Category: Corona Virus

LAS VEGAS >> Fifteen months after the pandemic transformed Las Vegas from flamboyant spectacle to ghost town, Sin City is back.

Tourists are streaming in again, gambling revenue has hit an all-time high, the Las Vegas Strip has its first new casino in a decade, and big concerts are starting at a gleaming new stadium. Plexiglass panels installed to separate gamblers at the poker and blackjack tables have largely been removed, the world-famous buffets are reopening, and nightclub dance floors are packed.

Vice President Kamala Harris was set to visit Saturday for what the White House is calling the Americas Back Together tour celebrating progress against the virus.

But that progress is threatened: Nevada this week saw the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the country, hospitalizations are on the rise again, and the highly contagious delta variant has become the most prevalent form of the virus in the state, adding urgency to the campaign to get more people vaccinated.

Still, in a place where the economy runs on crowds and uninhibited behavior, a return to pandemic-related restrictions and mask requirements seems to be off the table.

Inside the casinos, guests are not required to wear masks if they are fully vaccinated, but employees do not appear to be asking anyone for proof.

It seems like everything is opening back up, getting back to normal, Teresa Lee, a 47-year-old tourist from Nashville, Tennessee, said Thursday as she stood on the Strip, looking out over the fountains in front of the Bellagio casino.

Lee said she is vaccinated and felt safe in Las Vegas because she read about the casinos efforts to get their workers and their families vaccinated.

Tyler Williams, a 22-year-old from Eugene, Oregon, said it didnt feel as if there was a pandemic anymore because people are everywhere. He said he had seen hardly anyone with a mask apart from a few foreign tourists and felt no need to wear one himself, because he is vaccinated.

Las Vegas fully reopened and lifted restrictions on most businesses June 1, though many casino-resorts had already returned to 100% capacity before that with approval from state regulators. Visitor numbers, while not at their pre-pandemic highs, have grown by double digits four months in a row.

Shows and fireworks are scheduled for the July 4 weekend, and the new 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium where the NFLs relocated Raiders will kick off their season this fall was set to host its first major concert Saturday, by electronic dance music star Illenium. It will be followed by a full-capacity show from Garth Brooks next weekend.

Over the past two weeks, Nevadas diagnosis rate of 190 new cases per 100,000 people was higher than that of Missouri, Arkansas and Wyoming all states with lower vaccination levels and the state public health lab found the delta variant in almost half the COVID-19 cases it analyzed.

Also, the number of patients hospitalized with the virus has grown 33% over the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though the levels are far below what they were in December, when hospitals were near capacity.

State biostatistician Kyra Morgan said Friday that the spike in cases might be attributable to the full reopening of the state and city in June and that the return of crowds and big events on the Strip could cause the increase to continue.

If we know anything about COVID, we know that when people are gathering in close proximity to one another in large volumes, that is the recipe for COVID transmission to increase, Morgan said.

State and local officials said that almost all the new cases and hospitalizations involve unvaccinated people and that the best way to attack the problem is by getting more shots in arms. Nevada has fully vaccinated 45% of those 12 and older, well below the nationwide level of 55%, according to the CDC.

We are a state of skeptics when it comes to vaccines, Morgan said. We have a lot of anti-vaxxers, frankly, in the state of Nevada.

State and local officials, who in May went so far as to hold a vaccine clinic at a strip club, said they are trying to find more ways to persuade people, including the launch of a cash raffle.

Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, who took the unprecedented step of shuttering casinos for 11 weeks last year when the pandemic started, said Thursday he will ask for help from the COVID-19 response teams that the Biden administration is dispatching to boost testing and vaccinations in communities with outbreaks.

Sisolaks office did not respond to questions about whether he is considering reimposing mask mandates or other restrictions, but Las Vegas-area officials say they are following the CDCs guidelines, which say it is safe for fully vaccinated people to go mask-free.

