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"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 2nd Nov 2021

Australia eases international border restrictions for first time in pandemic - Australia eased its international border restrictions on Monday for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families to reunite, sparking emotional embraces at airports.

China Locks 30,000 Visitors Inside Shanghai Disneyland After One Guest Got Covid-19 Shanghai Disneyland was temporarily shut down from Sunday after a visitor was found to be Covid-19-positive, underscoring the economic disruption businesses in China face as the country strives to stamp out infections.

Cambodia reopens to 'new way of life' after beating COVID-19 vaccine target - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen declared his country reopen and ready for a new way of life on Monday, having surpassed its COVID-19 vaccination target and recorded one of Asia's highest inoculation rates. Cambodia has vaccinated nearly 86% if its more than 16 million people, with two million given booster shots already and 300,000 school children age 5 set to be inoculated on Monday alone.

New COVID-19 restrictions in force in Ukraine's capital amid spike in cases - From Monday residents of Kyiv will have to present vaccine certificates or evidence of a negative COVID-19 test to use restaurants, cafes, gyms, entertainment facilities and shopping malls. Staff working in those places must have been vaccinated.

Why does Bulgaria have the EU’s lowest vaccination rates? With more than 5,000 COVID-19 cases and 100 deaths a day, Bulgaria is fast approaching another peak in infections. But as the death toll mounts and the healthcare system becomes overstrained, most Bulgarians are still refusing COVID-19 vaccines. Bulgaria has the lowest rate of vaccinations in the 27-nation European Union, with just 21.8 percent of its population inoculated amid an abundant supply of vaccines. 

NYC Vaccine Mandate Kicks In With Little Disruption, Mayor Says New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the vast majority of municipal employees are complying with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate, resulting in little disruption to services as the requirement kicked in for police, firefighters and sanitation workers. De Blasio said Monday that about 9,000 employees have been placed on unpaid leave for not receiving the shot while another 12,000 will keep working as requests for exemptions are reviewed.

COVID-19 News: Indonesia Grants Emergency Use To Novavax Vaccine - Indonesia granted emergency use authorization to Novavax Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, paving the way for other countries to allow the vaccine for emergency use as well.

Moderna Confirms FDA Delayed Covid-19 Vaccine in Adolescents to Review Myocarditis RiskThe Food and Drug Administration is delaying a decision on Moderna Inc.’s MRNA application to authorize use of its Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents to assess whether the shot leads to a heightened risk of myocarditis, the company said. The FDA notified Moderna on Friday evening that an analysis may not be completed until January of next year while the agency reviews recent international data on the risk of myocarditis after vaccination, the company said Sunday.

Risk of Covid-19 death '32 times greater' if unvaccinated than if double-jabbed - The risk of death involving Covid-19 is 32 times greater in unvaccinated people than in people who have received both doses, new research suggests. Mortality rates for coronavirus deaths were found to be “consistently lower” for those who had had both jabs compared with those who had had one or no vaccinations, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The research used age-standardised mortality rates, which take into account differences in age structure and population size, to allow comparisons between vaccination groups.

Russia counts cost of missteps, vaccine refusals as COVID tide keeps rising Ambulance attendant Roman Stebakov has come face-to-face with COVID-19 many times - but he'd rather take his chances with the disease than get himself injected with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. Their attitudes help explain why the first nation in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine - and then export it to more than 70 countries - is struggling to inoculate its own population and has racked up record 24-hour death tolls on 21 days in the past month.

What's behind the Dominican Republic's new surge in Covid-19 cases? - Dr. Jorge Marte, director of the Center for Diagnosis, Advanced Medicine and Telemedicine (CEDIMAT), one of the main hospitals in Santo Domingo, points to the spread of new variants and the reopening of schools as significant factors in the country's surging case numbers. The country's public health ministry quickly sought to wrest control of the new spread, announcing on Oct 8 new precautionary measures requiring people aged 13 and older to show a vaccination card or negative PCR test in order to access public places, like schools and workplaces. Proof of vaccination would also be required for entrance to restaurants, gyms and public transportation. But those measures could only go so far, according to Marte, who says that despite the introduction of booster shots, the country's overall vaccination campaign has been insufficient.

