Across the globe, 5.86 billion doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered, and 29.91 million shots are given on a daily basis. The COVID-19 vaccines rollout has proven a crucial tool in our fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We are starting to see life return to varying forms of "normal" as an increasing number of people are immunized in different regions of the world. Importantly, the more people that receive their vaccine, the more real-time data we are gathering on the side effects that the different authorized vaccines can have both common and rare.One side effect that has been reported to the Yellow Card scheme and that was not studied in the vaccine clinical trials is changes to the menstrual cycle. Increasing calls for this phenomenon to be explored further led to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dedicating $1.67 million of funding to this area of unmet need.
Victoria Male, lecturer in reproductive immunology at Imperial College London, recently published an editorial in the British Medical Journal addressing the "plausible link" between COVID-19 vaccines and menstrual cycle changes. In the piece, she wrote that a key lesson from the vaccine rollout is that the effects of medical interventions on menstruation should not be an afterthought in future research.
Technology Networks interviewed Dr. Male to learn more about the plausible link and what kind of research she would like to see in this space. Dr. Male also discussed why a lack of conversation surrounding menstruation may lead individuals to conceal information in this context.
Molly Campbell (MC): Why might an immune response, such as that which is triggered by vaccination, influence the menstrual cycle?Victoria Male (VM): I should make it clear that we dont know for sure that this is happening yet, but we can imagine at least two biologically plausible mechanisms. One is that a perturbation to the immune system, such as occurs after vaccination or infection, could affect sex hormones and that this in turn will affect the menstrual cycle. The other is that the immune cells that help control the build-up and break down of the lining of the uterus could be affected by the general activation of the immune response, and this could in turn affect the timing and heaviness of bleeding.
MC: There is no evidence that suggests that COVID-19 vaccines adversely impact fertility. Can you expand on some of this evidence?VM: There are two situations in which we have compared pregnancy rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. One was in the clinical trials, in which accidental pregnancies occurred at the same rate in the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Following the general rollout of the vaccines, we also have comparisons of vaccinated and unvaccinated IVF patients and again theres no difference in pregnancy rate, or any measure of fertility.
MC: Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with menstrual changes. Can you talk more about these changes?VM: One study looked at around 30,000 Japanese teenagers. In this group, those who had had the HPV vaccine were more likely to report heavy or irregular periods than those who had not. In this study, the participants knew whether they had received the vaccine or not indeed, had chosen whether to receive it so it is not as good evidence as we would get in a proper trial. But nonetheless, it is suggestive.
MC: Why is the way in which the Yellow Card data is collected making it difficult to form firm conclusions?VM: At the time I wrote the article, there were 30,000 reports of changes to periods following vaccination to the Yellow Card reporting scheme, but what we really want to do is compare the rates at which people experience these changes following vaccination to the rates at which they would normally experience them and see if there is a difference. Yellow Card does not collect all the data we would need to calculate the rates even in people who are vaccinated, let alone those who are unvaccinated.
Thats not to say I think Yellow Card is a bad scheme by the way. It is very good at doing what it was designed to do detecting severe adverse events that rarely happen in unvaccinated people.
MC: What impact might the reported changes have on vaccine hesitancy and how can we look to combat this?VM: It is important to say that most people who have noticed a change find their period goes back to normal very quickly, and that research shows that theres no impact of vaccination on fertility. These are the two main concerns that come up. But you can understand that people might be worried by this and thats why I think it is important to do this research. Then, we will definitively be able to say either no, theres no difference or yes, this is a side effect like fever or fatigue that happens to X percent of people, so you shouldnt worry if it happens to you.
MC: What research would you like to see conducted into menstrual changes following COVID-19 vaccination?VM: We really need approaches that measure the chance that you will have say a late period in any given cycle, and then compare that rate to the rate of late periods following vaccination. One way of doing this is to recruit people before they get their vaccine and ask them to track their cycles before and after vaccination. A higher-tech way is to take advantage of the data that exists already from menstrual cycle tracking apps although the difficulty there is that you then have to add a function that allows people to log their vaccines to the app.
