Country,	Total	New	Total
Other	Cases	Cases	Deaths
World	204,102,789	524,823	4,315,578
USA	36,780,480	102,375	633,799
India	31,997,017	27,429	428,715
Brazil	20,178,143	12,471	563,707
Russia	6,469,910	22,160	165,650
France	6,310,933	5,775	112,288
UK	6,094,243	25,161	130,357
Turkey	5,942,271	23,731	52,313
Argentina	5,029,075	10,180	107,961
Colombia	4,843,007	4,023	122,601
Spain	4,627,770	13,212	82,125
Italy	4,400,617	4,200	128,242
Iran	4,199,537	40,808	94,603
Germany	3,800,048	2,212	92,291
Indonesia	3,686,740	20,709	108,571
Mexico	2,971,817	7,573	244,420
Poland	2,884,162	64	75,285
South Africa	2,540,222	6,756	75,012
Ukraine	2,259,451	300	53,100
Peru	2,125,848	503	197,029
Netherlands	1,887,831	2,026	17,871
Iraq	1,722,328	9,619	19,270
Czechia	1,675,010	103	30,363
Philippines	1,667,714	8,900	29,128
Chile	1,624,316	953	36,107
Canada	1,442,087	3,344	26,678
Bangladesh	1,365,158	11,463	22,897
Malaysia	1,279,776	17,236	10,961
Belgium	1,139,925	1,415	25,273
Sweden	1,104,538		14,620
Romania	1,085,100	181	34,319
Pakistan	1,071,620	4,040	23,918
Japan	1,031,296	14,472	15,280
Portugal	988,061	1,094	17,485
Israel	906,405	5,923	6,559
Hungary	810,011	156	30,037
Jordan	778,093	929	10,135
Thailand	776,108	19,603	6,353
Switzerland	727,113	3,144	10,913
Serbia	726,454	752	7,143
Nepal	717,486	2,609	10,115
Morocco	701,325	5,043	10,404
UAE	694,285	1,321	1,978
Austria	663,532	450	10,750
Kazakhstan	641,885	7,671	6,876
Tunisia	613,628	2,968	21,089
Lebanon	572,401	751	7,948
Saudi Arabia	534,312	796	8,345
Greece	516,785	2,593	13,068
Ecuador	491,831		31,788
Bolivia	478,063	367	17,983
Cuba	466,169	7,950	3,515
Paraguay	455,389	269	15,315
Belarus	454,674	742	3,541
Georgia	450,149	2,236	6,128
Panama	442,818	523	6,912
Bulgaria	428,823	774	18,278
Costa Rica	420,462	888	5,162
Kuwait	403,868	519	2,372
Slovakia	393,059	19	12,541
Guatemala	391,118	604	10,808
Uruguay	382,607	101	5,989
Croatia	365,089	44	8,273
Azerbaijan	352,926	1,101	5,072
Dominican Republic	344,625	130	3,974
Myanmar	333,127	3,611	12,014
Sri Lanka	332,947	2,953	5,222
Denmark	324,721	935	2,552
Palestine	317,999		3,613
Ireland	313,876	1,411	5,044
Venezuela	312,931		3,705
Honduras	305,936		8,120
Oman	298,942	236	3,948
Lithuania	286,408	287	4,430
Egypt	284,789	83	16,582
Ethiopia	284,531	440	4,430
Bahrain	270,161	101	1,384
Libya	269,847	2,001	3,750
Moldova	260,807	177	6,286
Slovenia	260,156	46	4,433
Armenia	232,297	140	4,653
Qatar	227,899	210	601
Vietnam	219,745	9,340	3,757
Kenya	212,573	745	4,179
S. Korea	212,448	1,492	2,125
Bosnia and Herzegovina	206,317	211	9,694
Zambia	200,201	152	3,491
Algeria	182,368	992	4,578
Nigeria	178,508	422	2,192
Mongolia	174,603	1,071	857
Kyrgyzstan	169,500	483	2,407
North Macedonia	158,164	139	5,509
Afghanistan	151,013	235	6,999
Norway	141,333	498	804
Latvia	139,462	41	2,559
Uzbekistan	137,491	856	934
Estonia	135,223	147	1,277
Albania	133,981	69	2,460
Mozambique	133,177	725	1,628
Botswana	130,771	8,197	1,832
Namibia	121,203	160	3,196
Suriname	26,046	44	667
Australia	36,630	295	940

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

 

 

 

Germany to stop free COVID-19 tests - report

 

People queue to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a night of vaccinations with music, at the Arena Treptow vaccination centre in Berlin, Germany, August 9, 2021. John Macdougall/Pool via REUTERS

 Germany wants to end free coronavirus tests in October, the RND group of newspapers reported on Monday, citing a draft proposal to be discussed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the country's 16 states.