At this this point, there is no discussion about increasing restrictions to the business and social life here in Clark County, said Dr. Fermin Leguen, chief health officer in the Las Vegas area. Getting better numbers in immunization is the solution for this problem at this point.

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Las Vegas is bouncing back, but coronavirus is on the rise too - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives.

The urgency coincides with Europe's summer holiday months, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Physical distancing is commonly neglected, especially among the young, and some countries are scrapping the requirement to wear masks outdoors.

Incentives for people to get shots include free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. The president of Cyprus even appealed to a sense of patriotism.

The risk of infection from the delta variant is "high to very high" for partially or unvaccinated communities, according to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), which monitors 30 countries on the continent. It estimates that by the end of August, the variant will account for 90 per centof cases in the European Union.

"It is very important to progress with the vaccine rollout at a very high pace," the ECDC warned.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also concerned. The variant makes transmission growth "exponential," according to Maria Van Kerkhove, its technical lead on COVID-19.

Daily new case numbers are already climbing sharply in countries like the United Kingdom, Portugal and Russia.

In some countries, the virus is spreading much faster among younger people. In Spain, the national 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 people rose to 152 on Friday. But for the 20-29 age group, it shot up to 449.

Those numbers have triggered alarm across the continent.

The Dutch government is extending its vaccination program to those aged 12-17 to help head off a feared new surge. Greece is offering young adults 150 euros ($219 Cdn) in credit after their first jab. Rome authorities are mulling the use of vans to vaccinate people at the beach. And Poland last week launched a lottery open only to adults who are fully vaccinated, with new cars among the prizes.

Portuguese authorities have extended the hours of vaccination centres, created new walk-in clinics, called up armed forces personnel to help run operations, and reduced the period between taking the two doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine from 12 weeks to eight weeks.

"We're in a race against the clock," Cabinet Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva said.

The emerging variants have shone a light on the unprecedented scale of the immunization programs. The ECDC says that in the countries it surveys, 61 per cent of people over 18 have had one shot and 40 per cent are completely vaccinated.

As of 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Canada had reported 1,416,661 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 6,256 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,348. More than 38 millionCOVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country.

In British Columbia,78.5per cent of eligible residents have been administered their first COVID-19 vaccine shot. About 33per cent of those eligible have received a second dose.

In the Prairies, Saskatchewan logged 49 new COVID-19 cases andManitoba added48 and an additional deathon Saturday, while in Alberta,demand for first shots has stagnated over the past two weeks.

Ontario registered209 new cases and nine additional deaths on Saturday.

Starting Monday at 8 a.m., residents 12 to 17 years old will be eligible to book an appointment to receive their second shot of Pfizer through the provincial booking system. They must wait 28 days between doses, as recommended by the Ontario health ministry.

In Quebec,operating hours of the Olympic Stadium vaccination clinic in Montreal will be extended on July 5 given the nearby screening of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, which will be played at the Bell Centre. People who wish to get vaccinated at the site can do so from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday.

In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick saw no new cases;and Nova Scotia, which added eight infections on Saturday,says international travellers canstart entering the province againon Monday.

InPrince Edward Island,more than 82 per cent of eligible residents have been administered their first vaccine dose, with just under 24 per centfully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the main drag of Newfoundland and Labrador's capital city is now open to pedestrians only, as St. John's has reopened a pedestrian mall along Water Street downtown. Businesses have built patios stretching across the sidewalk and onto the road where patrons can dine, shop and drink.

St. John's city council introduced the pedestrian mall last year as a way to encourage people to stay outdoors safely during the pandemic.

In the North, Yukonhealth officials are now reducing the number of visitors to long-term care homes as the territory records31 infections over the past two days.Nunavut reported 10 new infections; andin the Northwest Territories,mask requirements and appointments at many Yellowknife institutions such as the public library and pools will be lifted on Monday.