MC: You state that an important lesson here is that the effects of medical interventions on menstruation should not be an afterthought in medical research. Why do you think this has been an afterthought in this case?VM: In the trials, information was solicited about events that were expected but not serious, such as fever and fatigue, or serious. Since changes to the menstrual cycle didnt fit in either of these categories, it wasnt solicited and most people wont volunteer information about their periods unless specifically asked. This is partly because we dont talk about our periods as much as maybe we should. This lack of discussion not only means that people didnt volunteer information, it also means that people designing trials dont necessarily have this in the forefront of their minds.
Victoria Male was speaking to Molly Campbell, Science Writer for Technology Networks.
People who are unvaccinated will need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 72 hours if they want to dine indoors in King County.
SEATTLE Anyone dining inside a King County bar or restaurant, attending an indoor event or outdoor event with more than 500 people must be fully vaccinated as of Oct. 25, according to a new order passed down by Public Health Seattle & King County Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Duchin.
Duchin was joined by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and several business and health leaders at the press conference Thursday afternoon.
County officials decided the order was necessary in order to lighten the load on area hospitals that are seeing some of the highest rates of COVID-19 admissions ever, Duchin said. Deaths are also on the rise, as documented on the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
One King County resident is hospitalized for COVID-19 every hour, and one King County resident dies from COVID-19 every eight hours, according to county data.
Paired with King County's 85% vaccination rate, officials said they preferred the vaccination order over bringing back capacity restrictions.
For people who are unvaccinated or people who don't have proof of vaccination, they will need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 72-hours to comply with the order. Officials said they delayed the effective date of the order so those who have not yet had the opportunity to get vaccinated can complete their vaccination series.
Vaccination requirements don't apply to outdoor dining, take-out customers or places that aren't primarily used as restaurants, like grocery stores. The requirements do apply to performance venues and gyms. Small restaurants with the capacity for less than 12 people will have until Dec. 6 to make the change.
A CDC COVID-19 vaccine card or a photo of one, a printed certificate or QR code from MyIRMobile.com, documentation from a medical record or a vaccine provider, or a vaccine verification app approved by the Washington State Department of Health are all considered proof of vaccination.
According to a report from the University of Washington's Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), King County's COVID-19 outbreak is expected to worsen over the next six months. Without the vaccine verification requirement, the county could see an additional 300,000 new infections in King County, 8,000 additional hospitalizations and up to 1,000 or more additional deaths.
IHME estimated the verification requirement could prevent between 17,900 and 75,900 infections, between 421 and 1,760 hospitalizations and between 63 and 257 deaths.
CEO of the Washington State Hospital Association Cassie Sauer thanked King County officials for passing down the order, saying "We think it's so visionary, and so looking into the future and making sure our hospitals are protected."
Sauer said hospitals are having to delay necessary care for many patients, including care for cancerous tumors, spine surgery, colostomy reversal and other procedures.
"It's a very serious situation," Sauer said. "We're ringed by states right now that have gone into crisis standards of care. Crisis standards is rationing care, it's choosing who lives and dies based on the amount of resources you have. We want to do everything we can in this state to not have that happen, this should not be happening in America today with a pandemic you can see coming, and is preventable."
The order follows a similar one requiring proof of vaccination to dine indoors in Jefferson and Clallam counties, passed down in early September. Several venues around Seattle and King County have also already passed down COVID-19 vaccination requirements, including Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park and Climate Pledge Arena.
On a recent muggy Sunday evening, four Detroiters decided it was time to hang out again downtown.
Khadeeja Abdulrafee, Aminah Doukoure, Santonio Williams and Steven Pharker, who had been friends for years,believed it would be a great day to party in the streets becauseeveryone was off workthe next day,Labor Day. While they walked up alongsideGreektown Casino, thepackall smiles, laughter and chatting while drinking alcohol disguised in traveling cupsseemed to have a lot in common.
