A nurse shows a dose of the Soberana-02 COVID-19 vaccine to be used in a volunteer as part of Phase III trials of the experimental Cuban vaccine candidate, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Havana, Cuba, March 31, 2021. Jorge Luis Banos/Pool via REUTERS
HAVANA, June 19 (Reuters) - Cuba's Soberana 2 vaccine candidate has shown 62% efficacy with just two of its three doses, state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma said on Saturday, citing preliminary data from late phase trials.
Cuba, whose biotech sector has exported vaccines for decades, has five vaccine candidates in clinical trials, of which two - Soberana 2 and Abdala - are in late phase trials.
"In a few weeks we should have the results for the efficacy with three doses which we expect will be superior," said Vicente Vrez, director of the state-run Finlay Vaccine Institute, which developed Soberana 2.
The news comes as the Caribbean's largest island is facing its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic in the wake of the arrival of more contagious variants, setting new records of daily coronavirus cases.
The Communist-run country has opted not to import foreign vaccines but rather to rely on its own. Experts say it is a risky bet but if it pays off, Cuba could burnish its scientific reputation, generate much-needed hard currency through exports and strengthen the vaccination drive worldwide.
"We know our government has not been able to provide this project all the funding it required, and nonetheless this is a result of global standing," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said at the presentation of the results on state-run television.
Several countries from Argentina and Jamaica to Mexico and Venezuela have expressed an interest in buying Cuba's vaccines. Iran started producing Soberana 2 earlier this year as part of late-phase clinical trials.
Cuba's authorities have started administering the experimental vaccines en masse as part of "intervention studies" they hope will slow the spread of the virus.
Daily cases have halved in the capital since the start of this vaccination campaign, according to official data, although that may also be due to stricter lockdown measures.
Reporting by Anett RiosWriting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by David Gregorio
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
India may be hit by a third wave of Covid-19 far sooner than predicted because people are ignoring guidelines, the Times of India cited Randeep Guleria, director at the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences, as saying.
Infections could start rising again in 12 to 16 weeks, the report quoted Guleria as saying. That compares with the four to five months new waves are expected to take to peak, the Times of India reported on Sunday.
Guleria earlier told a television channel that a third wave could come as early as in six to eight weeks time, according to the report.
He said the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus is believed to be responsible for Indias devastating second wave and continues to pose a high risk to a large section of the population that has not yet been vaccinated, according to the Times of India report.
Indias confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 29 million, with more than 380,000 deaths. Experts believe both numbers are vastly undercounted.
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.
Stylist Michele Ortiz has no plans to get rid of her personal protective equipment, even as Covid-19 protocols are rescinded in California and other states. I would love to see hairdressers wearing their masks even after the pandemic, whenever all of this subsides, Ortiz says.
For years, the California hairstylist experienced nosebleeds, lightheadedness, hot flashes, and rosacea as a result of the harsh chemicals used in hair color services. But now she refuses to use such chemicals, and after arriving for work at Phenix Salon Suites in Santa Barbara, she dons a mask, rubber gloves, and a face shield, and switches on an air purifier to counteract the chemicals used by a coworker. She feels safer this way, and not just from the virus.
Workers across the cosmetology industry, including spa, hair, and nail salon employees, have expressed workplace safety concerns before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to complaints filed by cosmetology workers to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) between January 2015 and July 2020 obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests in partnership with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and then shared with Vox exposure to these chemicals, especially in salons with poor ventilation or whose owners failed to provide PPE, resulted in burning eyes, breathing problems, rashes, and more.
Now that salons have reopened and the CDC updated its guidelines to say fully vaccinated people can resume activities without practicing social distancing or wearing masks, cosmetology workers must navigate both the immediate threat of Covid-19 and the ongoing risks of cosmetic chemical exposures.
Employees are exposed to the hair straightening products without proper ventilation, causing eye blisters and respiratory problems, one OSHA complaint reads. Employees are exposed to chemical fumes and are having trouble breathing, reads another. Employees are not provided with personal protective equipment.
Potentially hazardous working conditions were already in place when the deadliest pandemic in a century landed in the US. Covid-19 left salon owners and workers facing the immediate health risks of a deadly airborne disease that required social distancing, forcing salons to upend their practices as shifting regulations left them open and shut. It also exacerbated the economic issues already confronting salon employees, often women of color, working without safety nets. As people in various industries assess the harsh working conditions of their employment, some salon workers are examining the risks that have been part of their jobs all along.
The health hazards associated with cosmetic chemicals are well-documented. Alexandra Flamm, assistant professor of dermatology at Penn State University, says her cosmetologist patients often suffer from contact dermatitis, an itchy rash in the eczema family.