As of Saturday, more than183.1million cases of COVID-19 had been reported around the world, according to data published by Johns Hopkins Universityin the United States. The reported global death toll stood at more than 3.9 million.

In Africa,South Africa registered more than 24,000 cases on Friday, its highest tally of new infections since the pandemic began.

In Asia, Malaysia will ease a coronavirus lockdown in five states next week in a bid to allow a quicker reopening of its economy.

In the Americas, protests against President Jair Bolsonaro spread across Brazil on Saturday, a day after a Supreme Court justice authorized a criminal investigation into his response to allegations of corruption involving a vaccine deal.

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Coronavirus: What happened in Canada and around the world on July 3 - CBC.ca

COPENHAGEN, July 1 (Reuters) - Crowds at Euro 2020 football stadiums and in pubs and bars in host cities are driving the current rise in coronavirus infections in Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.

A 10-week decline in new coronavirus infections across the region has come to an end and a new wave of infections is inevitable if football fans and others drop their guard, according to WHO.

Last week, the number of new cases rose by 10%, driven by mixing of crowds in Euro 2020 host cities, travel and easing of social restrictions, WHO said.

"We need to look much beyond just the stadiums themselves," WHO's senior emergency officer, Catherine Smallwood, told reporters.

"We need to look at how people get there, are they travelling in large crowded convoys of buses? And when they leave the stadiums, are they going into crowded bars and pubs to watch the matches?

"It is these small continuous events that are driving the spread of the virus," Smallwood said.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer called a decision by European soccer's governing body UEFA to allow big crowds at Euro 2020 "utterly irresponsible". read more

UEFA said in a statement to Reuters that mitigation measures at host venues "are fully aligned with the regulations set out by the competent local public health authorities".

The rise in new COVID-19 cases is happening as the more contagious Delta virus variant spreads rapidly across Europe.

Nearly 2,000 people who live in Scotland have attended a Euro 2020 event while infectious with COVID-19, with many attending their group stage match against England in London on June 18, Scottish authorities said on Wednesday. read more

The rise in infections has raised concern that a third wave could spread across Europe in the autumn if people don't get vaccinated.

"The concern of an autumn surge is still there, but what we see now is that it might come even earlier," Smallwood said.

Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; editing by John Stonestreet, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Euro 2020 crowds driving rise in COVID-19 infections, says WHO - Reuters

"We don't exactly know what the herd immunity percentage would be for Covid-19. It would be different for the Delta variant, and higher, because it is more transmissible," Dr. Rachel Levine told CNN's Ana Cabrera on Friday.

"But we know ... that people who are vaccinated are protected against this Delta variant. And they're extremely unlikely to get sick and it's virtually impossible for them to require hospitalizations," said Levine, who is the assistant secretary at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Estimates vary on how much of the population needs to have immunity to reach that goal. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said herd immunity might be reached if 70-85% of people are immune.

Variant accounting for greater percentage of cases in some states

The Delta variant, which was first seen in India, can infect people more easily and causes even more severe illnesses.

In California, where about half of the state's 40 million population is vaccinated, Covid-19 cases are rising, with the Delta variant accounting for 36% of all new cases, according to officials.

"The most important thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID-19, and the variants, is ensure everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated," said Dr. Toms Aragn, California's public health officer.

On Monday, Los Angeles County recommended that people wear masks in indoor public spaces even if vaccinated and, on Friday, the city and county of St. Louis, Missouri, did the same. Both jurisdictions made the recommendations because of the spread of the variant.

"As we monitor the Delta variant, we are seeing that it's spreading fast, and data shows it is more infectious and impacting younger segments of the population," said Dr. Fredrick Echols, the acting director of the City of St. Louis Department of Health, in a news release.

"In the five states with the highest rate of Covid-19 spread, the Delta variant is more than 50% of the cases there. Arkansas is 50%. Utah 60%. Missouri is 70%." Wen said. "I think we have to keep in mind, too, the statistics of who is getting ill. By and large, it is unvaccinated people."