The government made the tests free for all in March to make a gradual return to normal life possible after a lockdown to break a third wave of COVID-19.

But with 55% of the population fully vaccinated there have been calls to stop spending taxpayers' money on a subsidised scheme that now mainly benefits those who are not yet vaccinated even though vaccines are available for all.

"Given that all vaccination is immediately available to all citizens, it is no longer justifiable that the federal government and therefore taxpayers cover the cost of all tests," RND cited from a draft proposal.

Less than seven weeks before a federal election, Merkel and state leaders will discuss measures to keep rising new infections spurred by the Delta variant in check without instituting lockdowns.

The draft stipulates that people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons like expectant women and children under 18 will continue to be entitled to subsidised tests.

An exact date in October for curtailing the program has not yet been made, RND added.

Germany has recorded more than 3,000 cases on each of the past five days but with almost 63% of the population having received at least one shot the government is hoping lockdowns could be avoided.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/germany-stop-free-covid-19-tests-report-2021-08-09/

 

 

 

Arkansas nearly out of ICU beds as Delta variant fuels U.S. pandemic

By Maria CaspaniSharon Bernstein

 

A critical care respiratory therapist works with a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida, February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Only eight intensive care unit beds were available on Monday in the state of Arkansas, its governor said, as the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus pushed cases and hospitalizations in the United States to a six-month high.

In neighboring Texas, Governor Greg Abbott asked hospitals to postpone elective surgeries as the variant raged through swathes of the country including many southern states grappling with low vaccination rates.

Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have averaged 100,000 for three days in a row, up 35% over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of public health data. Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas reported the most new cases in the past week, based on population. (Graphic of U.S. coronavirus cases)

Hospitalizations rose 40% and deaths, a lagging indicator, registered an 18% risenationwide in the past week.

"We saw the largest single-day increase in hospitalizations and have eclipsed our previous high of COVID hospitalizations," Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Twitter. "There are currently only eight ICU beds available in the state."

Hutchinson, a Republican, urged Arkansans to be vaccinated against the pandemic, which many of his constituents have been hesitant to do in part because of widespread disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Abbott, who in May issued an order banning local governments from requiring masks to help prevent the spread of the virus, said on Monday he would increase the number of clinics in Texas where COVID patients can receive infusions of antibodies.

Florida set a new single-day record with 28,317 cases on Sunday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Hospitalizations in Florida have been at record highs for eight days in a row, according to the Reuters analysis. Most Florida students are due back in the classroom this week as some school districts debate whether to require masks for pupils.

Holding signs, mask proponents and opponents gathered at the Pinellas County Schools building near St. Petersburg on Monday where the school board called a special session to discuss mask protocols.

The head of the nation's second-largest teachers' union on Sunday announced a shift in course by backing mandated vaccinations for U.S. teachers in an effort to protect students who are too young to be inoculated.

The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 is rising across the country, a trend health experts attribute to the Delta variant being more likely to infect children than the original Alpha strain.

With the virus once again upending Americans' lives after a brief summer lull, the push to vaccinate those still reluctant has gained fresh momentum.

The Pentagon on Monday said that it will seek Biden's approval by the middle of September to require military members to get vaccinated.

STURGIS CROWDS

The evolving pandemic and the rapid community spread spurred by the Delta variant have prompted the cancellation of some large-scale events. Last week, organizers canceled the New York Auto Show that had been set for later this month.

The New Orleans Jazz Fest was canceled for the second straight year as Louisiana fights a severe outbreak.

But fears about the Delta variant seem to not have dampened the mood in Sturgis, a small town in South Dakota that welcomes hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

"It is one of the biggest crowds I have seen," Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin said in an email. "I think there will definitely be some spread."