That is,except one thing: the COVID-19 vaccine.
I feel like you're compromising your body itself with getting the vaccine, Williams, 29, said to the group. You never had that vaccine before now so whatever they are putting in thatmedicine has never entered your body."
Pharker, 30, who is vaccinated,replied to Williams: So you dont think its safe?
No,I do not, Williams and Abdulrafee said inunison.
Despite widespread efforts to vaccinate Detroiters against the coronavirus, young people remain divided over the issue among even close friends, keeping the city far behind its goal.
More than 43% of eligible Detroit residentshave received at leastone vaccinedose, but that figure trailssurrounding suburban counties and the state as a whole by significant margins.The citys older population those between ages65 and74 has the best performance, with nearly 70%notching their first dose. So it's much younger people, especially those in their teens and 20s, who have fallen far behind,keeping the city's overall progress depressed, city records show.
We want to reach 70% of community immunity and we just arent there yet,said Denise Fair, chief health officer of the Detroit Health Department.
There are about 106,000 out of 639,111 residents in the city who are in their 20s.Less than one out of every five of them have been vaccinated. The ages 12 through 15 setis bringing up the rear with the lowest vaccination rate,though vaccines were only authorized for the younger group in May.
Fear is keeping some like 29-year-old Abdulrafee from the vaccine, saying they don't trust the long-term side effects.
"In the long run, I think something is going to happen to people who took the vaccine, said Abdulrafee, who works as a postal carrier. "Unless my job forces me to get it, I'm not getting it.Keeping my job to support my family is the only way that I would be willing to put myself at risk and take this vaccine."
Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate who served as the city's health director,said despite the anxiety among some about the new vaccine, the underlying sciencehas a long history.
I remember reading about it when I was in medical school. You think about the hundreds of millions of people whove been vaccinated. Weve been closely watching the side-effect profile. These are probably some of the best vaccines that are understood right now, El-Sayed said.
Part of the challenge may be that the city government itself doesn't have a vaccine mandate.About 9,000 people work for the city and are not currently required to be vaccinated, according to John Roach, spokesperson for the mayor's office. But they are required to be tested every other week.
Another hurdle for public officials is convincing a generation once largely immune from the worst of COVID-19 that they are now at greater risk.
About 18 months ago, younger people were not getting COVID. It was the older generation, Fair said. Younger people felt they were invincible because they are healthy, they dont have as many chronic diseases. We are intentional about meeting them where they are and that, yes they too can get COVID."
More: Vaccinating Michigan: Tracking the progress of the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout
More: Getting vaccinated is an act of revolution for Black Americans | Opinion
More: A distrust, based on history, keeping many Black Detroiters from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Fair also wants to highlight the experience of other youngpeople like 18-year-old Jordan Banks. In an interview, Banks said she, unlike many other people her age, chose to get vaccinated because she knows all too well that COVID-19 is real regardless of how old you are.
"I actually caught COVID last December" said Banks."I was in the house for a whole week and I could not do anything. I was scared and.... I didn't receive a sense of calmness until I recovered from it."
Greater serenity for Banks came inApril when she got her Pfizervaccine.
"The real relief came when they created the vaccine and I got it just for that," she said."And after the shot, I was relieved to be able to go out and do what I needed to do and feel some sense of protection."
Fair said the city expanded drive-through options to catch all young people where they are at churches, bars, restaurants, parksand even their homes.More than 1,500 appointments forvaccinations have already been made. Anyone can make an appointment by calling 313-230-0505.
"We knocked on over 300,000doors in the community, letting Detroiters know about the importance of the vaccineand where to get it," Fair said.
The city is attempting to reach younger crowds where they spend a lot of their time. The health department launched a social media campaign available either through TikTok or Instagram Reel where locals can create educational videos about the vaccine and staying safe from COVID-19 through a song, dance, skit, interview or any othercreative form. The winner will be featured on a billboard. Entries are limited to ages 13-29 and must include"#LetsGetReal" in the video and caption and tag @Dethealth.