Where US states stand in vaccinations

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 18 states that have fully vaccinated more than half their population. They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, as well as Washington, D.C.

Experts agree that the best protection against the Delta variant is vaccination.

Moderna's vaccine was found in lab experiments to work against new variants including the Delta strain, the company said this week. Serum samples from people who received two shots of the Moderna vaccine showed neutralizing activity against the variants, Moderna said in a pre-print study that hasn't yet been peer-reviewed.

Johnson & Johnson said its one-shot coronavirus vaccine provides immunity that lasts at least eight months, and it appears to provide protection against the Delta variant.

Travel guidance from the WHO

Fauci offered a glimmer of good news ahead of the Fourth of July holiday: Americans can celebrate with the proper precautions, he said.

"That is, if you were vaccinated, you have a high degree of protection. If you are not, you should wear a mask, and you should think very seriously about getting vaccinated," he said.

However, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said he was most worried about people who are unvaccinated headed into the holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization's new interim international travel guidance released Friday takes into account vaccination status as well as variants of concern and variants of interest.

The organization recommends that a " risk-based approach" should be followed when Covid-19 measures are implemented.

"This approach should consider the risk posed by travel for the importation and exportation of cases in the context of the evolving epidemiology, including the emergence and circulation of virus variants of concern; the expansion of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out; and lessons learned while responding to the pandemic, including on the early detection and management of cases and the application of public health and social measures," WHO said in a statement.

WHO also pointed out that proof of vaccination should not be required as a condition to enter or leave a country and that national authorities could consider individualized approaches when implementing testing or quarantine as a condition of entry if people have immunity from vaccination or previously confirmed infection.

CNN's Cheri Mossburg, Carma Hassan, Deidre McPhillips, Maggie Fox and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

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Spread of the Delta variant may make it even harder to reach herd immunity, expert says - CNN

SEOUL, July 3 (Reuters) - Thousands of South Korean workers staged a rally in downtown Seoul to demand better conditions, video images showed on Saturday, defying a government ban and shrugging off warnings that their protest could ignite a new wave of the coronavirus.

As South Korea battles a spike in infections fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant, officials had denied permission for the protest, with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum urging leaders of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions to cancel it.

Marchers wearing masks blocked some of the main streets in the central district of Jongno, holding up signs with slogans such as "Stop restructuring!" and "Let's go! General strike!" video from the Yonhap news agency showed.

The protest, which the union said drew as many as 8,000 participants, backed demands for wage hikes and measures to prevent accidents.

But plans for the gathering had provoked concern about a repeat of the events of last summer, after a massive rally traced to a church sparked a second wave of infections nationwide.

However, the union pushed ahead with Saturday's rally after a last-minute change of venue from the financial centre of Yeouido, where police had set up a barricade of buses and checkpoints to deter protesters.

The union has said it is capable of ensuring a safe protest

based on strict COVID-19 guidelines, and urged respect for its right to freedom of assembly.

About 80% of South Korea's locally transmitted cases continue to come from the Seoul metropolitan area, home to more than half of the country's population of 52 million. Daily infections hit the highest in nearly six months on Thursday. read more

Friday's 794 cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) were slightly lower than the previous day's figure.

"Holding a large protest in the greater Seoul area is an extremely dangerous move that would only add fuel to the flames of COVID-19," Kim had said on Friday, warning that authorities would take all measures necessary to block the demonstration.

Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Jane Wardell and Clarence Fernandez

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Thousands of S.Korean workers rally in coronavirus-hit Seoul - Reuters

Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a Lanting Forum with the theme "China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond, in Beijing, China June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

BEIJING, July 3 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the international community on Saturday to build a "Great Wall of Immunity" to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We should face the imminent challenges together," Wang, who is also a member of the State Council, or cabinet, told the 9th World Peace Forum held at Tsinghua University in the Chinese capital.