Sturgis has partnered with health officials to provide COVID-19 self-test kits to rally-goers but the event, taking place Aug. 6-15, does not require proof of vaccination or mask-wearing.

Last year, health officials cited the rally as a super-spreader event that contributed to an autumn surge in the Midwest.

While cases and hospitalizations were relatively low in South Dakota when the event started on Aug. 7, 2020, three months later the state set a record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients and new infections.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.reuters.com/world/us/delta-variant-pushes-us-cases-hospitalizations-6-month-high-2021-08-09/

 

 

 

France’s virus pass now required in restaurants, trains

By SYLVIE CORBET

 

A security officer checks passengers' health passes at the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, Monday Aug.9, 2021. Starting today, the pass will be required in France to access cafes, restaurants, long-distance travel and, in some cases, hospitals. It was already in place for cultural and recreational venues, including cinemas, concert halls, sports arenas and theme parks with a capacity for more than 50 people. (AP Photo/Adrienne Surprenant)

 

 France took a big step Monday into a post-pandemic future by requiring people to show a QR code proving they have a special virus pass before they can enjoy restaurants and cafes or travel by plane, train or bus across the country.

The measure is part of a government plan to encourage more people to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot and slow down a surge in infections, as the highly contagious delta variant now accounts for most cases in France. Over 36 million people in France, or more than 54% of the population, are fully vaccinated.

The special pass is issued to people who are vaccinated against COVID-19, or have proof of a recent recovery from the virus or who have a recent negative test. The measure also applies to tourists visiting the country.

In the southern city of Marseille, several restaurant owners did not check clients for the pass, an Associated Press reporter saw Monday. Many in the entertainment business are annoyed that the government is foisting such a job on them.

The owner of the Backstage restaurant and bar in a theater district on Paris’ Left Bank said the checks made him feel like a police officer but he still followed government orders.

″This involves putting on another cap,” said Pierre Arnoux. “We have to ask the client if — yes or no — they are validated to have a drink at my restaurant. This is rather unusual. I must admit this isn’t for me.”

f 135 euros ($158). The French government said for the first week of implementation, police controls will not lead to sanctions for non-compliance but instead will be an occasion to explain the law.

In hospitals, visitors and patients who have appointments are required to have the pass. Exceptions are made for people at the emergency ward.

The pass is now required on high-speed, intercity and night trains, which carry over 400,000 passengers per day in France, Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said Monday. It is also required on long-distance travels by plane or bus.

“We’re going to enforce massive controls,” Djebbari said.

Meanwhile, the Paris Saint-Germain soccer club will be allowed a capacity crowd for its first home game of the season against Strasbourg in the French league on Saturday. PSG said the Paris prefecture has approved 49,700 fans at Parc des Princes stadium, with spectators expected to show their virus passes.

Polls show that most French support the health pass. Since President Emmanuel Macron announced the measure on July 12, at least 7 million people have received their first vaccine shot.

Yet the measure has prompted strong opposition from some people who say it compromises their freedoms by limiting movements outside the home. On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris and other French cities for a fourth consecutive week of protests against the measure.

The virus pass has already been in place for last month for cultural and recreational venues including cinemas, concert halls, sports arenas and theme parks.

The law also requires French health care workers to be vaccinated against the virus by Sept. 15.

 

Retrieved from：https://apnews.com/article/europe-business-health-france-coronavirus-pandemic-655d8451d7494f8663ce2072e64cf7a6

 

 

 

CDC adds seven destinations to 'very high' Covid-19 travel risk list

By Marnie Hunter

 

France and Iceland are among seven destinations added on Monday to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's highest risk category for travel.

Travel should be avoided to locations carrying the "Level 4: Covid-19 very high" notice, according to CDC guidance. Anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.

The seven destinations added to the Level 4 list on August 9 are:

• Aruba
• Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
• France
• French Polynesia
• Iceland
• Israel
• Thailand

In its wider travel guidance, the CDC recommends against all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.

"Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread Covid-19. However, international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers might be at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading some Covid-19 variants," the agency said.

Destinations that fall into the "very high" risk category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC parameters.

The CDC maintains an evolving list of travel notices from Level 1 ("low") to Level 4 ("very high"). Last week the agency added 16 destinations to its "very high" risk category, including Greece, Ireland and the US Virgin Islands.