We definitely see the strengths of the social media aspect of it," said Roshanak Mehdipanah, assistant professor of public health and urban researcher at the University of Michigan. "I think with COVID, TikTok has taken off to a whole different level so anything to try to get people motivated, to try to get people informed about it, thats really helpful.
Mehdipanah added that it's important to havecommunity members going out to these homes and having a conversation with individuals, and giving people an opportunity to ask questions.
However, more needs to be done. El-Sayed said theres a level ofinvincibility among the younger crowd that can behard to overcome.Whileincentives have been effectiveto boost numbers,he said,the effect eventually wears off.
"Mandates we've seen are probably the most important and valuable thing. While we have had real mandates at the level of businesses and employees, we havent seen much consumer-oriented vaccine mandates," El-Sayed said.
To boost vaccinations, El-Sayed highlightedFrance's mandates, which involvedtightening pandemic restrictions by requiring vaccinations or negative COVID-19 tests to enter businesses or events. Doing so led to 800,000 shots in a day.
He added that with a newmandatefrom President Joe Biden targetinglarge employers, "I think theres going to be a lot of smaller businesses following suit because theres a precedent."
Biden also proposed that employers offer paid time off for employees to get vaccinated, which El-Sayed applauded as a difference-maker.
ForTiba Robinson, a 46-year-old city employee who avoided the vaccine until recently, getting the shotdidn't feel like achoice.
I had to get vaccinated because my job demanded it," said Robinson, who is also a Detroit influencer and event promoter,
It was like, 'do I want to keep my job and continue living my comfortable lifestyle?'"Robinson said, while celebrating his 20-year anniversary of #HushSignatureSundays at Floods Bar & Grille in Detroit. It was basically either I get vaccinated or I have to take a COVID test every Monday to keep my job. And who wants to keep getting that swab up their nose?
More:Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate could have a major impact on Michigan workplaces
More: COVID-19 vaccine clinics in metro Detroit use churches, radio to reach minorities
More: Your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, answered
Vicki Kovariis leadingthe city's effort to dispatchcanvassers armed witheducational postcards and text messagesintothe crowdswho may beuncertain about the vaccine.
"We're really trying to get people to feel more comfortable," Kovari said in an interview. "Thats our main target right now, people who are just not sure."
ForAntoinette White on the city's east side, the effort may not make a difference.
"Every day, I turn on the news and I'm constantly hearing something about this vaccine," said White, 33. "Like, over time, it loses its effectiveness and you'll need another dose and even if you are vaccinated, the person may still get sickor after being vaccinated, someone suddenly passed away.
"Why would I go put this in my body?How is this vaccine more beneficial to me than whatever I have been doing within the last year and a half?"
But more information may convince Abdulrafee, who goes by the name KD FYA as a Detroit rap artist, into a change of heart.
She said she hasn'treceived any literature about the vaccine from the city,nor has anyone knocked on the door of her west-side home. However, she said it is possible more educationcould sway her into getting the vaccine if she believed the information to be "credible."
That's part of the reason Kovari's goal is to educate residents through individual appointments and greater access to the vaccine. The biggest challenge canvassers faceis with the younger crowd and theirlack of urgency, Kovari said.
Of the people who haveresponded to neighborhood canvassers, more than one third say theyhave already been vaccinated or have an appointmentto do so.Of the remaining majority,about40% said theyare uncertainabout what course they will take.
"But in the last month, the city saw an uptick inappointments after schools required vaccinations," Kovari added.
Tristan Taylor, 28, an organizer with the protest group Detroit Will Breathe, said he encourages people in his age rangeto get the vaccine like he did.
Taylor believes it's a "combination of uncertainty and distrust of the science behind it."
Taylor said specificallyfor the younger group, they feel that they're being used more just to stop the spread of the virus withno concern for what can happen to them if they take the vaccine.