Exposure to sprays and other personal care products make the eyes vulnerable to irritation or infection, adds Barbara Horn, immediate past president of the American Optometric Association Board of Trustees, and irritants landing directly on the eye can potentially cause keratitis, a condition the American Association of Ophthalmology defines as an open sore on the cornea.
Found in keratin treatments, formaldehyde is especially problematic, with the National Toxicology Program classifying it as a known carcinogen. Whats more, even short-term exposure to formaldehyde is associated with eye, nose, and throat irritation, shortness of breath and wheezing, per the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a health and environmental nonprofit, and the National Cancer Institute concurs.
Such risks are exacerbated by the lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The FDA has been aware of the dangers of formaldehyde in cosmetic chemicals since 2016 but has yet to ban the chemical, according to documents obtained by the Environmental Working Group via FOIA and reporting from the New York Times. An FDA spokesperson said the agency continues to examine the safety of formaldehyde and will not discuss ongoing investigations or future plans.
Congress has repeatedly considered updating cosmetic chemical regulations, but so far the bills havent gotten very far. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced the Cosmetic Safety Enhancement Act of 2019 in December of that year, while Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Personal Care Products Safety Act on Thursday for the third time, after doing so first in 2015 and again in 2019. But the industry has successfully lobbied in the past for the ability to self-regulate, said Melanie Benesh, the EWGs legislative attorney. However, some companies now recognize the need for more regulation and are aware that consumers are beginning to care more about the ingredients in their products, Benesh added.
The cosmetics industry did a very good job even back in 1938 [of] carving themselves out of the law and really limiting the FDAs regulatory authority, Benesh said. Even the authority thats written into the 1938 law is very limited.
Dung Nguyen, program outreach coordinator of California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative (CHNSC), said that she has heard concerns from workers who worry about their ability to recover from Covid-19 due to respiratory issues stemming from the products they use.
Were starting to see the disparities that Covid is affecting poor folks way more than it is affluent folks, says Nguyen. And its because of the poor folks who are working low-wage jobs where they have to work with all these chemicals. Just because Im poor doesnt mean I deserve to die and that my life is not worth as much as yours.
Worker protections depend on whether a worker is classified as an independent contractor or an employee, notes ReNika Moore, director of the ACLUs Racial Justice Program. As the pandemic unfolded, she says, federal agencies mostly introduced general recommendations and guidance for worker protections. Basically, the federal government has dropped the ball, Moore says.
She pointed to the National Employment Law Projects warnings about the shortcomings of Americas safety net, during Covid-19, protections that previously excluded independent contractors from benefits like paid sick leave, family leave, and unemployment insurance, all of which have become acutely necessary as workers weather the economic uncertainty and health risk of working during the pandemic.
In April 2020, the US Department of Labor issued additional guidance regarding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program that extended benefits to all independent contractors who have experienced a significant diminution in work due to Covid-19.
Another challenge for salon workers: Given the close-knit nature of the nail salon industry in particular, workers may fear retaliation for speaking out against unsafe working conditions, says Preeti Sharma, an assistant professor at California State University and co-lead author of the 2018 report Nail Files: A Study of Nail Salon Workers and Industry in the United States. Given that fear, its critical for worker organizations to inform salon workers of their available safeguards if they speak out against poor working conditions, she says.
But protections against such retribution only apply to employees, not independent contractors, Sharma adds. Regardless, as salons adjust to the changing regulations surrounding Covid-19, salon workers shouldnt be solely responsible for enforcing mask-wearing or other precautions; strong health and safety guidelines, as well as diligent owners and compliant customers, keep everyone safe, she says.
Not surprisingly, a majority of those who responded to a June 2020 survey of nail salon workers and owners in California during Covid-19 were concerned about whether it was safe to return to work. The survey found that 61 percent of workers (and 43 percent of salon owners) were concerned about safely reopening. It also found that 43 percent of workers (and 63 percent of owners) were worried about their finances.
Financially, its a lose-lose situation, and health-wise, its a lose-lose situation, Sharma said. You dont have the resources to stay home, but to go back to the workplace is unhealthy.
There really isnt an afterthought of I dont really want to do that. Is there something else I can do? added CHNSCs Nguyen. It comes from this survival nature: What can I do here and now to provide for my family as quickly as possible?
On May 13, the CDC updated its guidelines to say that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear masks or practice social distancing except where required by law, leaving states, municipalities, tribes, and territories to determine protocols. As a result, salon workers are weighing the risks of Covid-19 along with the long-term cosmetic chemical exposure.