Lockdown Exit
US prepares to roll out COVID vaccines for children aged 5 to 11
The United States’s COVID-19 vaccination programme for children between the ages of five and 11 will be “running at full strength” as of next week, the White House has announced, a significant milestone in the country’s fight against the virus. Children in the age group will be able to get Pfizer-BioNTech jabs at paediatricians’ offices, medical clinics, pharmacies and community health centres, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said during a news briefing on Monday.
China Locks 30,000 Visitors Inside Shanghai Disneyland After One Guest Got Covid-19
Shanghai Disneyland was temporarily shut down from Sunday after a visitor was found to be Covid-19-positive, underscoring the economic disruption businesses in China face as the country strives to stamp out infections. The world’s most populous nation has committed to maintaining “zero tolerance” for the virus despite criticism from business groups, a close to 80% vaccination rate, and a world which is gradually learning to live with Covid-19. China is taking stringent measures to contain pockets of the coronavirus in the country. It recorded 48 domestic cases on Saturday across several provinces.
Thai capital welcomes first tourists for quarantine-free holiday
More than a thousand foreign tourists arrived in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to the Thai capital in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against COVID-19. There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said. The waiver covers more than 60 countries, including the United States and China, plus several places in Europe, from where some were escaping the winter blues.
Australia eases international border restrictions for first time in pandemic
Australia eased its international border restrictions on Monday for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families to reunite, sparking emotional embraces at airports. After more than 18 months of some of the world's strictest coronavirus border policies, millions of Australians are now free to travel without a permit or the need to quarantine on arrival in the country. While travel is initially limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, it sets in motion a plan to reopen the country to international tourists and workers, both much needed to reinvigorate a fatigued nation
Thailand, Australia, Israel ease travel curbs as lockdowns bite elsewhere
Thailand, Australia and Israel eased international border restrictions significantly on Monday for the first time in 18 months, offering a broad test of demand for travel worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic. The relaxation contrasts with tightening lockdowns elsewhere, notably in eastern Europe where infections have hit record numbers, and in parts of China, which has taken a zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 despite relatively few cases. Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in the Thai capital for quarantine-free travel after the Southeast Asian nation approved visitors from more than 60 countries, including China and the United States.
WHO Calls for More Experts to Study Covid's Disputed Origins
The World Health Organization reopened a search for experts to join a committee to study Covid-19’s origins to add more specialists in areas such as biosecurity. Applicants have until Wednesday to express interest, and the WHO said Monday it’s looking for experts in social science, anthropology, ethics, political science and biosafety. In October, the WHO proposed a fresh team of 26 experts to lead an investigation into the origins of Covid-19 and other diseases after an earlier effort was beset by controversy. The list was subject to a two-week public consultation process. The agency is still reviewing comments from the consultation and is seeking more diversity in the areas the members focus on, a spokesman said by e-mail.
How Many People Have Died From Covid? More Than 5 Million Covid Deaths Worldwide
More than 5 million people worldwide have died from Covid-19 less than two years after the novel pathogen was first documented, despite the arrival of vaccines that have slashed fatality rates across the globe. The latest 1 million recorded deaths came slower than the previous two. It took more than 110 days to go from 4 million deaths to 5 million, compared to less than 90 days each to reach the 3- and 4-million marks. The rate has returned to what was seen during the first year of the pandemic, when the virus was still taking hold.
Cambodia reopens to 'new way of life' after beating COVID-19 vaccine target
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen declared his country reopen and ready for a new way of life on Monday, having surpassed its COVID-19 vaccination target and recorded one of Asia's highest inoculation rates. Cambodia has vaccinated nearly 86% if its more than 16 million people, with two million given booster shots already and 300,000 school children age 5 set to be inoculated on Monday alone. The ratio is similar to that of Singapore.