Abdulrafee, who had COVID-19 with onlymilder symptoms, said she is just going to trust God who may have brought the disease to the world for a purpose.She'll also take her chances without the vaccine, despite growing entreaties from city officials about the dangers to her age group.
"Some people are going to get the virus and some aren't and I just pray that neither myself or anyone in my family gets it," she said. "And I just keep moving on with my life because this virus is not going to scare me into doing stuff to my body where I don't really know what is going to happen to me."
Text your ZIP code to 438829.Youll receive an immediate response with a list of vaccination sites in your area, a number you can call if you need more help, and information on how you might get a free ride to the location using Uber or Lyft.
Search for vaccine locations by ZIP code.https://www.vaccines.gov/search/.
The Detroit Free Press is conductinga surveyas part of this project on vaccine hesitancy. This survey will take less than 2 minutes to complete. It is anonymous unless you choose otherwise; sharing your email address is optional.
Contact Dana Afana: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DanaAfana
Contact Jasmin Barmore:jmbarmore@freepress.com. Follow her onInstagram or Twitter at @bjasminmarie.
As the number of COVID-19 infections continue to rise, despite readily available vaccines, venues in the entertainment business are once again fearing for the future of their businesses. Indoor gathering spaces for dozens or hundreds of people remain a high risk for spreading the virus.
And so many of those entertainment venues in Pennsylvania are starting to set COVID-19 safety requirements that are even more stringent than those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Chief among them is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test, prior to entry.
For Todd Fogdall, president and CEO of the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York, the decision came from an effort to determine what do we need to do to move our business forward, during this time of great unknown and uncertainty, for both their employees and their customers.
It was a number of things, Fodgall said. It was observing the onset of the Delta variant and the impact of that, and our continual conversations that weve been having. What do we need to be doing for our staff, our artists, our audience members? And at the same time, we have had artists approaching us and saying, This is what we are going to require for us to do the show in your venue.
Singer Ben Folds, for example, had been scheduled to perform at the Appell Center in August, but is one of many artists who now requires all audience members to show proof of vaccination. Fogdall estimates that at least one in four touring artists coming to the Appell Center are asking for the same.
In recent weeks, vaccine requirements were also put in place by artists such as Jason Isbell, who performed in Harrisburg as part of Harrisburg Universitys summer concert series, and acts including Maroon 5 and the Jonas Brothers for their concerts at the Hersheypark Stadium.
Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, which operates the Hersheypark Stadium, Giant Center and Hershey Theatre, doesnt have a policy requiring guests to be vaccinated or to have a negative test. But a Hershey entertainment spokesperson said the company would work with each touring show to abide by their policies if they want to require guests to be vaccinated or tested.
More and more venues are making vaccine requirements their blanket policy.
More than 30 theaters in Philadelphia this week said visitors must now show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. New York Citys Broadway theaters, which reopened this week, all now require proof of vaccination.
Major concert promotion companies Live Nation and AEG Presents ask the same of audiences at their venues or festivals. And the same steps are being taken nationwide, from Minnesota to Arizona.
Fogdall said the concert with Ben Folds was able to be rescheduled to a date after the company was ready to require vaccines for every show. That policy went into place on Sept. 15.
That was definitely a big eye opener for us, he said. And if we do not institute these kinds of policies, theyre going to be canceled, or events are going to have to be rescheduled. And we in the performing arts business, and our audiences, are very tired of events being rescheduled. Its not a very sound business model.
Harrisburgs three theater companies Theatre Harrisburg, Open Stage and Gamut Theatre have all instituted their own vaccine requirements for patrons. So too has the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.
We wanted to ensure that we were doing everything we could, to do our part in helping stop the spread of COVID-19, said Alison Reed Fry, director of marketing and administration at Theatre Harrisburg. And so in looking at Broadway, as well as other local theatre groups and the community overall, we thought it was the right move to help protect everyone.