Kimberly Bell, a hairstylist working in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, says that performing keratin straightening treatments caused her to experience nosebleeds, breathing problems, and rashes on her neck, chest, and forearms. These symptoms drove her to try wearing surgical and gas masks before the Covid-19 pandemic began. Once salons reopened, she continued to wear face masks.
Though the masks she wears can conceal the smell of hair coloring chemicals such as bleach, the gases released during keratin treatments still manage to creep in, she says.
You get headaches a lot, because you have these masks on for hours upon hours throughout the day, and then you have all the chemicals that are around you, Bell says. Its a combination of stress, chemicals, and breathing our own carbon dioxide.
The CDCs revised guidelines have left Bell conflicted. On one hand, keeping herself and her clients safe during the pandemic has been a priority. However, she is at greater risk for cosmetic chemical exposure during her workdays and is concerned about fumes getting into her mask. According to a 2019 CDC evaluation of four nail salons, surgical masks arent considered respiratory protection and dont protect against gas, vapor exposures, or particulates in the air. And while N95 masks dont protect against gases or vapors, they do protect against dust created while doing clients nails, per the CDC.
Ive given the mask question, to wear or not many sleepless nights and have come to a decision that will minimize risk to myself and my clients, Bell said. Wearing a mask only exacerbates the health challenges as the fumes flow up and are trapped. You can imagine how debilitating breathing toxins all day is and creates irrefutable health risk and damage.
Making sure clients are safe and comfortable was paramount for her before the coronavirus was a concern. Now that shes fully vaccinated, she said she will wear a mask if clients are comfortable with her doing so. But if her clients are okay with her not wearing a mask, she will service them without one and continue her temperature checks, she said.
Ortiz said shes fine with the CDC guidelines as long as people continue to get vaccinated, but she will continue wearing a mask, because she knows clients who arent getting vaccinated.
Im trying to feel things out with everything. Its a little new to me [to go] from masks and shields to no masks, Ortiz said.
Nguyen hopes that the health disparities the pandemic has revealed will lead to laws that will change what substances are allowed in beauty products. History has shown that this will more likely happen at the state level. Congress has not passed new legislation to regulate the cosmetics industry since the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, but states have been the leaders on chemical consumer policy changes in the law, said the Environmental Working Groups Benesh.
In September, for instance, California passed legislation requiring cosmetic product manufacturers to disclose fragrance ingredients or flavor ingredients starting in 2022, and banned the manufacturing and sale of products containing formaldehyde, quaternium-15, and other toxic cosmetic chemicals beginning in 2025.
We think the California legislation really is important as sending a signal about what kinds of chemicals we wont tolerate in our cosmetics. We certainly hope it inspires movement at the federal level, Benesh said.
Other states, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Massachusetts, have enacted or introduced their own cosmetic chemical regulations, from banning toxic chemicals in childrens personal care products to requiring disclosures of ingredients in cosmetics.
As for Ortiz, after visits to multiple doctors failed to pinpoint the source of her nosebleeds, dizziness, and skin irritation, a holistic doctor finally advised her to stop working with chemicals and diagnosed her with lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the bodys immune system attacks the organs. (While studies published in Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology in 2012 and Toxicology Reports in 2015 indicate that cosmetic exposures could exacerbate lupus symptoms, the studies concluded more research needs to be done to determine cosmetic chemicals effect.)
Though Ortiz has given up working with toxic chemicals, shes concerned about her salon colleagues navigating both the risks of coronavirus and cosmetic chemicals. She adds: I just think Covid and chemicals is a bad recipe.
This article was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 178.4 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 3.86 million. More than 2.62 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
The Delta variant of COVID-19, first identified in India, is becoming the globally dominant variant of the disease, the World Health Organization's chief scientist has said.
In Russia, the number of coronavirus cases attributed to the Delta variant is rising significantly, the head of the consumer health watchdog said. COVID-19 cases have surged in Russia in the last week.
China has passed the milestone of 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to CNN. As of Saturday, a total of 1,010,489,000 doses had been given, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement.
Australian states and territories will get more doses of COVID-19 vaccines soon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, as authorities look to avoid further delays in an immunisation drive that has hit several roadblocks.
Mexico's health ministry on Sunday reported 1,578 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 36 more fatalities, bringing the total figures to 2,477,283 infections and 231,187 deaths.
Brazil recorded 44,178 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 1,025 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
2. Brazil's death toll has passed half a million
Brazils death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 500,000 on Saturday, reports Reuters, as experts warn that the worlds second-deadliest outbreak may worsen due to delayed vaccinations and the governments refusal to back social distancing measures.