COVID-19: Christmas will be lockdown-free despite rising coronavirus cases, prime minister says
There is "no evidence" to suggest that England would be forced into a Christmas lockdown, according to the prime minister. Boris Johnson said that, despite rising COVID-19 cases, he has seen no evidence to indicate a Christmas lockdown is "on the cards". Speaking to reporters during his trip to Rome for the G20 summit, Mr Johnson once again insisted ministers are sticking with the current plan to tackle coronavirus and there is no reason to activate the government's Plan B.
COVID-19: Tears, hugs and laughter at Sydney airport as Australia reopens border
There have been tears, laughter and warm embraces at Sydney's international airport after Australia's border opened for the first time in 20 months. Travellers tore off their face masks as they saw their loved ones for the first time in almost two years. The airport, Australia's busiest international hub, has been almost deserted during the pandemic, but now the country is hoping its vaccination rates are high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international visitors again
Exit Strategies
Our school play caused a Covid outbreak – masks need to be brought back to the classroom
My personal alert system, which had been humming softly since the return to school in September, had ramped up in volume a few weeks ago as cases started to rise in my daughter’s school – and it kicked into hypervigilant mode in response to this message. The show must go on, but would it? It had become clear that all Covid-19 had to do was idly flick its finger, and down went the children like dominoes. But little did I appreciate then how it would stamp on the adults. It appears that many families have been dragged into a game of Covid-19 roulette. While it finally seems to be registering with the Government that schools are a hub for the recent spike in infections, it seems to ignore the knock-on effect for parents who are now being clobbered with the disease. I know because I’m one of them.
Why does Bulgaria have the EU’s lowest vaccination rates?
With more than 5,000 COVID-19 cases and 100 deaths a day, Bulgaria is fast approaching another peak in infections. But as the death toll mounts and the healthcare system becomes overstrained, most Bulgarians are still refusing COVID-19 vaccines. Bulgaria has the lowest rate of vaccinations in the 27-nation European Union, with just 21.8 percent of its population inoculated amid an abundant supply of vaccines.One of the millions of Bulgarians who do not want to get the jab is Dimo Indzhov, a 30-year-old sales representative living in Sofia. “I’m not worried about side effects; every medicine has side effects. Rather, it’s the fact that the vaccines are very new and their trials on humans have been rushed through,” he told Al Jazeera.
Mariners Can Now Get Covid-19 Vaccines at Port After Months Stranded at Sea
Health workers and humanitarian groups at more than 200 ports around the world are making a push to vaccinate thousands of mariners, a population of essential workers that has been largely neglected in the fight against Covid-19. Many of the thousands of global mariners that are unvaccinated have been unable to disembark from their ships and have been stuck aboard, not seeing their families or standing on land for several months. In addition, infections at ports or on ships have disrupted global shipping at a time when bottlenecks are already slowing the world’s economic recovery from Covid-19. Port authorities and nonprofits at some of the world’s busiest ports, including Los Angeles, Rotterdam and Singapore, now offer Covid vaccines to international seafarers. For many of the sailors, it is the first time since the pandemic began that they have been able to get access to vaccines.
Covid-19: Nightclubs reopen in Northern Ireland as restrictions ease
Nightclubs in Northern Ireland reopened on Sunday as some remaining coronavirus restrictions imposed last March were lifted. The hospitality sector is expected to be busy on Halloween night, with legal requirements on social distancing also being scrapped. Ministers want people to be sensible and exercise personal responsibility. Customers do not have to wear face coverings when they are eating, drinking or dancing in clubs. First Minister Paul Givan said: "We ask everyone to keep following the public health advice - the responsibility lies with each of us to protect ourselves, our families and the whole community."