Fry added that as a community theater, the board and staff of Theatre Harrisburg felt that we have to make sure that were actually protecting the community.
The same vaccine requirements apply to the staff and volunteers at both Theatre Harrisburg and the Appell Center.
Some exceptions exist at nearly all venues usually, for those too young to get the vaccine, or for those with suppressed immune systems. A negative COVID-19 test is generally the alternative offered those people. And at nearly all indoor venues, some version of a mask requirement remains, either for the unvaccinated or for the entire audience, except when eating or drinking.
As with all COVID-19 mitigation measures, the issue is likely to remain divisive along partisan political lines. But thus far, Fry said, the Theatre Harrisburg audience has largely responded to the new rules with relief. Those in favor of the vaccine requirement have thus far outnumbered those who oppose it.
Ive got a lot of resounding positive feedback from the community, thanking us for protecting everyone, she said. Very little negative feedback at all. Truly, it was a very positive reinforcement to why we made this decision.
At the Appell Center, Fogdall said that its pretty much been a wash in terms of positive and negative response.
While a small number now refuse to attend and have demanded refunds, an equal number have specified that the new requirements have convinced them to buy tickets when they werent sure before.
When we first announced this, there were definitely vocal members of our patronage who were not happy about the policy, Fogdall said. We have also heard positive comments and very supportive comments. People say, Well, this gives me a lot more confidence in attending, and spending two hours sitting 500 to 1,000 other people. So weve we very much have heard both.
Singapore Airlines flight crew members walk along the transit hall of the Changi International Airport in Singapore on September 3, 2021.Photo: Roslan Rahman/AFP (Getty Images)
Countries around the world are racing to get their populations vaccinated, with 30% of the globe now protected against serious disease and death from covid-19. But some countries are doing better than others since Gizmodo last checked back in July.
Sadly, the U.S. has slipped from 18th place to 40th, with many wealthy countries getting vaccines in arms much faster than America over the past few months. The U.S. covid-19 vaccination rate currently sits at a stubbornly low 54.44%.
The list below shows the percentage of each countrys population thats been vaccinated, based on data from Johns Hopkins University. Weve also included each countrys population numbers for perspective, though the best vaccination rates in the world arent necessarily dominated by small countries anymore. China, for example, has vaccinated over 69% of its population of 1.4 billion people, well above the U.S., which has a population of just 328 million people.
But smaller countries also saw significant gains, including Singapore, population 5.7 million, which did an exceptional job over the past couple of months, going from 21st in the world to third best vaccination rate on the planet. Singapore now has over 79% of its population now vaccinated and its opening up its economy in significant ways.
As the New York Times points out in an article over the weekend, the U.S. now ranks among the lowest vaccination rates for wealthy countries. Some wealthy countries like Australia are still struggling, with just 33.79% of its population vaccinated, but thats way up from 12.18% back in late July. Japan is another rich country that has struggled with its vaccine rollout, currently ranking below the U.S. at only 49.96% fully vaccinated.
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Americas relatively low vaccination rate is having devastating effects for everybody, with a surge in new cases and hospitalizations the country hasnt seen since 2020. The U.S. is averaging over 145,000 new cases each day and 1,648 new deaths.
The pandemic isnt going to end until every country achieves vaccination rates like the countries at the top of this list. But right now, thats looking increasingly difficult in countries like the U.S., where covid-19 vaccination has become weaponized as a political issue by the likes of Fox News and far-right wing politicians.
According to the most recent polling among registered voters by Civiqs, 91% of Democrats have been vaccinated for covid-19 with another 4% of Democrats who say they plan to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, just 53% of Republicans have been vaccinated, with an additional 2% saying they plant to get vaccinated. According to the same poll, 38% of Republicans say they have no plans to get vaccinated against covid-19.
Get vaccinated today if you havent already, no matter where you are in the world. Its the least you can do to help get us out of this pandemic. The covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective, despite whatever craven nonsense is being spouted today on Fox News. You dont even need to get vaccinated for anyone else. Get vaccinated for yourself and dramatically decrease your chance of serious disease and death from covid-19. Itll be the best selfish decision you make all year.