Only 11% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated and epidemiologists warn that, with winter arriving in the southern hemisphere and new variants of the coronavirus circulating, deaths will continue to mount even if immunizations gain steam.
Brazil has registered 500,800 deaths from 17,883,750 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to Health Ministry data on Saturday, the worst official death toll outside the United States. Over the past week, Brazil has averaged 2,000 deaths per day.
COVID-19 cases in Brazil have passed half a million.
Image: Our World in Data
COVID-19 continues to devastate countries around the region with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reporting 1.1 million new cases of COVID-19 and 31,000 deaths in the Americas last week. PAHO noted upticks in six Mexican states, Belize, Guatemala, Panama and some places in the Caribbean.
PAHO warned that Colombia's COVID-19 situation is at its worst point yet, with intensive care unit beds filled in major cities.
Experts see the toll in Brazil, already the highest in Latin America, climbing far higher.
"I think we are going to reach 700,000 or 800,000 deaths before we get to see the effects of vaccination," said Gonzalo Vecina, former head of Brazilian health regulator Anvisa, predicting a near-term acceleration in fatalities.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Property management workers in protective suits deliver goods to residents at a compound under lockdown due to the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China June 2, 2021. Picture taken June 2, 2021. China Daily via REUTERS
BEIJING, June 21 (Reuters) - The manufacturing hub of Dongguan in Chinas most populous province Guangdong launched mass coronavirus testing on Monday and cordoned off communities, after the city detected its first infections of a flare-up in the province.
The Delta variant of COVID-19 has dominated infections in the provincial upsurge, the first time it has hit China. Seen by experts as highly transmissible, the variant was first identified in India.
Dongguan launched its citywide testing programme following two cases reported since Friday.
City authorities told residents not to leave the city, except for essential reasons. Those leaving must show negative test results within 48 hours of departure.
A few entrances on highways to other cities were closed, while all shuttle buses linking airports in other cities and check-in terminals in Dongguan were halted. Some museums and libraries in the city also closed to visitors.
Its factories are still running, however.
"(Workers) need to do COVID tests, but it's not a prerequisite for them to be able to enter factories," said King Lau, who helps manage a metal coating factory.
"My staff will do (their COVID tests) after work, although there will be long queues."
Guangdong has reported 168 confirmed infections since May 21, with nearly 90% of them in its capital, Guangzhou.
The cases are few compared with the rest of the world and previous outbreaks in China. But Guangdong, a key entry point for travellers and cargo, is not taking any chances.
Although its capital has reported no cases for two successive days, the province as a whole is still detecting new infections.
PORT DISTURBANCES
Strict disinfection and quarantine measures since May 21 have led to congestion of vessels waiting to berth in one of China's busiest container ports, Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) in Shenzhen.
"The impact would be bigger than the Suez Canal incident," said Patrik Berglund, chief executive of Xeneta, an ocean freight rate benchmarking firm headquartered in Oslo.
Although 50 vessels were waiting outside the port, more than 160 were being affected, he added.
"We've seen exporters who cannot wait for the port congestion to ease turning to trucks to send the cargoes from China to Europe."
Normal operations are expected to resume by end-June.
But even as congestion at Yantian eases, traffic at the Shezhen port of Shekou and the main Guangzhou port of Nansha remains high, shipping firm Maersk said on its website.
COMPLACENCY WARNING
Chinese experts said Guangzhou's fight against the Delta variant served as a warning to other cities against complacency.
China reported 17 new confirmed mainland infections on June 20, down from 23 a day earlier, its health authority said on Monday, adding that one of the new cases one was a local infection in Dongguan, while the rest were imported.
"All our workers were asked to complete their testing yesterday, and the results were all fine," said the owner of an electronics plant in Dongguan.
"Also, we've all been given the second shot of the vaccine," said the factory owner, surnamed Wang.
Guangdong has sped up its vaccination effort since the outbreak. By May 19, before any local cases were reported, the province of 126 million people had administered 39.15 million doses. By June 20, the figure was 101.12 million, meaning more than 60% of its doses were injected over one month.
Reporting by Lusha Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
A medical worker receives the Covid-19 vaccine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University on April 7, 2021 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China.
Southern Visual | Visual China Group | Getty Images
GUANGZHOU, China China has administered more than a billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccines, a key milestone in the world's largest inoculation drive.
As of Saturday, 1,010,489,000 doses had been given to people in China, according to the country's National Health Commission (NHC). More than 100 million doses had been administered in the six days up to and including Saturday.