COVID-19: Walk-in sites now offering coronavirus booster jabs across England without appointment
The move comes as the government announces that Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and Suffolk will become 'Enhanced Response Areas' for tackling the COVID pandemic - sparked by a rise in cases in older populations and growing pressure on local health and education services.
Northern Ireland: Reopening of nightclubs part of ‘return to normality’
The reopening of nightclubs in Northern Ireland represents part of the return to normality that many young people have been craving, a leading promoter has said. For the first time in a year and a half, nightclubs opened their doors on Halloween night across Northern Ireland after some Covid-19 restrictions were eased. A Stormont minister repeated her concerns about the nightclub sector reopening without a mandatory Covid vaccination certification system. Nightclubs had been the last remaining part of the hospitality sector which had been prevented from opening due to public health regulations.
New COVID-19 restrictions in force in Ukraine's capital amid spike in cases
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv implemented tough new restrictions on Monday in an attempt to stem a surge in COVID-19 infections that is affecting many countries across eastern Europe amid a low take-up of vaccinations. Ukraine had registered 2.94 million infections and 68,027 deaths as of Nov. 1. Only 7.4 million people, or less than a fifth of the total population of around 41 million, has been fully vaccinated so far. From Monday residents of Kyiv will have to present vaccine certificates or evidence of a negative COVID-19 test to use restaurants, cafes, gyms, entertainment facilities and shopping malls. Staff working in those places must have been vaccinated.
Mayor: 9 in 10 NYC workers vaccinated as deadline nears
Nine in 10 New York City municipal workers received COVID-19 vaccinations as a Monday deadline loomed under a city mandate, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio tweeted Saturday night that 91% of city workers had received the vaccine, which represented a jump from about 83% as of Friday night. Under a city mandate, those who haven’t received at least one dose of the vaccine will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday, raising the possibility of shortages of police, fire and EMS workers. New York has more than 300,000 employees.
Partisan Exits
Mayor: 9 in 10 NYC workers vaccinated as deadline nears
Nine in 10 New York City municipal workers received COVID-19 vaccinations as a Monday deadline loomed under a city mandate, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio tweeted Saturday night that 91% of city workers had received the vaccine, which represented a jump from about 83% as of Friday night. Under a city mandate, those who haven’t received at least one dose of the vaccine will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday, raising the possibility of shortages of police, fire and EMS workers. New York has more than 300,000 employees.
NYC Vaccine Mandate Kicks In With Little Disruption, Mayor Says
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the vast majority of municipal employees are complying with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate, resulting in little disruption to services as the requirement kicked in for police, firefighters and sanitation workers. De Blasio said Monday that about 9,000 employees have been placed on unpaid leave for not receiving the shot while another 12,000 will keep working as requests for exemptions are reviewed. That amounts to a small share of the city’s workforce of nearly 400,000.
Critics of Biden vaccine mandate 'lobby' for change in rare meetings
The meetings are normally used by well-connected groups trying to win an advantage for companies or unions. But few things are normal about the vaccine mandate, which could be published as soon as next week. Thirty-six of 129 half-hour teleconference meetings on the vaccine rule were scheduled with individuals, according to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, or OIRA, which schedules the meetings. The others were with businesses such as United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) or with trade groups, which have urged delaying the rule or want employees pay for testing, according to information on the OIRA site.
Travel agent under investigation over allegations it was selling fake Covid-19 certificates
A travel agent is under investigation over allegations that it sold fake Covid-19 travel certificates to customers. Bolton council says 'a substantial number of fraudulent documents' were found when its trading standards officers raided the business. It is alleged that the Bolton -based travel agent, which has not been named, was selling certificates of negative PCR test results claiming to be from a legitimate test clinic.