Correction: The population of the United Kingdom was originally listed as 56.6 million. Its actually 66.6 million. Gizmodo regrets the error.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says dozens of his staff have been infected with the coronavirus and that he will continue his self-isolation because of the outbreak
ByThe Associated Press
September 16, 2021, 12:33 PM
2 min read
MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says dozens of his staff have been infected with the coronavirus and that he will continue his self-isolation because of the outbreak.
The Kremlin announced earlier this week that he would self-isolate after someone in his inner circle was infected although Putin had tested negative for the virus and he's fully vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V. But Putin said Thursday the infections were extensive.
Cases of coronavirus have been identified in my immediate environment, and this is not one, not two, but several tens of people. Now we have to observe the self-isolation regime for several days, he said by video link to a summit of the Russia-led Collective Treaty Security Organization.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that those infected were mainly those who take part in ensuring the work and activities of the head of state, his security. None of the cases are severe, he said.
Although Russia was the first country to roll out a coronavirus vaccine, less than 30% of the country is fully vaccinated.
The national coronavirus task force says about 7.2 million infections have been recorded in the country of 145 million, with 195,835 deaths.
Follow APs pandemic coverage at:
https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 226.39 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.65 million. More than 5.79 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
Indonesia is in talks with the World Health Organization (WHO) and drug companies to become a global manufacturing hub for vaccines, its health minister has told Reuters.
The US Food and Drug Administration has said that booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine might not be needed - but that the third shot does generate a higher immune response.
The Australian state of Victoria has reported its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases of 2021. However, a surge in vaccinations nationwide has seen almost 70% of adults having now received a first dose.
Panama is set to offer tourists COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to boost an industry hit hard by the pandemic.
The Canadian province of Alberta has introduced a COVID-19 vaccine passport system to combat a fourth wave of the virus.
Chile has announced plans to reopen its borders to tourists ahead of the Southern Hemisphere summer.
Sweden will ramp up efforts to boost its COVID-19 vaccine coverage. "More efforts are needed to make vaccine coverage even higher and more equal," Health and Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren told a news conference.
Moderna has released data from its large COVID-19 vaccine trial showing that protection wanes over time - supporting the case for booster doses, the company said in a news release.
93% of US employers surveyed in August required or encouraged employee COVID-19 vaccinations, with 7 in 10 testing all or some of their workers. The survey was conducted by Arizona State Universitys College of Health Solutions, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation.
Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.
Image: Our World in Data
COVID-19 cases have risen by a third in North America over the past week, due to rises in the US and Canada, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said yesterday.
New infections have doubled in the Canadian province of Alberta, where hospitals are facing staffing shortages, PAHO said.
Most South American countries are seeing continuing declines in COVID-19 cases and deaths, though. However, that's not the case across the region. Infections are rising in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Belize, the organization said.
And while infections have slowed in the Caribbean, Grenada, Barbados, Bermuda and Jamaica have all seen cases jump.
Overall, the Americas reported a near 20% increase in new cases, PAHO said.
The organization also warned that children are representing a larger percentage of hospitalizations and deaths as a result of COVID-19.
The United States is developing a 'new system for international travel', a senior White House official said yesterday.
The new system will include contact tracing, but Jeff Zients said that there are no immediate plans to relax any travel restrictions.
"The American people need to trust that the new system for international travel is safer even as we - I mean at that point - we'll be letting in more travelers," Zients said on Wednesday, adding it will eventually replace existing restrictions.
"We are exploring considering vaccination requirements for foreign nationals traveling to the United States," Zients said.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told the same meeting with the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board that the spike in COVID-19 cases is preventing any easing of restrictions.
"We want to move to a metrics-based system," Raimondo said. "Before we can do that, we have to get a better handle on the domestic situation, which requires us to get everyone vaccinated."