"The most urgent priority is to expedite the construction of the 'Great Wall of Immunity' to fend off the virus, surpass political discrimination and carry out international anti-pandemic cooperation."

China, where the coronavirus first surfaced in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, has supplied more than 480 million vaccine doses to other nations.

Wang said it would keep working to improve the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries.

By Friday, China had administered a total of 1.28 billion doses of vaccine. B9N2N201Q

Reporting by Shivani Singh and Colin Qian; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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China urges nations to build 'Great Wall of Immunity' against coronavirus - Reuters

The Oregon Health Authority reported 198 new coronavirus cases Thursday and 4 COVID-19 deaths.

To date, 1,790 Oregonians have contracted COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, the health authority said. Thats a fraction of the millions vaccinated who have not tested positive for the disease. The agency also noted that all but four of the 63 COVID-19 deaths in June were among people who werent fully vaccinated.

A total of 31 Oregonians have died after contracting COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. The majority of those who died were elderly, the health authority said, ranging in age from 57 to 100 and with a median age of 83.

SEE STATE AND COUNTY COVID-19 TRENDS

Vaccines: Oregon reported 8,535 newly administered doses, of which 4,395 were administered Wednesday.

Where the new cases are by county: Benton (1), Clackamas (21), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Coos (1), Crook (2), Curry (1), Deschutes (12), Douglas (7), Hood River (1), Jackson (9), Jefferson (4), Josephine (5), Klamath (5), Lake (2), Lane (18), Lincoln (1), Linn (15), Malheur (1), Marion (17), Morrow (1), Multnomah (21), Polk (9), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (12), Union (1), Wasco (1), Washington (13) and Yamhill (8).

Who died: Oregons 2,775th death connected to the coronavirus is a 64-year-old Columbia County man who tested positive June 10 and died June 18 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Oregons 2,776th death is a 49-year-old Coos County woman who tested positive June 14 and died June 28 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.

Oregons 2,777th death is a 72-year-old Harney County man who tested positive June 22 and died June 30 at his residence.

Oregons 2,778th death is an 87-year-old Jefferson County man who tested positive June 10 and died June 25 at his residence.

All had underlying medical conditions.

Hospitalizations: 134 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, down two from Wednesday. That includes 27 people in intensive care, down four from Wednesday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 208,834 confirmed or presumed infections and 2,778 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 4,446,362 vaccine doses administered, fully vaccinating 2,189,221 people and partially vaccinating 211,946 people.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

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Coronavirus in Oregon: 198 new cases and 4 deaths - OregonLive

Almost 72% of Illinois adults have received at least one vaccine dose and more than 56% are fully vaccinated

SPRINGFIELD The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,120 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 54 additional deaths since reporting last Friday, June 25, 2021. Almost 72% (71.8%) of Illinois adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 56% of Illinois adults are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,392,552 cases, including 23,245 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since reporting on Friday, June 25, 2021, laboratories have reported 234,527 specimens for a total of 25,868,855. As of last night, 424 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 97 patients were in the ICU and 35 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from June 25 July 1, 2021 is 0.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from June 25 July 1, 2021 is 1.1%.

Celebrate the Fourth of July holiday weekend while exercising appropriate caution, said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. While many events are outside, it is still important for unvaccinated people to take precautions and, when necessary, avoid large crowds where social distancing is not possible. For indoor events, unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks, and vaccinated individuals may choose to do so as well as the more virulent strain of COVID-19, Delta variant, increases in Illinois.

A total of 12,648,167 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 41,150 doses. Since reporting on Friday, June 25, 2021, 288,050 doses were reported administered in Illinois.

*All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.

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Public Health Officials Announce 2,120 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week | IDPH - IDPH

The nightmare is returning.

In Indonesia, grave diggers are working into the night, as oxygen and vaccines are in short supply. In Europe, countries are slamming their doors shut once again, with quarantines and travel bans. In Bangladesh, urban garment workers fleeing an impending lockdown are almost assuredly seeding another coronavirus surge in their impoverished home villages.