Moroccans protest vaccine pass required for work, travel
Protests erupted across cities in Morocco on Sunday against a coronavirus vaccine passport that is required to access indoor activities and travel. Proof of vaccination has been mandatory since Oct. 21 for all Moroccans to enter their place of work and restaurants and for domestic and international air travel. The North African kingdom’s vaccination rate is the highest in the continent, with more than 58% of its 36 million people fully inoculated. But a vocal minority is opposed to the abrupt decision to require the vaccine pass, and hundreds of demonstrators marched in the capital of Rabat for the the second time in a week to voice opposition to the rule.
Eleven states sue U.S. government over vaccine mandate for federal contractors
Eleven U.S. states with Republican governors sued the Biden administration on Friday seeking to block a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing it is unconstitutional and violates federal procurement law. Saying they were necessary to fight COVID-19, President Joe Biden issued a pair of executive orders on Sept. 9 requiring all executive branch federal employees and federal contractors be vaccinated
Continued Lockdown
Ugandan kids lose hope in long school closure amid pandemic
Dressed in his school uniform, Mathias Okwako jumped into the mud and started his daily search for gold, a commodity that may be closer to his grasp than another precious asset: an education. His rural school in Uganda sits idle just across the road from the swamp where he and scores of children now work as informal miners. Weeds grow in some classrooms, where window frames have been looted for firewood. Another school nearby is renting out rooms to tenants. Uganda’s schools have been fully or partially shut for more than 77 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the longest disruption anywhere in the world, according to figures from the U.N. cultural agency.
Scientific Viewpoint
COVID vaccine for younger kids already being packed, shipped
Anticipating a green light from vaccine advisers, the Biden administration is assembling and shipping millions of COVID-19 shots for children ages 5-11, the White House said Monday. The first could go into kids’ arms by midweek. “We are not waiting on the operations and logistics,” said coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients. By vaccinating children, the U.S. hopes to head off another coronavirus wave during the cold-weather months when people spend more time indoors and respiratory illnesses can spread more easily. Cases have been declining for weeks, but the virus has repeatedly shown its ability to stage a comeback and more easily transmissible mutations are a persistent threat.
New Delta coronavirus subvariant AY.4.2: What we know so far
Health officials and scientists are closely tracking a new mutation of the coronavirus amid concerns that it could be more transmissible than the original strain. A subvariant of the Delta variant of the virus labelled AY.
Moderna Confirms FDA Delayed Covid-19 Vaccine in Adolescents to Review Myocarditis Risk
The Food and Drug Administration is delaying a decision on Moderna Inc.’s MRNA application to authorize use of its Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents to assess whether the shot leads to a heightened risk of myocarditis, the company said. The FDA notified Moderna on Friday evening that an analysis may not be completed until January of next year while the agency reviews recent international data on the risk of myocarditis after vaccination, the company said Sunday. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the FDA was delaying a decision on Moderna’s application for authorization in 12- to 17-year-olds after several Nordic countries limited use due to myocarditis reports.
Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine Gets First Authorization, in Indonesia
Indonesia became the first country to authorize the use of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax Inc. and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.Novavax said Monday that Indonesia’s drug regulator cleared use of the new vaccine, called Covovax, in adults 18 years and older. The decision shows that, despite receiving substantial financial support from the U.S. government, the Novavax vaccine will be used in other countries first. Novavax said it expected additional countries to authorize the vaccine in coming weeks and months.
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine gets first authorization; expects more within weeks, CEO says
Novavax Inc expects regulators in India, the Philippines and elsewhere to make a decision on its COVID-19 vaccine within "weeks," its chief executive told Reuters, after the shot on Monday received its first emergency use authorization (EUA) from Indonesia. Novavax shares were up about 13% after the company also said it had filed an application for emergency use of the vaccine to Canada and the European Medicines Agency.