Each of our Top 50 social enterprise last mile responders and multi-stakeholder initiatives is working across four priority areas of need: Prevention and protection; COVID-19 treatment and relief; inclusive vaccine access; and securing livelihoods. The list was curated jointly with regional hosts Catalyst 2030s NASE and Aavishkaar Group. Their profiles can be found on www.wef.ch/lastmiletop50india.
Top Last Mile Partnership Initiatives to collaborate with:
Written by
Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
This story will be updated.
Two more Mainers have died as health officials on Friday reported another 715coronavirus cases across the state.
Fridays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 83,322,according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats up from 82,607 on Thursday.
Of those, 59,652have been confirmed positive, while 23,670were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.
With two more Mainers succumbing to the virus, the statewide death toll rose to 981.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 5,744. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. Thats up from 5,693 on Thursday.
The new case rate statewide Friday was 5.34 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 622.55.
Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 484.9, up from 456.4 the day before, up from 348 a week ago and up from 173.3 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
The most cases have been detected in Mainers younger than 20, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases and deaths have been recorded in women than men.
So far, 2,404Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness causedby the new coronavirus. Information about those currently hospitalized was not immediately available.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Friday was 17.96 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (9,256), Aroostook (2,926), Cumberland (19,369), Franklin (1,712), Hancock (1,904), Kennebec (7,801), Knox (1,481), Lincoln (1,394), Oxford (4,116), Penobscot (9,061), Piscataquis (915), Sagadahoc (1,646), Somerset (3,082), Waldo (1,887), Washington (1,225) and York (15,546) counties. Information about where an additional case was reported wasnt immediately available.
An additional 1,193 vaccine doses were administered in the previous 24 hours. As of Friday, 867,045 Mainers are fully vaccinated, or about 73.22 percent of eligible Mainers, according to the Maine CDC.
As of Friday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 41,788,118people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 670,027deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
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Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan reported on Thursday that 13 county residents are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, up two from last week.
Of those, he said two are in intensive care.
During a Thursday live-stream video on Facebook, Ryan said that while active cases of the virus currently at 602 are holding steady in the county they remain too high and there are far too many positive cases.
Ryan said the countys rate of breakthrough COVID cases among vaccinated individuals is 0.7% and encouraged residents who have not already been vaccinated to do so. There is no excuse not to be vaccinated at this point in Ulster County. We know its safe and we know it works, he said.
Homebound individuals can get vaccinations in their homes by calling (845) 443-8888, Ryan said.
Dutchess County on Thursday reported one recent death from COVID-19 along with a spike in active cases of the virus.
Schools were closed on Thursday in observance of Yom Kippur. but the Saugerties school district reported on Wednesday one new staff case of COVID at the Cahill Elementary School, one new staff case at Grant D. Morse Elementary School, two new student cases at the junior high school and one new student case at the senior high school.
Kingston schools have not updated the website since Tuesday when the district reported two new positive students at Kingston High School along with two quarantined students at the high school.
The New York state COVID School Report Card website is being updated and remained unavailable on Thursday.
Here are the latest available local COVID-19 statistics.
Ulster County: 602 reported Thursday, down 27 from the previous day. (Peak was 2,622 on Jan. 30.)
Dutchess County: 743 reported Thursday, up 43 from the previous day. (Peak was 2,576 on Jan. 16.)
Ulster County: 4.5%.
Dutchess County: 4.79%
Ulster County: 17,675 confirmed cases, 16,797 recoveries, 276 deaths. (No new deaths reported Thursday.)
Dutchess County: 33,251 confirmed cases, 480 deaths. (One new death reported Thursday.)
Ulster County: 63.51% fully vaccinated, 70.4% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 80.4% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
Dutchess County: 58.32% fully vaccinated, 65.5% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 75.6% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
Appointments: vaccinateulster.com, bit.ly/dut-vax, bit.ly/ny-vaxme.
For online local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to dailyfreeman.com/tag/coronavirus.