It's unclear how many people have been full inoculated as the government does not release those numbers. But Zhong Nanshan, one of China's top health experts attached to the NHC, said in March that the country is aiming to have 40% of the population fully vaccinated by the end of June.
After the outbreak of the coronavirus in China last year, authorities moved to quickly bring it under control and largely succeeded in reopening the economy and returning life to normal. One reason behind the slow start to China's vaccination drive earlier this year was that people did not see the urgency for getting inoculated.
But the campaign has since ramped up. It took China 25 days to climb from 100 million doses to 200 million doses and just six days from 800 million to 900 million, according to state-run media Xinhua.
Still, new coronavirus outbreaks have happened in the country over the past year. Since late May, the major city of Guangzhou in the south of China has been battling the delta variant, which first emerged in India. It is the first time that variant has seen local transmission in mainland China.
The city reported zero new locally transmitted cases on Sunday following a mass testing drive and local lockdowns.
CNBC two visited vaccination sites in the city earlier this month and saw long lines as people rushed to get vaccinated.
The World Health Organization has approved for emergency use the Chinese-made Sinopharm since May, and Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines since June.
China has been shipping its vaccines to countries around the world including Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. However, U.S. and European health authorities have not authorized any Chinese vaccines for emergency use.
There have been questions over the effectiveness of the China-made vaccines. Efficacy rates for China's Covid vaccines have been found to be lower than those developed byPfizer-BioNTech andModerna.
Chile, another recipient of Chinese vaccines, released the results of a real-world study of over 10 million people in April. It found that the Sinovac vaccine reduces deaths by 80%. However, despite being one of the world's most highly vaccinated countries, Chile saw cases surge in April.
Peoplelineup to receive a dose of Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination centre in the State Department Store, GUM, in central Moscow, Russia January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
MOSCOW, June 21 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that the coronavirus situation in some Russian regions was getting worse as authorities began promoting the idea of regular revaccinations to try to halt a surge in new cases.
Putin this month spoke of how Russia, which has approved four domestically-made vaccines and sold its flagship Sputnik V vaccine to many foreign countries, had handled the pandemic better than many other nations.
But new cases have since surged, particularly in Moscow, which on Saturday registered a record 9,120 daily cases. The Kremlin on Friday blamed the increase on people's reluctance to have vaccinations and "nihilism". read more
"Unfortunately, the coronavirus threat has not receded," Putin told the lower house of parliament on Monday. "In many regions the situation has even got worse."
Grim video footage emerged on social media on Sunday, purportedly showing people sick with COVID-19 laying prone on the floor of a hospital corridor in St Petersburg, Putin's home city which is hosting some matches in the Euro 2020 soccer championship.
Local authorities are investigating the video to check its veracity.
The authorities are trying to coax and compel people to get vaccinated, offering those who do the chance to win new cars and flats, while threatening others who don't with loss of earnings and dismissal. read more
The authorities have blamed the surge, which has seen more than 17,000 new COVID-19 cases reported for a fourth day running, on the new Delta variant, while conceding that a nationwide ad campaign meant to encourage people to get vaccinated had fallen short.
It's too early to say if the surge will prove a political headache for the Kremlin which faces parliamentary elections in September. Vaccines have been widely available for months but many Russians have been reluctant.
By June 2 only 18 million of the around 144-million-strong population had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
The Kremlin has denied people's distrust in the authorities is one of the reasons behind the low vaccination rate.
Critics on social media have said state media's take down of some foreign vaccines has added to people's fears about getting vaccinated however, and have complained that some senior officials set a poor example, taking a long time to get vaccinated themselves and then only doing so behind a veil of secrecy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that revaccinations were the way forward.
"Revaccination will be and is inevitable - not just vaccination, but revaccination - for those who want to keep themselves, their relatives and loved ones safe," said Peskov.
Russia reported 17,378 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and 440 deaths linked to coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kevin Liffey
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
(WXYZ) On Tuesday, a majority of the state's COVID-19 restrictions go away. From indoor capacity limits to broad risk management, Michiganders are returning to some for of normalcy.
Restaurants will be allowed to open at 100% capacity as the face masks and gatherings order is lifted, one of several orders that are going away Tuesday.
"it's kind of like everybody's got this pent-up demand for everything," Michael Bagley said. "It's not over yet, and i think people still need to maintain their safety and be careful."
After Tuesday, some COVID-19-related orders will remain in effect in Michigan. Those include testing protocols and other orders that protect people in long-term care facilities, prisons and jails.
Schools and correctional facilities will still be required to report COVID-19 cases.
More guidance is expected to be released later this week.