Americans who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine were 3.5 times as likely to develop rare blood clots compared to the general population, study finds
Recipients of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine are 3.5 times as likely to develop a rare, deadly, blood clotting condition than the general population, a new study finds. Researchers found that 8.5 J&J recipients developed the clots for every 100,000 person years, compared to only 2.5 out of the general population. Researchers found that women between aged 30 and 64 were most at risk of developing the clotting. Authorization of the vaccine was paused for ten days during April due to concerns of the blood clotting developing in women. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST, is a dangerous condition that can cause a person to suffer stroke, or even die
COVID-19 News: Indonesia Grants Emergency Use To Novavax Vaccine
Indonesia granted emergency use authorization to Novavax Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, paving the way for other countries to allow the vaccine for emergency use as well.
Infertility is not a risk with Covid-19 vaccines for kids
It's among parents' top worries around kids getting vaccinated against Covid-19: Could the vaccine somehow impair their child's future fertility? A survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation last week found that 66% of parents of 5- to 11-year-olds worried that vaccines might negatively impact children's fertility later on. Doctors and public health officials are united in assuring parents this is not a concern. "Unfounded claims linking COVID-19 vaccines to infertility have been scientifically disproven," the American Academy of Pediatrics -- which represents doctors who specialize in treating children -- says in a statement on its website.
Risk of Covid-19 death '32 times greater' if unvaccinated than if double-jabbed
The risk of death involving Covid-19 is 32 times greater in unvaccinated people than in people who have received both doses, new research suggests. Mortality rates for coronavirus deaths were found to be “consistently lower” for those who had had both jabs compared with those who had had one or no vaccinations, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The research used age-standardised mortality rates, which take into account differences in age structure and population size, to allow comparisons between vaccination groups.
Breast milk shown to protect newborn babies against Covid-19
Newborn babies could have extra protection against Covid-19 by drinking their mother's breast milk, a new study has shown. Researchers at Swansea University and the University of Aberdeen found the ACE2 protein, which is commonly found in breast milk, acts as a "decoy" for the virus, trapping it in biological fluids and preventing it from infecting cells. The study may go some way to understanding why newborn babies are relatively protected against coronavirus and its harms when compared to older age groups.
Coronavirus Resurgence
Russia counts cost of missteps, vaccine refusals as COVID tide keeps rising
Ambulance attendant Roman Stebakov has come face-to-face with COVID-19 many times - but he'd rather take his chances with the disease than get himself injected with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. Their attitudes help explain why the first nation in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine - and then export it to more than 70 countries - is struggling to inoculate its own population and has racked up record 24-hour death tolls on 21 days in the past month.
Latvia gets ventilators, other aid from EU countries amid COVID spike
Latvia has received shipments of emergency medical equipment from the Netherlands, Finland, Hungary and Sweden as it fights the worst surge in new COVID-19 cases in the European Union amid a low take-up of vaccinations. The Baltic country of 1.9 million people filed a request last week to the European Union for more than 130 ventilators and hundreds of vital signs monitors, BNS news agency said. Latvian hospitals were treating 1,526 coronavirus patients on Sunday, their highest number ever, the public broadcaster said. One large Riga hospital, the PSKUS, converted its hallway into a makeshift ward on Monday to treat patients, news portal Delfi reported.
Singapore may see 2,000 COVID-19 deaths each year- minister
Singapore could see as many 2,000 COVID-19 deaths annually over time, mainly among the elderly,but it was focused on avoiding excess mortality, a minister said on Monday, as the country battles its biggest surge in infections. At 0.2% Singapore's COVID-19 case fatality rate is similar to the rate of deaths from pneumonia before the pandemic struck, said Janil Puthucheary, a senior minister of state in parliament. It is also lower than other countries where cases surged before vaccination, he said.
COVID-19's global death toll tops 5 million in under 2 years
The global death toll from Covid-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems. Together, the United States the European Union, Britain and Brazil — all upper-middle- or high-income countries — account for one-eighth of the world’s population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The US alone has recorded over 740,000 lives lost, more than any other nation. “This is a defining moment in our lifetime,” said Dr Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. “What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don’t get to another 5 million?”