You can view the CDC's risk level of any destination on its travel recommendations page.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cdc-very-high-risk-level-4-travel-destinations/index.html

 

 

 

Manila in lockdown as Delta cases soar in Philippines

By Rebecca Ratcliffe 

 

People hoping to get vaccinated against Covid-19 queue outside a health centre in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, Philippines. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty

 

The more aggressive Delta variant of Covid-19, detected in the Philippines in mid-July, has spread across much of the country, reaching 13 of 17 regions, health officials have said.

On Sunday, the Philippines reported a sharp rise in daily Covid fatalities, with 287 deaths, the highest daily increase in four months. A further 9,671 new infections were also confirmed.

The national capital region of Manila, home to almost 14 million people, was placed under lockdown last week in an attempt to slow the spread of the Delta variant.

The variant has led to record case numbers in countries across south-east Asia, and it is feared the Philippines could experience a similar rise. The country’s cases had fallen after a severe outbreak four months ago but Covid transmission has begun to increase.

“We saw a decline since our peak in cases in the first week of April, but since mid-July cases started to slowly rise again,” said the Department of Health undersecretary Maria Rosette Vergeire⁩ on Monday. It is probable cases would increase further, she added, as it would take two to three weeks for the newly imposed restrictions to affect case numbers.

Vergeire⁩ said there had been an almost 50% increase in cases nationally over the past fortnight, compared with the previous two weeks, and that the country’s Covid situation was considered “high risk”. The rise in cases was most marked in Metro Manila, which is made up of 16 cities, all of which have detected Delta cases.

The restrictions imposed on Friday in the national capital region will last until 20 August and are set at the strictest level used by the Philippine authorities. Only authorised people, including those buying food, travelling for medical reasons, or frontline workers, are allowed to go outside.

The day before lockdown was introduced, thousands rushed to vaccination centres and queued for hours in the hope of getting a jab. Rumours had spread that unvaccinated people would not be allowed to claim government aid or go outside, according to local media.

The president, Rodrigo Duterte, previously threatened to arrest people who were not vaccinated, and recently warned that unvaccinated people would not be permitted to leave their homes. However, a person’s vaccination status does not affect the restrictions they face under lockdown. About 10% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

The Delta variant has spread rapidly across south-east Asia, including in countries that avoided the worst of the pandemic last year. Outbreaks have placed intense pressure on health systems and forced governments to reintroduce lockdown measures in areas that are the hardest hit. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam have reported record cases over recent weeks.

The Philippines has recorded more than 29,100 deaths since the start of the pandemic, one of the highest death tolls in south-east Asia.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/09/manila-covid-lockdown-delta-cases-philippines

 

 

 

Anti-vaccine protesters storm BBC HQ – years after it moved out

By Jim Waterson 

 

Group gain access to old Television Centre in west London, which is now mostly rented by ITV daytime shows

Confused anti-vaccine protesters stormed what they thought was a major BBC building on Monday, apparently unaware the corporation largely moved out almost a decade ago.

Rather than target the BBC’s news operation, which they hold responsible for promoting Covid-19 vaccines, a handful of protesters gained access to Television Centre in west London, which is now predominantly rented by ITV to film its daytime shows such as Good Morning Britain and This Morning.

 

The circular building was vacated by the BBC in 2013 and has since been converted into flats and a private members’ club.

The BBC retained three studios on the site under its commercial for-profit Studioworks arm, which are largely rented to other broadcasters and provide the permanent base for many of ITV’s shows. However, the vast majority of London-based BBC staff and its news operation are based five miles away at the corporation’s Broadcasting House on Portland Place.

The Loose Women co-host Charlene White thanked the security team who kept protesters out of the studio while her ITV programme was on air on Monday afternoon.

“Not sure what protesters were hoping to achieve, but all they would’ve found was me, Jane, Nadia and Penny on Loose Women talking about the menopause,” she said.

Many of the protesters outside the building appeared to be operating under the belief they were targeting a major BBC building connected to its news coverage, with live streams and promotional material for the event mentioning the building’s BBC links.