When it comes to travel in the U.S., optimism is on an upward trajectory. New data shows that 87% of people have plans to travel in the next six months. That's up from 57% back in mid-December.
David Lorenz, the vice president of Travel Michigan, said his team is focused on making Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing the draw for in-state travelers.
"It's all about the regions of the state and the sectors of the travel industry, how they will come back? Basically, Northern Michigan did very well last year," he said.
Lorenz adds that state park and campground reservations are already filling up, as people are looking for activities where they can social distance.
"Leisure travel, especially up north, is rebounding right now," he said. "City's leisure experience travel, that's going to be rebounding by the third or fourth quarter, maybe even into early next year."
Only 1 in 5 people said COVID-19 would have an influence on their travel plans. In April 2020, it was more than three times that.
Lorenz said the state's travel industry is impacted by the worker shortage and will also have an impact on Michigan's ability to bring in more tourism dollars. He said business travel may not rebound until 2022.
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COVID-19 pandemic not a one-time disaster, broader approach needed, the government tells Supreme Court.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not a one-time disaster, like an earthquake or a flood, for which victims can be compensated with just money, the Centre has told the Supreme Court.
The virus is an ongoing pandemic which will continue to attack in waves. A broader approach is essential. The government was responding to petitions in the Supreme Court to pay 4 lakh compensation to the families of every COVID-19 victim.
Unlike disasters of a short and finite duration, occurring and ending quickly, COVID-19 is a global pandemic which has affected all the countries in the world. The pandemic has claimed more than 3.85 lakh lives, a number which is likely to increase further... These deaths have affected families from all classes the rich and poor, professionals and informal workers, traders and farmers the Ministry of Home Affairs, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, said in a 189-page affidavit.
Limiting relief to monetary pay-offs was a narrow and pedantic approach. There was also no precedent of giving ex gratia compensation for a disease or disaster spread out over several months or years.
The pandemic started in the early months of January 2020 and the country is still battling the same with different intensity, different symptoms and different mutations, with no certainty regarding the end, the government said.
Massive distribution of compensation across the country at this point would dry up precious financial resources of the Centre and the States.
If the entire State Disaster Response Funds get consumed on ex gratia compensation for COVID-19 victims, the States may not have sufficient funds for organising COVID-19 response, for provision of various essential medical and other supplies, or to take care of other disasters like cyclones, floods, etc. Already the finances of State governments and the Central government are under severe strain due to the reduction in tax revenues and increase in health expenses on account of the pandemic, the affidavit explained.
Besides, the MHA said granting ex-gratia compensation for one disease while denying it for those accounting for a larger share of mortality would not be fair or proper.
It would create unfairness and invidious discrimination between persons suffering from one disease and those suffering from another, the government justified.
The court said its broader approach encompasses a different set of Minimum Standards of Relief focused on public health interventions, social protection and economic recovery for the affected communities.
Also read | 10 lakh corpus fund for every child orphaned by COVID-19
This would be a more prudent, responsible, and sustainable approach, the Ministry argued.
It said funds to the tune of 1,113.21 crore was released to States /UTs towards management and containment of COVID-19 over and above the National Health Mission coverage in 2019-2020 financial year. In 2020-21, 8,257.89 crore was released to the States/UTs to fight the pandemic.
On the question of compensating health workers who died in the line of duty, the Centre said it had provided comprehensive personal accident cover of 50 lakh to 22.12 lakh health care workers under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package. Another 442.4 crore was released to pay the insurance claims of health workers.
7.06pm EDT 19:06
This blog is closed. Follow the latest updates on the pandemic from around the world:
4.48pm EDT 16:48
The number of black fungus cases in India has shot up to more than 30,000 in the past three weeks.
According to the New York Times, while the federal health ministry has not published figures on fatalities related to the disease, states have brought the death toll to 2,100.
Black fungus cases started emerging last month as India was hit by a third wave of Covid-19.
The fungal disease, called mucormycosis, has a 50% mortality rate.
It affects patients initially in the nose but the fungus can then spread into the brain, and can often only be treated by major surgery removing the eye or part of skull and jaw.
Mucormycosis will tail off and go back to baseline as the Covid cases subside, Dr Dileep Mavalankar, an epidemiologist, was quoted saying by the US news outlet.
But it may come back in the third wave unless we find out why it is happening.
The rise in black fungus infections, mostly in patients who had severe cases of Covid-19, has been linked to an overuse of steroids in the treatment of the coronavirus, which can acutely compromise the immune system if taken over a prolonged period.
The high incidence of diabetes in India has also been blamed, with high blood sugar levels linked to susceptibility. India has the second-highest rate of diabetes in the world.