And in countries like South Korea and Israel that seemed to have largely vanquished the virus, new clusters of disease have proliferated. Chinese health officials announced on Monday that they would build a giant quarantine center with up to 5,000 rooms to hold international travelers. Australia has ordered millions to stay at home.

A year and a half since it began racing across the globe with exponential efficiency, the pandemic is on the rise again in vast stretches of the world, driven largely by the new variants, particularly the highly contagious Delta variant first identified in India. From Africa to Asia, countries are suffering from record Covid-19 caseloads and deaths, even as wealthier nations with high vaccination rates have let their guard down, dispensing with mask mandates and reveling in life edging back toward normalcy.

Scientists believe the Delta variant may be twice as transmissible as the original coronavirus, and its potential to infect some partially vaccinated people has alarmed public health officials. Unvaccinated populations, whether in India or Indiana, may serve as incubators of new variants that could evolve in surprising and dangerous ways, with Delta giving rise to what Indian researchers are calling Delta Plus. There are also the Gamma and Lambda variants.

Were in a race against the spread of the virus variants, said Prof. Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul.

The political debates underway from Malaysia to the Seychelles whether to institute lockdowns and mask requirements are starting to echo in countries with far more resources, including plentiful vaccines. On Monday, health officials in Los Angeles County, where Delta variant infections are climbing, urged residents, even immunized ones, to wear masks indoors. (Many scientists, however, say masks are not necessary for the fully immunized in areas where the virus is not widespread.)

But while the new images from Nepal or Kenya of overflowing intensive-care units and dying doctors dredge up terrible memories for the West, it is not clear whether they also provide a glimpse into the future.

Most existing vaccines appear to be effective against the Delta variant, and initial research indicates that those who are infected are likely to develop mild or asymptomatic cases. But even in the wealthiest countries except for a handful of nations with small populations fewer than half the people are fully vaccinated. Experts say that with new variants spreading, markedly higher vaccination rates and continued precautions are needed to tame the pandemic.

The smoke rising once more from crematories in less affluent nations has highlighted the gulf between the worlds haves and have-nots. Vast inequalities in economic development, health care systems and despite the promises of world leaders vaccine access have made the latest surge much bigger and much deadlier.

The developed countries used up the resources available because they own the resources and they want to protect their people first, said Dono Widiatmoko, a senior lecturer in health and social care at the University of Derby and a member of the Indonesian Public Health Association. Its natural, but if we look it from a human rights point of view, every life has the same value.

And as the public health officials keep repeating, and the pandemic keeps proving, as long as one region is afflicted, no part of the world is safe.

As the Delta variant wreaked havoc in India this spring, when the pandemic killed more than 200,000 people there an official count that is widely seen as too low and paralyzed the economy, it also leapt national borders, infecting climbers on Mount Everest, pro-democracy protesters in Myanmar and travelers to Londons Heathrow Airport. Today, it has been detected in at least 85 countries and is the dominant strain in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.

July 3, 2021, 10:27 a.m. ET

The variants ferocious transmissibility was on full display in Indonesia, the worlds fourth-most-populous country.

In May, infections there were at their lowest point since the country was gripped by the pandemic last year. By late June, Indonesia was suffering record caseloads as the Delta variant took hold after a religious holiday scattered travelers across the archipelago. On Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent warned that the country was on the edge of catastrophe.

Fewer than 5 percent of Indonesians have been fully vaccinated, and frontline medical workers were immunized with Sinovac, the Chinese-made vaccine that may be less effective than other inoculations. At least 20 Indonesian doctors who received both doses of Sinovac have died. But with Western countries hoarding what appear to be more potent vaccines, countries like Indonesia and Mongolia have had no choice but plentiful Chinese-made alternatives.