Among the individuals outside was Piers Corbyn, the brother of the former Labour party leader, who was recorded on one live stream as saying “we’ve got to take over these bastards”, while other individuals on the protest described the media as “the virus” and criticised the BBC’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of people outside the studio building chanted “shame on you”, with small scuffles breaking out with Metropolitan police officers guarding the entrance to the studios, although other protesters stepped in to separate the two sides.

Police reinforcements and a helicopter were later deployed to the scene, while a smaller group of demonstrators did later march to Broadcasting House in central London.

The BBC has had to deal with an increasing number of verbal and physical attacks on its journalists by anti-lockdown protesters, with Newsnight’s political editor, Nick Watt, targeted outside Downing Street earlier this year.

The BBC’s director of news, Fran Unsworth, has warned that abuse of her journalists is a growing problem and has urged staff to train on how to deal with an in-person attack.

The BBC said it did not comment on security matters. A Met spokesperson said no arrests had been made.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/09/confused-anti-vaccine-protesters-storm-bbc-hq-years-after-moved-out

 

 

 

Summary

 

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

China reported 143 new cases on the mainland for 9 August, up from 125 cases a day earlier, the health authority said on Tuesday.

Among the new confirmed infections – the highest number China has reported since 20 January – 108 were locally transmitted, up from 94 a day earlier, while the remainder were imported from abroad, the National Health Commission said.

In better news, India reported on Tuesday 28,204 infections over the past 24 hours, the lowest since 16 March, according to government data.

Here are the other key recent developments:

· The UK is on course to “hoard” up to 210m spare coronavirus vaccines by the end of the year, new research suggested, as ministers were accused of leaving poorer countries “fighting for scraps” after the UK opposed a move to allow more companies abroad to manufacture the doses themselves.

· An extension to France’s “health pass” covering activities including going to restaurants and cafes, taking long-distance train journeys and visiting hospitals has come into effect after a fourth weekend of protests. Opponents believe the pass sanitaire violates the most fundamental of French principles: the liberté and egalité of the national motto.

· The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has put the issue of vaccine mandates firmly in the hands of employers, saying government legal advice backs the view that bosses may be able to require workers to get a Covid-19 jab, particularly in high-risk fields.

· Canada today lifted its ban on Americans entering, though under a strict regime they must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for Covid-19 within three days. Long delays were reported at as tourists rushed to travel north during the busy summer season.

· One person is now dying with Covid-19 every two minutes in Iran, state TV has said, as the Middle East’s worst-hit nation reported a new record daily toll of 588 fatalities. It compares to a reported rate of about one death per three minutes a month ago.

· Fake versions of anti-Covid “green passes” have begun to circulate in Italy just days after they were introduced to gain entry to a number of indoor places, police said. One network selling false evidence of vaccination, recovery or testing has been broken up, they claimed, saying they have identified four suspects, including two minors.

· California’s ambitious programme to provide rent relief to every low-income tenant struggling during the pandemic has been plagued by delays and challenges, and some renters who are waiting for the aid to arrive say they are now facing eviction threats.

· Saudi Arabia is from today taking travel requests from vaccinated foreign visitors seeking to visit the holy city of Mecca as part of the Umrah pilgrimage. The tight restrictions, including rules on which vaccines are considered acceptable, means that millions of Muslims could be prevented from going on the pivotally important journey.

· Scottish clubbers have vowed to be “out every night” as the easing of coronavirus restrictions allowed venues to reopen for the first time in more than a year. Nightclubs across the country opened their doors as the clock moved a minute past midnight today.

 

Retrieved from：https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/aug/10/coronavirus-live-news-china-india-arkansas

 

 

 

Chinese mainland reports 143 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

 

The Chinese mainland recorded 143 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, with 108 being local transmissions and 35 from overseas, the latest data from the National Health Commission showed on Tuesday.

In addition, 38 new asymptomatic cases were recorded, while 501 asymptomatic patients remain under medical observation.

This brings the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland to 93,969, with the death toll unchanged at 4,636.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and the Taiwan region is as follows:

Hong Kong: 12,015 (11,725 recoveries, 212 deaths)

Macao: 63 (57 recoveries)

Taiwan: 15,790 (13,096 recoveries, 813 deaths)

 

Retrieved from：https://www.cgtn.com/special/Latest-updates-on-COVID-19-pandemic.html