It has also been reported in Covid patients who were on ventilators in intensive care units, due to their airways being exposed to humidity and moisture.
But it is also feared that overcrowding in hospitals where oxygen was scarce may have given the fungus a chance to spread.
Updated at 4.59pm EDT
3.16pm EDT 15:16
France has reported 1,815 new Covid-19 cases on the same day it announced measures to ease lockdown, Reuters reports.
The number remains unchanged from the previous day, while deaths have risen by 14.
The total number of deaths in the country has now reached 110,900, according to latest figures from the John Hopkins university.
It comes as mask-wearing outdoors is being lifted and an eight-month nightly coronavirus curfew comes to an end today.
Le Monde reports, however, that vigilance is still being called for, as health protocols for public places and events will remain in place until 30 June.
Updated at 3.32pm EDT
3.00pm EDT 15:00
Reports of menstrual disorders following a Covid-19 vaccination are being closely monitored by the UKs vaccines watchdog.
According to figures obtained by The Sunday Times, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) received almost 4,000 reports of period issues linked to the vaccines up to 17 May.
A total of 2,734 reports related to the AstraZeneca vaccine, while 1,158 to the Pfizer jab and 66 to Moderna.
A range of different disorders were reported by women, including heavier or delayed periods and unexpected vaginal bleeding.
The MHRA said in the latest weekly report of Covid vaccine reactions that current evidence does not suggest an increased risk of either menstrual disorders or unexpected vaginal bleeding following the vaccines.
It went on to say that the number of reports remains low compared with the number of women who have had the vaccine and how common menstrual disorders are.
The MHRA will continue to closely monitor reports of menstrual disorders and vaginal bleeding with Covid-19 vaccines, the report reads.
Updated at 4.01pm EDT
1.03pm EDT 13:03
The organiser of Download Festival said it is 100% evidence of how large-scale music events can go ahead amid the pandemic.
Melvin Benn, who is behind the UKs largest rock show, said this weekends 10,000-strong event in Donington Park, Leicestershire, is a very clear demonstration you can do it, PA reports.
The festival takes place annually in June and usually hosts up to 80,000 rock and heavy metal fans.
But the three-day festival has been downscaled this year as it runs as part of a government live events pilot, meaning fans do not have to wear masks or socially distance.
Mr Benn said: Its extraordinary really. Its really fantastic. I am very heartwarmed by it all. The level of compliance around the testing and requirements we have is absolutely extraordinary.
Asked about the idea it remains impossible for such mass events to be Covid-secure, he said: It is evidence that this is not true. It is 100% evidence that it is not true. This is a very clear demonstration that you can do it.
Updated at 1.05pm EDT
12.34pm EDT 12:34
A total of 62,415,897 people in England have had one or two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination, according to NHS England data, a rise of 451,039 on the previous day.
Those receiving a first dose increased by 255,393 since Saturday to 35,959,555, according to PA.
While 26,456,342 people have now had both doses, a rise of 195,646.
Updated at 1.08pm EDT
12.04pm EDT 12:04
The UK has recorded 9,284 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, compared to 10,321 on Saturday, bringing the total number to 4,630,040.
A further six deaths were recorded, down from 14 on Saturday and bringing the total to 127,976.
Updated at 12.34pm EDT
11.48am EDT 11:48
Portuguese authorities have confirmed the Delta variant is behind the spike in new Covid-19 cases recently recorded in the Lisbon region.
Portugals National Health Institute said on Sunday that the highly infectious variant accounts for 60% of new cases in the city, the Associated Press reports.
The recent surge in infections prompted the Portuguese government to ban all weekend travel in and out of Lisbon.
The measures for the metropolitan area of the capital, which has about 2.8 million inhabitants, took effect on Friday.
Updated at 11.53am EDT
10.43am EDT 10:43
With Covid vaccination penetration in the US likely to fall short of Joe Bidens 70% by Fourth of July target, pandemic analysts are warning that vaccine incentives are losing traction and that two Americas may emerge as the aggressive Delta variant becomes the dominant US strain.
Efforts to boost vaccination rates have come through a variety of incentives, from free hamburgers to free beer, college scholarships and even million-dollar lottery prizes. But many of the efforts to entice people to get their shots have lost their initial impact, or failed to land effectively at all.
Its just not working, Irwin Redlener at the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia University, told Politico. People arent buying it. The incentives dont seem to be working whether its a doughnut, a car or a million dollars.
In Ohio, a programme offering five adults the chance to win $1m boosted vaccination rates by 40% for more a week. A month later, the rate had dropped to below what it had been before the incentive was introduced, Politico found.