Last week, the Hong Kong authorities suspended passenger flights from Indonesia, and they are doing the same with travel from Britain starting on July 1.

In May, Portugal tried to resuscitate its tourism industry by welcoming back sun seekers from Britain, despite reports of the Delta variants spread there. Within a few weeks, the British government had instituted a quarantine for travelers from Portugal, including returning vacationers.

With Delta variant cases sharply increasing, Lisbon went into weekend lockdown, and Germany deemed Portugal a virus variant zone. Now Portugal has backed away from its tourist welcome and is requiring unvaccinated British travelers to quarantine.

Some Portuguese hoteliers are despondent. Isabel Pereira, a guesthouse owner, said half of her bookings have been canceled, and she understands the tourists concerns.

I cannot unfortunately even tell them for sure what to expect tomorrow, let alone next week, she said.

For others, the past is repeating itself with turbocharged velocity.

In Bangladesh, scientists found that nearly 70 percent of coronavirus samples from the capital, Dhaka, taken between May 25 and June 7 were the Delta variant. Coronavirus test positivity rates this week have hovered around 25 percent, compared to 2 percent in the United States.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh recorded its highest-ever daily case count. The numbers look set to climb higher as migrant workers return to their villages ahead of a July 1 nationwide lockdown, potentially exposing those communities to the virus.

The nationwide shutdown means that all domestic public transportation networks will be suspended and all shops closed for at least a week. But with Bangladeshs export-driven economy battered by the pandemic, the government has refrained from idling garment factories and mills.

They are hard-working people, said Mohammed Nasir, the former vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Their immune systems are stronger.

If pandemic history is any precedent, such crowded quarters, just like prisons or mass religious gatherings, can turn into petri dishes of infection. Many garment workers, though, are desperate to keep their jobs, especially with annual bonuses due soon.

Despite promises from various countries and international organizations, vaccine deliveries to Bangladesh have been underwhelming. Fewer than 3 percent of Bangladeshis have been fully vaccinated.

We are working to make a balance, Mr. Nasir said, between lives and livelihoods.

Reporting was contributed by Muktita Suhartono and Richard C. Paddock in Bangkok, Raphael Minder in Madrid, Amy Chang Chien in Taipei, Taiwan and Yu Young Jin in Seoul.

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As Delta Variant Surges, Outbreaks Return in Many Parts of the World - The New York Times

This story will be updated.

Another Mainer has died as health officials on Friday reported 15more coronavirus cases across the state.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 316. 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 down from 337 on Thursday.

A man in his 60s from Penobscot County has succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 860.

Fridays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 69,069,according to the Maine CDC. Thats up from 69,054 on Thursday.

Of those, 50,519have been confirmed positive, while 18,550were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.

The new case rate statewide Friday was 0.11 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 516.05.

Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 22.7, down from 25.4 a day ago, down from 26.9 a week ago and down from 85.4 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, 2,079 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Information about those who are currently hospitalized wasnt immediately available.

The total statewide hospitalization rate on Friday was 15.53 patients per 10,000 residents.

Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (8,416), Aroostook (1,903), Cumberland (17,260), Franklin (1,392), Hancock (1,376), Kennebec (6,608), Knox (1,147), Lincoln (1,081), Oxford (3,648), Penobscot (6,354), Piscataquis (589), Sagadahoc (1,475), Somerset (2,288), Waldo (1,052), Washington (944) and York (13,536) counties.

Out of 3,707 COVID-19 tests reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, 0.5 percent came back positive. Overall, 2,748,982 tests have been administered and the statewide positivity rate is 2.75 percent.

An additional 877 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. As of Friday, 746,777 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 788,068 have received a final dose.

New Hampshire reported 23 new cases on Friday and no deaths. Vermont reported two new cases and one death, while Massachusetts reported 83 new cases and three deaths.

As of Friday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 33,681,328 people 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 605,062 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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Another Mainer has died and 15 more coronavirus cases reported across the state - Bangor Daily News