Marschall is believed to be one of the three athletes who had come into contact with Kendricks. The men’s pole vault heats begin on Saturday at the Olympic Stadium.

Two-times world champion Kendricks earlier withdrew from the Games after returning a positive Covid test, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee confirmed.

“The health and safety of our athletes, coaches and staff is our top priority,” the USOPC said in a statement.

Kendricks was transferred to a hotel and and protocols were activated to isolate him. United States Track and Field said his close contacts had been immediately notified.

“We are following the guidance on next steps to ensure the safety of the remainder of our delegation, and to offer support to Sam,” USATF tweeted.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/jul/29/coronavirus-live-news-fears-in-japan-after-record-case-rise-cambodia-locks-down-provinces-bordering-thailand?page=with:block-610262b08f0892081f6c5c80#block-610262b08f0892081f6c5c80

 

 

 

Summary

 

Here are the key developments from the last few hours:

· France will from 9 August enforce controversial new laws making a health pass compulsory to visit a cafe, board a plane or travel on an inter-city train, the government’s spokesman has said.

· The UK has begun exports of coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer countries, announcing that 9m will be delivered this week around the world as its domestic programme slows.

· The new president of Tanzania, which under the former president was one of the world’s last countries to embrace Covid-19 vaccines, has publicly received a dose and urged others to do the same.

· Guatemala president Alejandro Giammattei cancelled an order of a second batch of eight million Russian-made Covid-19 vaccines due to lengthy delays.

· Children in Israel aged five to 11 at “at significant risk of serious illness or death” can be vaccinated against Covid-19 as of 1 August, health officials have said.