Oregon followed Ohios cash-prize lead but reported a less dramatic uptick. Preliminary data from a similar lottery in North Carolina, launched last week, suggests the incentive is also not boosting vaccination rates there.
Updated at 10.59am EDT
10.33am EDT 10:33
Jonathan Watts
Inspired by a group set up in Britain during the pandemic, several of the worlds leading scientists plan to launch an independent expert group this week to advise, warn and criticise global policymakers about the climate and nature crises.
The body has been inspired by Independent Sage the cluster of British scientists who have held UK ministers and civil servants to account for their lack of transparency and mishandling of the Covid pandemic.
The Climate Crisis Advisory Group, comprising 14 experts from 10 nations and every continent, aims to have more of an international reach and provide the global public with regular analysis about efforts to tackle the global heating and biodiversity crises.
Headed by the former UK chief scientific adviser Sir David King, the group will issue monthly updates about the state of the global environment at meetings that will be open to the media and the public. These online gatherings will be chaired by the BBC presenter Ade Adepitan.
Updated at 11.00am EDT
10.13am EDT 10:13
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has accused the devolved government of Scotland of hypocrisy over its travel ban to the north-west of England.
Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced on Friday all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from Monday, but Burnham, a Labour politician, said he or his administration were not contacted before the announcement.
Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National party (SNP), pinpointed the areas as Covid-19 hotspots, despite figures in the cities matching case rates in parts of Scotland.
Anyone travelling elsewhere in the Greater Manchester or Lancashire area, Id ask to think carefully about whether your journey is really necessary, because we do see cases rising across that region, she said on Friday in a coronavirus briefing.
Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Burnham said: I was really disappointed on Friday that the first minister of Scotland just announced out of the blue, as far as we were concerned, a travel ban saying that people couldnt travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford and people couldnt go the other way.
That is exactly what the SNP always accuse the Westminster government of doing, riding roughshod over people.
The SNP are treating the north of England with the same contempt in bringing that in without any consultation with us.
Updated at 11.07am EDT
9.50am EDT 09:50
Over half the new Covid-19 cases being reported in the Lisbon region are of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant, preliminary data showed on Sunday as Portuguese authorities scramble to curb a worrying spike in infections.
Ricardo Jorge, the national health institute, said the Delta variant represented more than 60% of cases in the Lisbon area though still less than 15% in the northern half of Portugal.
The Alpha variant, which was previously dominant in Britain, is more prevalent across Portugals north, representing 80% of infections there and only 30% in and around Lisbon, according to the institute.
Portugal posted over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases for the fourth straight day on Saturday and the number of people testing newly positive every 24 hours is back to late February levels, when the country was still under lockdown.
However, about 2.5 million of Portugals 10 million population has now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. While there has been a slight increase in hospitalisations in recent days, there has been no noticeable rise in deaths given that most older, more vulnerable people have been vaccinated.
The recent jump in infections comes around a month after Portugal opened to visitors from the rest of the EU as well as Britain.
Updated at 10.05am EDT
9.38am EDT 09:38
Tobi Thomas
The number of children and young adults in the UK entering treatment for gaming addictions and disorders tripled over the last year, with experts believing that the pandemic and lockdowns play a key role in the increase.
The clinic, part of the National Centre for Behavioural Addictions, opened in 2019 as a specialist clinic to treat children and young adults who are addicted to playing video games. The clinic opened a year after the World Health Organization recognised gaming disorder as a medical condition.
The figures, obtained by the Guardian via freedom of information requests, show that 17 people entered treatment between January and May 2020, but over the same period in 2021 the number rose to 56.
The Nightingale hospital, a private hospital that specialises in treating mental health disorders, also saw a rise in referrals and individuals seeking treatment for gaming and technology addictions.
The hospital said that between March to June and July to September 2020, the number of inquiries received regarding technology addiction doubled, with the majority of them regarding parents seeking support for their children. In 2021, the hospital has seen a fourfold increase in inquiries.
Updated at 9.43am EDT
9.17am EDT 09:17
Mandatory mask-wearing outdoors is being lifted and and an eight-month nightly coronavirus curfew is ending in France today.
Le Monde reports, however, that vigilance is still being called for, as health protocols for public places and event will remain in place until 30 June.
The lifting comes as France is voting in the first round of regional elections that could see Marine Le Pens far-right party make gains and step further into the political mainstream.
The Financial Times cites forecasting by polling group Ipsos that turnout would reach only about 41%.
A low turnout with polling showing voters are more concerned about crime, immigration and unemployment than Covid-19 is tipped to assist Le Pen.
Updated at 10.08am EDT