What's behind the Dominican Republic's new surge in Covid-19 cases?
Dr. Jorge Marte, director of the Center for Diagnosis, Advanced Medicine and Telemedicine (CEDIMAT), one of the main hospitals in Santo Domingo, points to the spread of new variants and the reopening of schools as significant factors in the country's surging case numbers. The country's public health ministry quickly sought to wrest control of the new spread, announcing on Oct 8 new precautionary measures requiring people aged 13 and older to show a vaccination card or negative PCR test in order to access public places, like schools and workplaces. Proof of vaccination would also be required for entrance to restaurants, gyms and public transportation. But those measures could only go so far, according to Marte, who says that despite the introduction of booster shots, the country's overall vaccination campaign has been insufficient. Less than 50% of the total Dominican population has been fully vaccinated, according to JHU. The government had aimed to vaccinate 70% of the country's eligible population with at least two doses.
Covid-19: Ten more deaths and 948 new coronavirus cases
Ten more Covid-19-related deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland on Monday. Deaths are measured by recording those who died within 28 days of receiving a positive result in a test for coronavirus. The total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the start of the pandemic is 2,715. Another 948 cases of coronavirus were reported, down from 1,001 cases recorded on Sunday. That includes cases confirmed from samples taken in recent days, not necessarily just in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
COVID-19: UK records another 38,009 coronavirus cases and 74 related deaths
The UK has recorded a further 38,009 coronavirus cases and 74 related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, the latest government figures show. It compares with yesterday's figures when 41,278 positive COVID-19 infections and 166 deaths were reported, while 39,962 cases and 72 fatalities were logged this time last week. The latest figures also show a total of 49,955,853 people have had one dose of a coronavirus vaccine - with another 33,763 doses being administered. The death toll, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. It rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Globally, Covid is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.
Global Covid-19 death toll passes 5m
The global death toll from Covid-19 has passed 5 million, 19 months after the pandemic was first declared, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University. Some experts, including those from the World Health Organization, believe the true toll may be two to three times higher than official figures suggest. The number of deaths from Covid-19 far outstrip that of other viral epidemics in the 21st century and most from the 20th century, with the notable exception of the Spanish flu. The US, Brazil, India, Mexico and the UK together account for more than half of all deaths worldwide. In the last 28 days, Johns Hopkins University has logged 197,116 deaths and 11.7 million new cases around the world.
New COVID-19 restrictions in force in Ukraine's capital amid spike in cases
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv implemented tough new restrictions on Monday in an attempt to stem a surge in COVID-19 infections that is affecting many countries across eastern Europe amid a low take-up of vaccinations. Ukraine had registered 2.94 million infections and 68,027 deaths as of Nov. 1. Only 7.4 million people, or less than a fifth of the total population of around 41 million, has been fully vaccinated so far. From Monday residents of Kyiv will have to present vaccine certificates or evidence of a negative COVID-19 test to use restaurants, cafes, gyms, entertainment facilities and shopping malls. Staff working in those places must have been vaccinated.
New Lockdown
Netherlands to impose new coronavirus curbs as infections jump
The Netherlands will impose new coronavirus restrictions this week in a bid to curb a recent surge in infections, health minister Hugo de Jonge said on Monday. "We can't escape having to take new measures", De Jonge said. "The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals is rising fast." De Jonge did not give details of the new measures, which he said would be decided on Tuesday. Broadcaster NOS said the government was likely to require face masks in many public places and broaden the use of a "corona pass" showing proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or recent negative coronavirus test.
Tonga records first-ever COVID-19 case, Pacific island nation prepares for lockdown
Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onenoa announced the seven-day lockdown in a press conference on Monday, despite no evidence of community transmission. From midnight, residents on the island of Tongatapu will be required to stay home, except to access essential services or to purchase essential goods, including medical supplies. Police and the military will also enforce a curfew between 8pm and 6am, with all bars, restaurants and non-essential businesses to close temporarily.